Violin students compete in first reading contest

This year marked the first edition of a contest for very young readers at schools in Sarcelles, Garges-lès-Gonesse and Villiers-le-Bel, with a total of 327 students in 26 classes taking part.

The final took place on June 4 at the historic Château d’Écouen, north of Paris, where each of 15 seven- and eight-year-old violinists read a text to an attentive audience. The engagement of the finalists and the quality of their performances were outstanding. The contest powerfully illustrated the possible connection between learning the violin and learning to read, with all the advantages of an interdisciplinary educational environment.

The day ended with a performance by student violinists from Jean Moulin 1 Elementary School in Garges. Many thanks to all who took part, and to Isabelle Cornu, the project’s dedicated education adviser, who launched the contest.

We’re already looking forward to next year!