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Fremont Children to Learn the Song Three Cups of Tea.
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When Greg Mortenson comes to Fremont on March 3, 2009 he will be treated to the sweet voices of Fremont elementary school children singing the song dedicated to his book and his cause entitled Three Cups of Tea.

The song Three Cups of Tea was written by Jake Fleming of Bozeman, Montana where the Mortenson family live.  It was sung by Greg’s 13-year-old daughter Amira for the inspirational video that describes the Pennies for Peace program and tells why it’s so important for our children to collect pennies for the school children of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mary Lynn Pelican, AAUW Fremont Branch Membership VP, will help bring the song to life for Fremont children.  She has been the Ardenwood Elementary School children’s choir director for the past 22 years.  Her choir is made up of 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders.

She taught 6th graders at the school for 19 years.  Now retired, Mary Lynn continues to direct the Ardenwood Elementary School choir.   She also teaches music in three 6th grade classrooms and one kindergarten classroom every week.

She is teaching Three Cups of Tea to these children and has suggested to all the other music teachers in the Fremont Unified School District that they teach it as well.  Now all Fremont elementary school children will learn it not only for Greg’s coming in March but also for the District Elementary Choir Concert on March 24th.  To date, Mary Lynn has held three practice sessions for her students on Thursday mornings before school.

The lyrics of the song explain the origin of the book’s title.  It comes from an old Afghan saying:

“Three Cups of Tea.  First cup, you’re a stranger,
Three Cups of Tea.   Second cup, a friend.
Three Cups of Tea.   By the third you’re family.”

Mary Lynn is the perfect person to bring this beautiful piece of music to Fremont.

Music and singing have been a part of her entire life.  “My mom,” she explained, “was a trained soprano and sang the Messiah in church and for funerals, because my dad was a friendly mortician.  He also loved to sing in church choirs and led the Fontana Rotarians with the greatest enthusiasm.   My identical twin sister, who lives in San Jose, also enjoys singing.   It was so natural to sing in my family.”

Mary Lynn has sung a great deal in church choirs, was part of her college choir at Davis and crooned with the Sweet Adelines in San Jose from 1982 to 1991.

”I’ve told the kids,” concluded Mary Lynn, “that the song links into Greg Mortenson’s chief purpose in life:  to fight terrorism with education rather than bombs.  They are moved not only by the music but by his mission as well.”

You can see from the photos that Mary Lynn very much enjoys teaching her students the Three Cups of Tea song.

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