Notes from April
a letter to celebrate the change in season (with other recommendations)
Dear friends,
A very happy Sunday. Can you believe we’ve now reached May, with summer vacation already on the horizon? I write to you on a quiet weekend, somewhat of a respite after a month rich with events: travel to Europe (twice), a school inspection (oof), long overdue outings with friends (a pleasure). But truthfully, what has stuck with me most from April is far simpler, and that is how vibrant it’s been outside, the trees turned the most delightful green seemingly overnight. Both the Olympic Park and Victoria Park have seen a lot of me in recent weeks as a result.
It’s also the time of year when the students in my exam sets leave, and on saying goodbye in our last lessons—moments that inevitably make me verklempt because I’m easily sentimental—I’ve been flooded with the sensation that growing up can be a gift. My dismay in the UK testing system aside, I delight in sending students off, knowing they still have the joys of realising how they’ve been shaped by the places and people they’ve encountered (and will encounter) ahead of them. I’m finding the decision of what to do with that knowledge a marker of my own adult life.
I leave that for us to ponder! Some other things of note and to recommend in the meantime:
Rare is it these days that I start a book and clear my schedule to finish it—too many competing priorities—but I gobbled up Lauren Groff’s Brawler in a single day, unable to put it down. All nine short stories are works of art, reminding me of the power of well-crafted narratives and beautiful writing, but my favourite was “What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?”. It masterfully unravels your expectations, and you best believe I was gasping at the story’s last paragraph. I’ve now started Florida, another short story collection of hers, and I remain awed by Groff’s ability to drop us so immediately into the world of her characters. Thank goodness I still have the rest of her backlist to make my way through!
If you need to spice up your music listening, might I suggest Jen Monroe’s Getting Warmer? A show on the online radio NTS (described as “one of the world’s most revered music archives”), it has led me to some utter gems that I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered, among them the school-recorded tracks of Classroom Projects and the self-titled album of jazz rock band Air. I just like her taste, and better yet, I find the hour-long playlists are perfect for a round of marking (a true chore). I’ve interspersed my listens with my other music go-tos in April: Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide and the Paddington: The Musical West End cast recording. A girl needs some variety!
On the movie front, April had me catch Rebuilding at the cinema, a tender little thing of a film that follows a Colorado rancher after a wildfire hits his home. Josh O’Connor is an actor I will never tire of, and he is well-cast in his role as Dusty alongside Meghann Fahy as his ex-wife and Lily LaTorre as his cute-as-can-be daughter. The story is quiet yet deeply moving, fears around a warming climate an undercurrent throughout. And to that, let it be known I did cry! A sign of an excellent film if I ever saw one.
I’ll admit, I booked tickets to The Wooster Group’s Nayatt School Redux for their name alone, some distant memory of them being mentioned in a TAPS class lodged in my brain. What I should have remembered is that The Wooster Group is a pioneer in experimental theatre, this piece—a reworking of their famous 1970s production—yet more credit to their name. Part homage, part seance, it was a dizzying, ironic, absurd affair of a show. I left not entirely sure what I had watched, but as is true of most avant-garde performance, my confusion was intertwined with pure curiosity, and were it remounted once more, I would attend again with pleasure. Perhaps they will make their merry way back to the UK at another point soon, and/or I’ll simply have to choose another show to see in the Coronet’s eclectic season of work. Dead Poets Live looks promising…!
Speaking of cultural experiences, have you ever visited Two Temple Place? Tucked away near Embankment Station, it’s a small museum with an impressive collection of art and architectural features alike. I carved out an afternoon on my Easter break to finally pop in and wasn’t disappointed—only ashamed that I had waited so long to go! I loved the range of work on display in their exhibition “The Weight of Being” and found it thoughtfully curated. The art is also set against the building’s show-stealing stained glass, and it’s worth visiting for a look at that alone. The exhibit is now closed and a new one won’t open until 2027, but I’d encourage you to add it to your London bucket list for next winter.
Finally, I’ve watched the music video for Gener8tion and Yung Lean’s Storm at least a hundred times by this point (or so it feels like). While not my usual fare, the video is fantastic, the choreography even better. There’s something stunning about how it captures the equal parts fragility and bravado that characterise adolescence. I suppose it’s a bit of a full circle from the start of this letter in so much as I’m interested personally and professionally in whatever we define as “coming of age”—and as a result, I’m an easy admirer of any art that tries to make sense of Growing Up. And for what it’s worth, I’ve really enjoyed listening to Yung Lean’s album Jonatan too!
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I leave you there. Tell me: what’s up for your week ahead? I continue my drumming lessons and practice, which thrill me like nothing else. I have many longstanding ways to keep myself busy, but a new hobby is proving helpful as work picks up. (Directing a lower school production of As You Like It—what could go wrong?) I’m also planning to catch Mother Courage and Her Children at the Globe, because I fear no drama teacher can turn down Brecht. We’ll see what I make of it!
To locating sources of joy, wherever you are,
Bella