Paris, France 2020-2021

Filmmaker, Aurélien Rudelle navigates the pandemic and numerous lockdowns in Paris to produce a charming film about the late singer, Carole Fredericks, seen through the eyes of his students. Rudelle is a 'animateur' with an after-school program at elementary school Maurice Rouvier in the 14th arrondissement. His students are first and second generation immigrants to France. The children learned about Carole Fredericks as part of a experimental cross-cultural exchange program, CLASSES DUO PARIS / NEW ENGLAND. Classes Duo Paris / New England is a collaboration among the Wells International Foundation, CASPE 6 /14 of the City of Paris, and the Carole D. Fredericks Foundation in Canandaigua, New York. Classes Duo Paris / New England began with two schools, Maurice Rouvier in Paris and an elementary school in Brattleboro, Vermont, with 22 students participating. Lessons feature the life and work of Carole Denise Fredericks, an African-American woman who relocated to Paris in 1979 and became a pop music legend. The program began in September 2020.

Due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, only Maurice Rouvier Elementary School in Paris was able to implement the program. Rouvier students researched Fredericks online and created Leçon Blues, a short video documentary about her life. This led Rudelle to film his students in Leçon Blues. As part of their research, Rudelle and students crossed the city to visit the 18th arrondissement, where Carole lived and is buried. "They stood before her apartment building and the plaque that was installed in her honor, and they visited her gravesite in Montmartre Cemetery. The children were very emotional throughout the afternoon. After spending a year discovering Carole and her legendary partnership with Jean-Jacques Goldman and Michael Jones, they felt privileged to follow her footsteps", said Rudelle. Zoom sessions were arranged in which the students interviewed Michael Jones and met Carole's sister, Connie Fredericks Malone.

Rouvier students transform themselves into Carole, Jean-Jacques and Michael, members of the famous pop trio FREDERICKS GOLDMAN JONES. The kids dance and lip-sync to songs made famous by the trio and they re-create important scenes from Carole's career. Rudelle filmed them on location in and around the 14th arrondissement capturing their joyful exploration of Carole's experiences. What makes this film especially sweet is that most of the children were not even born when Carole Fredericks and Fredericks Goldman Jones were popular. In Leçon Blues, Aurélien Rudelle tenderly documents his Maurice Rouvier students' discovery of an African-American woman's life and legacy in France.

Carole Fredericks is the subject of the 2020 /2021 Paris / New England CASPE Classes Duo Program

The Carole D. Fredericks Foundation in Canandaigua, NY and the Circonscription des Affaires Scolaires et de la Petite Enfance (CASPE) in Paris, Fr are delighted to announce that Carole Fredericks and the music trio Fredericks Goldman Jones will be the subject of the 2020 / 2021 CAPSE Classes Duo Program. The CASPE Classes Duo Program is an after-school program that services students 7 to 10 years of age (3rd, 4th or 5th grade). CASPE and the Carole Fredericks Foundation paired école élémentaire Saint-Benoit (6th arrondissement) and école élémentaire Maurice Rouvier (14th arrondissement) with two French classes at the Green Street Elementary School in Brattleboro, Vermont. 

The 2020/2021 Paris / New England Classes Duo program is the second installment of a unique foreign language and culture exchange project developed by CASPE 6 /14 ‘Déclic Langues’. The first installment was Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville in 2019 that developed lessons employing the art and life of Beauford Delaney, a Knoxville-born African-American, who expatriated to Paris in 1953. Please see the FRANCE-AMÉRIQUE article about the Paris/Knockville Classes Duo program.

Carole Fredericks (1952-2001) was a native of Springfield, Mass who moved to Paris in 1979 to pursue a singing career. She lived in Paris for 22 years. Carole achieved extraordinary success as a background singer and then as a member of the music trio FREDERICKS GOLDMAN JONES with Jean-Jacques GOLDMAN and Michael JONES. She was often singled out as the performer who wove African American gospel, soul and blues into popular French music.  In keeping with CASPE 6 /14 ‘Déclic Langues’ mission, the 2020/2021 Paris / New England Classes Duo Program will formulate lessons employing Carole Fredericks’ biography, songs and music videos.  Please see Carole’s biography.

The 2020/2021 CASPE Paris / New England Classes Duo Program will focus on 1) reinforcing French/English communications at an early age, 2) providing an active cultural exchange program and, 3) exploring music genres and styles. The students will exchange emails and participate in monthly video conferences in French and English. Each class will prepare a video presentation in their partner's language and showcase activities using French and American music. 

The Paris / New England Classes Duo Program is scheduled to begin in September 2020.