Joe's Violin

Lesson objectives

• To bring up the topic of old age and discuss intergenerational relationships
• To encourage students to talk to their grandparents and other elderly people
• To revise and learn vocabulary related to music

Joseph Feingold was born into a musical family where having an ear for music and knowing how to play an instrument played a significant role. For him, the most important musical instrument was always the violin. After World War II broke out, he was deported from his home in Poland to Siberia together with his father. At the end of the war, he was in a German displaced persons camp awaiting passage to America and made sure to bring his violin along with him. But now, due to his old age, he can no longer play it, which is why he decided to donate the instrument to a music school in the Bronx. His violin is now used by a young girl named Brianna who shares the same musical passion as him and understands how important music is for building intergenerational relationships. 

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