KOKUBAN Issue 1 Volume 1

School Bells: Ring! Ring! Ring!

One of the most memorable part of schooling is the loud ringing of the school bell, signaling the start of class or lunch break. The sounds and memories of school bells vary across the board.

 

One of the most memorable part of schooling is the loud ringing of the school bell, signaling the start of class or lunch break. Within the JCCC’s diverse staff, it became clear that the sounds and memories of school bells vary across the board. However, one consistent memory can be summarized into a feeling of joy when the bell rang indicating it was time to go home. Listen the school bell.
Within the JCCC Collection is a wonderful brass school hand bell from the 1930s with its wooden handle intact. The handle is engraved, “Shisei-Kai 28th Graduates Japanese School 1934”. This school bell is a treasure amongst other treasures and is the primary inspiration behind this archival research project.
Since sound has the power in creating social spaces and affect individual memories, we would like to invite you to send us your experience and memories of the school bell. What does it sound like? How do you feel when recalling these memories? Your contributions will be used in our project which will be published in a future issue of our e-bulletin. Please email us at heritage@jccc.on.ca

Coping with Isolation: A Musician's Perspective

The JCCC’s Sandy Chan was fortunate to sit down for a chat with one of our volunteer instructors, Harry Kawabe. Harry has been teaching the ukulele program at the JCCC since 2012, and over that time, he has expanded the program from a handful of students to 3 full classes, with participants ranging from 7 years old to 80+ years. During this time of social isolation, Harry also worked with the JCCC to launch an online ukulele program. In our conversation, Harry talked about the joy of learning and teaching, but also opened up about the frustrations and an underlying sadness he feels about the changes that COVID-19 has marshalled.
This pandemic has affected us all. Everyone is learning to adjust. Through this conversation, Harry expressed a desire for people to see music as a means of uplifting themselves and to stay connected. Music has no boundaries! Check out Harry’s ukulele tutorials on the JCCC YouTube Channel. Please contact the JCCC at jccc@jccc.on.ca if you are interested in joining our online ukulele classes on Thursdays at 10:00am.
Watch the interview