On November 8, 2024, I attended a film screening of Instruments of a Beating Heart at Stanford University that was followed by a conversation between filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki, Professor Kiyoteru Tsutsui, and Dr. Mariko Yang-Yoshihara. The film screening was sponsored by the Japan Program, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. The following is a description of the film:

First graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: to form an orchestra and perform “Ode to Joy” at a school ceremony. The film examines the Japanese educational system’s tenuous balance between self-sacrifice and personal growth as it teaches the next generation to become part of society.

Instruments of a Beating Heart is The New York Times Op-Docs version of Yamazaki’s longer film, The Making of a Japanese. Instruments of a Beating Heart was produced by Eric Nyari of Cineric Creative and co-produced by NHK (Japan Public Broadcasting).

Image

As I watched the 23-minute film, I felt emotional connections to and familiarity with many of the scenes at the elementary school in Tokyo; image above courtesy Cineric Creative / The New York Times Op-Docs. This is primarily because I used to teach in Japan for three years from 1977 to 1980—including many classes with elementary school students—and also taught first grade for many years in the 1980s at a public school in California. One of my major responsibilities in teaching first grade was helping students who were identified as dyslexic. My pedagogical training was heavily focused on engaging the students in multisensory ways.

I never taught music but could relate to the ways in which the teachers at the elementary school in the film engaged their students through multisensory ways—including kinesthetic engagement. Ayame, the featured student in the film, exhibited a range of emotions in Instruments of a Beating Heart, and this reminded me of the occasional sadness and tears from some of my first-grade students as well as their happiness and laughter.

Image

After the film screening, Professor Tsutsui facilitated a very engaging and emotional discussion of the film with Director Yamazaki and Dr. Yang-Yoshihara, and also facilitated a Q&A session with the members of the audience. Based on the questions and comments from the audience, it seemed obvious to me that people in the audience—like me—also related emotionally and personally to the film. Everyone, of course, had attended first grade, and many people in the audience were Japanese. Photo above courtesy Kana Igarashi Limpanukorn, Japan Program.

Stemming from the captivating discussion during which many personal school experiences were shared, I thought to myself that this film would be one that I would highly recommend for secondary school and college student audiences and teacher education programs. If I were to share this film with one or more of these audiences and were limited to perhaps a class period, I would suggest using a three-part format.

First, I think that it is important to set the context for the film by informing the audience of a summary of the film. For example, the summary of the film (above) could be read. It is also important to point out that this is a 2022 film about one elementary school in Tokyo, the most populated city in Japan, and that there is a tremendous diversity of schools in Japan. For example, I recently visited a school on an island in Japan that has fewer than 100 students. I would also recommend engaging the audience in a discussion using questions such as: What do you remember about your first grade (or elementary school) experience? What lessons or skills do you value today that date back to your first grade (or elementary school) experience?

Second, because there are many important themes and concepts depicted in the film, I would structure the viewing of the film by assigning one of the following prompts to small groups in the audience to consider while viewing the film. Hopefully, this would not only help to underscore the importance of the themes and concepts but also help to make the processing of the film—especially for young students—less overwhelming.

Prompts:

• Share your thoughts on how teamwork, discipline, and personal growth are emphasized in teaching at the elementary school. How have you personally experienced teamwork, discipline, and personal growth in or outside of classrooms?
• Share your thoughts on the emotions shown and lessons learned by students (like Ayame) following the selection of specific students to play specific instruments in “Ode to Joy.”
• What struck you about some of the comments and questions that the teachers raised in the film? Sample comments and questions: (a) “Even if you don’t get the part, don’t take it too hard. It is very kind of you to be sad for each other. What I want you to gain from the performance is first the strength not to give up. You might run into obstacles. I want you to persevere. Second, discover the joy of being useful for the next first graders.” (b) “Can someone who isn’t a good listener be a leader?” (c) “Have a strong heart and do your best.” (d) “Will crying help you improve?” (e) “You don’t have to be perfect. Just do your best.” (f) “Who thought practice was tough? Who did their best? Who thought I was strict?”
• How did the director’s decision to focus on a school performance impact the overall story or message of the film? What insights did you gain from watching the students’ experiences? Reflect on your own personal experiences with school performances—whether in music, sports, theater, or other activities. What valuable lessons did you learn from those moments, and how did they shape your perspective on education?

After viewing the film, I would suggest allowing the small groups to meet for 10 minutes to discuss their responses to their prompts and select spokespeople to share a short two-minute summary of their discussion. Additional discussions can focus on techniques that the filmmaker uses to engage the audience. How does she use B-roll footage? What other B-roll footage would you have considered using and why? Also, Dr. Yang-Yoshihara, who is originally from Japan, shared that viewing Yamazaki’s documentary “was like taking a walk down memory lane. It also touched on themes that made me deeply reflect on the current state of the country, particularly its struggle to find a balance between its cultural commitment to collective identity and the expression of individualism.” What are your thoughts on this balance?

Third, I would suggest that the following could be assigned as homework. Ask students to choose one of the following two sets of statements from the film (below) and (a) write their reflections on the statements; (b) design a visual art piece that captures the spirit of the statements; (c) develop a musical score or lyrics based on the statements; (d) design a dance movement that captures the spirit of the statements; (e) develop a poem based on the statements; (f) develop a diary-type entry based on something in your life that is reflective of the statements; or (g) propose another creative activity to share with the instructor.

Statements:

1. “Those of you practicing a lot are getting better. Your hearts are becoming one. I can hear it. But those who are not practicing are ruining that togetherness. What a shame.”
2. “We’re each a piece of a heart. If everyone is together this is our [heart] shape. If one of us is unbalanced, then the shape is broken. It’s no longer a heart. What unforgiving instruments we are.”

Importantly, I would suggest that these assignments be used for assessment purposes.

For those who would like to share this film, the link below has been provided by The New York Times: What a School Performance Shows Us About Japanese Education: A look into the delicate balance between teamwork, discipline, and personal growth. Comments on the film can be sent to Director Ema Ryan Yamazaki at ema@cinericcreative.com.

To stay informed of SPICE news, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.