01What pupils experience
Pupils watch short silent and animated films — Chaplin, Keaton, Méliès and a cartoon — projected on a big screen. Beside the screen, three musicians sit facing the room, so the picture and the people making its music are in view at the same time.
There is no recorded soundtrack. The trio plays live: a score built from jazz of the 1910s to the 1930s, with improvisation and the occasional familiar classical theme, shaped by what is happening on screen. Footsteps, slams, falls and chases are made by hand, in the moment. The films are funny, and the room laughs.
Then the trio talks with the pupils about the instruments, the sound effects, and how a show like this is built — and the pupils ask their questions.
02What they watch, hear and do
- WatchLive-action silent shorts and animation — different ways of making a film, each with its own humour.
- HearAn acoustic trio — trumpet, guitar or banjo, double bass and voice — playing early jazz, improvisation and the occasional well-known classical tune, live.
- NoticeHow music changes what we see: the same picture feels different when the band plays something else.
- LaughA resolutely comic programme, with the humour carried as much by the music and sound effects as by the film.
- AskA closing exchange around the instruments and the secrets of how the spectacle is made.
03How pupils take part
Pupils are an active audience: they follow the film, catch the jokes, and see the musicians react to the screen in real time. The exchange at the end is theirs — questions about the instruments, the sound effects and how the music is fitted to the picture.
For older groups the programme can be extended with listening, rhythm or improvisation activities, or with the image work of the Music + Image workshop. That is shaped with the teacher rather than fixed in advance.
04The musicians
- Félix HunotGuitar, voice
- Sébastien GirardotDouble bass
- Malo MazuriéTrumpet, melodica, slide whistle
Three Blind Mice. The trio also performs the sound effects. Their artist page tells you who they are; this page is about what pupils experience.
05Watch and listen
- Repertoire
- Chaplin — The Immigrant; Keaton — Neighbors; Méliès — Le voyage dans la lune; Kneitel — Hep Cat Symphony. The exact films are agreed with each booking.
06Age and audience
- 30-minute format
- For very young audiences, or several classes rotating through a school session.
- 60-minute format
- Works particularly well for ages 7 to 14, with more films and a longer exchange.
- Primary to collège
- The films and humour are chosen for the young audience; the depth of the exchange is adapted to the age group.
- With the teacher
- We agree with you what suits your group.
07Formats, adapted to your group
30 minutes
One live-action silent short of about 15 minutes, one animated short of about 5, then a short introduction to the trio and an exchange about how the project is made.
60 minutes
Several live-action and animated films, then a longer exchange — time to discover the instruments, the musicians and the methods behind the show.
08Practical
- An indoor room with a projection screen; the trio sits facing the audience beside it.
- Films are selected with the organiser; repertoire is indicative until the booking is agreed.
- When a public performance is booked, a school performance or educational encounter can often be added the day before or after, subject to routing, timetable and local conditions.
Book Silence, Action… Jazz! for your school
Schools, towns and cultural partners start here — we shape the format with you.