Music teacher's song becomes anthem at Chaparral
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Franck Bensoussan

Franck Bensoussan has a way of infusing children with a love of music.

At last week's Las Virgenes Unified School District board meeting, Bensoussan led Chaparral Elementary School's second-grade students in a lively performance of an original song and new renditions of some old-time favorites.

Bensoussan is the music specialist at Chaparral Elementary School in Calabasas. His music is so catchy that one of his songs, "Hello," which was performed by the second-grade chorus at the district office, may live on in perpetuity since it became the school's unofficial anthem.

The song took on new meaning when Bensoussan left his six-year post in 2000 to flex his musical muscle in other areas. Principal Keith Tomes said Bensoussan wrote the song before leaving.

"We performed the 'Hello' song in his absence all those years," Tomes said. "When he came back it was like he hadn't (ever) left."

Bensoussan moved from France to the United States in 1983. He worked as Chaparral's music specialist from 1994 to 2000, but was offered an opportunity he couldn't resist. A wealthy benefactor financed an artists' retreat in Idyllwild, a small town nestled in California's San Jacinto Mountains, enabling artists and musicians to focus on their work. A recording studio was built for the musicians in the mountain town, but many of the young and spirited folks couldn't be hemmed in and the artists' sanctuary fell apart, Bensoussan said.

"I was the oldest guy there," said Bensoussan, now 35, with only the trace of a French accent. "Everyone else was young and flaky."

The plug may have been pulled on the retreat, but the artists' vibe lived on in Idyllwild. Bensoussan settled in the area, recording and producing music and sharing his talents with youngsters in the Hemet Unified School District.

After a five-year stint in Idyllwild, Bensoussan returned to Calabasas. Idyllwild's loss was Chaparral's gain- Tomes said he was thrilled to have Bensoussan, known affectionately as "Mr. B." by students, return as the school's music specialist.

Chaparral's second-graders gave the board an enthusiastic performance of "Hello" and belted out four tunes, bouncing and bobbing along with the music, most of which was uniquely arranged by Bensoussan.

"Very often I produce the music myself," Bensoussan said. "I want to hear the kids." To better "hear the kids," Bensoussan produced his own arrangement of George M. Cohan's "You're a Grand Old Flag."

The children also tapped out a "teaching" song, and gave a jazzy performance of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."

In addition to teaching, Bensoussan is a professional songwriter and music producer. He also scores music, primarily for documentary films and commercials.

Bensoussan believes his professional accomplishments are augmented by his teaching career. "I love kids because they keep you in the present," he said. "I remember being that way as a kid. As adults we have a past . . . we have goals in the future. True strength is in the present. When I'm teaching it doesn't matter what's going on in my life- I'm there."

Bensoussan, a bachelor, said he looks forward to having his own children some day. "I adore these kids so much and they're not even my own," he said. "Having my own I'd probably cry all the time from joy."

Bensoussan is considering conducting a "Mr. B's School of Rock" during the summer. The program would focus on helping kids learn to play and work together. "If we can create some good sound--great," he said.

"To be able to find someone who can reach a kindergartner in one session and a fifth-grader in another session is quite a task," Tomes said. "Franck can."