Berkley Center

It was almost by accident that I joined Tem’po, a French band made up of 15 Sciences Po students. In late January, I was hanging out with one of my friends in the lobby of our main class building, chatting and trying to meet French students. Eventually we began talking to a student named Bastien who, when he learned that I play the violin, not only introduced me to one of his friends who was in Sciences Po’s music group but offered to lend me his violin for the semester. One week later, I took the tram to Julien’s home, a tapestry-hung apartment that I have visited weekly since, for my first rehearsal.

As I found a chair and began to adjust to the rapid French conversation, I was amazed by the musicians’ skills. Bastien’s friend Maï Lan was joined by other strong singers, along with Antoine on the guitar and harmonica and Théo on the guitar and drums. The band welcomed me and lent me a guitar for the evening because I hadn’t yet picked up my violin. The highlight of the night came when someone suggested “House of the Rising Sun,” coincidentally one of the eight songs that I can play from memory on the guitar. As the haunting melody filled the room, I realized that I had found my group.

During February, Tem’po rehearsals became a weekly highlight. My ability to play by ear and to communicate in both French and solfege improved dramatically. I also started hanging out with band members outside of practices and was able to discover new parts of Lyon. For example, Antoine introduced me to a bar with live bluegrass music every Monday night. Similarly, when Théo performed with another band at an entrepreneurship event, I learned about the French startup scene. Julien and Maï Lan, meanwhile, introduced me to their friends at Sciences Po.

One week before our first concert, which was scheduled for March 10, we went to an open mic night in Vieux Lyon. Once there, I realized that it would be my first performance in more than two years. Furthermore, instead of performing a song that we had practiced, we performed Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”—a song that I had never played before. Luckily, I was able to play the melody and pulled off a solo.

Finally, the night of the concert came. On Tuesday, I took the metro to Hotel de Ville and walked over to Barryton, a small bar and our concert venue. I grabbed a kebab and then, without much time to warm up, we launched into our first song. Over the next few hours, different combinations of musicians from our group played everything from Dolly Parton to AC/DC and a few French songs such as “Les Passantes” by Brassens—surprising in a country where most popular music is in English. During the concert’s lows (last-minute key changes) and highs (recovering to solo in “Hotel California”), everything seemed to be building toward the final song, “Come on Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners. The song opens with a Celtic fiddle solo then jumps into the main melody. By the end of the song, we had the audience clapping and singing along.

In my mind, meeting new people is what study abroad is all about. Through Tem’po, I have found a great group of friends, learned French argot (slang), and put myself out there. I may even try singing for our concert in May.