Singing their way to a good time

Noemi Zarb meets up with Musique to discover how it encourages the appreciation of music.

The brainchild of Michelle Cachia Castelletti (of Amadeus Chamber Choir fame), Musique has a clear agenda: to promote singers and musicians "who are not in the limelight". One of Musique's recent concerts, Be Our Guest, showcased hidden talent of different ages with very promising voices, singing (without amplification) excerpts from musicals as well as opera.

Musicals are a phenomenal success all over the world but children find them particularly appealing because they feature prominently in their plots, plus many musicals have become blockbusters at the cinema and these include full-length cartoon animated versions. So children have a good idea of what they're singing when they're belting out tunes from the likes of Les Miserables or Beauty and the Beast. Moreover, these are the kind of songs that are tailor-made for young voices.

Musique brings together a number of very talented singers who are studying with Ms Cachia Castelletti, Joeanna Hili and Brian Cefai. Despite the perception in Malta that singing is only for girls, Mr Cefai's reputation as a leading tenor helps to attract boys and young men who want to be coached by him. The combo of preteens, teenagers and 20-year-olds is a winner because it enables the singers to regroup and perform varied concerts that target different audiences, especially young ones.

Making its debut last October at St James Cavalier when it featured pianist Maureen Galea, Musique is slowly but surely garnering a vibrant repertoire. After its second show Be Our Guest, which was held in mid-May, the older bracket performed yet another medley of popular musical hits in A Night at the Musicals at the Club Lounge in Paceville.

But Musique's real strength lies in the zest of opening up the world of music and song to children and youngsters. It may provide a platform for young talent, but it also nurtures a lifelong love for the compositions and hits that define so many landmarks in the history of western music.

How does Ms Cachia Castelletti go about scouting for young talent or does she rely on parents approaching her? "It's actually a mixture of both - although I must admit it's more the parents who would have heard of us by word of mouth and come up to us. Yet I'm always on the lookout for talent - be it in singers and/or instrumentalists and musicians. I've often heard a good musician and went up to him, introduced myself and asked for his contact details for further reference! Or heard someone with good potential in his/her voice - and asked him/her to join us."

Talk of parents leads to the definite encouragement children effortlessly get if they happen to come from a musical background, but the chip does not automatically follow from the old block. In fact, Ms Cachia Castelletti is quick to affirm that her students do not sport this trait. "Many of the children who decide they want to sing do not study music. And it is the one thing I try not to impose, but I try to make them and the parents understand the importance of learning music."

Her persuasive powers, however, can be gleaned from how nearly all her students end up studying musical theory and, in many cases, take up an instrument too. "That makes them much more complete musicians," she adds with a twinkle in her blue eyes that immediately tell of her irrepressible sense of fun.

Talk of children harps on the vital balance between encouragement, enjoyment and setting standards. "I always believe in 'going down to their level'," pipes up Ms Cachia Castelletti, "while letting them understand that you still mean business. I joke, I ease off the tension - but I want results, and that means giving the audience gooseflesh." 

Do the students contribute to the choice of the songs? Ms Cachia Castelletti does not actually follow an agenda but obviously opts for the numbers from a long list that best bring out their capabilities. "We do this together and with each student individually. When there's a particular song which more than one student likes, we go for who does it better or who can interpret something else just as well."

So are younger children more adventurous or is it really a question of individual personality irrespective of age? Ms Cachia Castelletti believes that children's willingness to learn and "their outstanding approach to anything difficult is amazing." She insightfully comments on how adults can unwittingly impede children by imparting their own "tendency to overdramatise things, or maybe because we learn to know how much we still do not know". Yet she also sees huge differences between students of the same age, which points to the overriding factor of individual personality rather than age.

Does Ms Cachia Castelletti feel that children learning how to sing is the latest fad? "I believe that music, drama, dancing, art... all help bring out the personality of children. I believe that some kind of cultural education should be a must in the schools. I cannot for the life of me understand why our national curriculum 'imposes' only one semester of music a year (same in drama and art). If we really want to bring up a good sense of culture and appreciation, we must start from the young."

Mr Cefai seconds Ms Cachia Castelletti with "I just hope the relevant authorities will once and for all realise what potential there is for culture in Malta and will decide to give these very talented students the chances and help they deserve."