美国国家公共电台 NPR For These Three Teachers, School And Rock Go Hand In Hand

AILSA CHANG, HOST: 

School's been out for a while now. And it's time for kids and teachers to think about heading back to class. Over the break, maybe some traveled, ate too much, gave away some gifts. But for a few, winter break meant more time for band practice.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

NO SMALL CHILDREN: (Singing) I can't wait for this to end. Feel the sun heat up my skin.

CHANG: That's the music of No Small Children, three elementary-school teachers in Southern California who are in a punk-rock band. We're joined now by all three members of that group, Nicola Berlinsky on drums.

NICOLA BERLINSKY: Hello.

CHANG: We've got Lisa Pimentel, who's on guitar and vocals 1...

LISA PIMENTEL: Hi.

CHANG: ...And Joanie Pimentel, her sister, who's a bassist and vocalist.

JOANIE PIMENTEL: Hello.

CHANG: They join us from our studios in Culver City. Welcome, ladies.

J PIMENTEL: Thank you.

L PIMENTEL: Thank you.

BERLINSKY: Thank you.

CHANG: So wait. What grades do you guys all teach?

BERLINSKY: This is Nicola. I teach fourth grade.

L PIMENTEL: I'm Lisa. I teach elementary school music, instrumental 2 and general music.

J PIMENTEL: And this is Joanie. And I also teach instrumental music.

CHANG: And all three of you are at the same school.

J PIMENTEL: Yeah. We are.

(LAUGHTER)

L PIMENTEL: It's easy to have band meetings.

(LAUGHTER)

CHANG: How do three elementary-school teachers come up with the idea of starting a rock band? I heard it all began one day during recess 3.

L PIMENTEL: Yeah, it's true. Nicola and I were at recess. And everyone's running around. And we were feeling like, you know, we should do something really creative.

CHANG: Wait, wait, wait. I'm still trying to picture this. So you guys are, like, standing 4 around with whistles around your necks, supervising 5, like, a game of tetherball?

(LAUGHTER)

L PIMENTEL: Pretty much, yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

L PIMENTEL: We didn't have the whistles. The PE teachers have the whistles.

CHANG: (Laughter) OK.

L PIMENTEL: We were standing there, dodging 6 balls as we walked through the playground. And we said, you know what? We should start a band called No Small Children. You know, we were trying to be, like, teacher aggro, teacher anti.

CHANG: (Laughter).

L PIMENTEL: We should - punk-rock band about, you know, no small children. So that's really where it started. But then, as time went on, the name has evolved. And we see it as, like, a place for grownups.

BERLINSKY: The parents do come to our shows. And so the children end up wearing our band T-shirts to school, which is quite something.

CHANG: Wow. You have a whole fan base among your students.

BERLINSKY: It's pretty fun.

J PIMENTEL: We like to start them young.

CHANG: Because a lot of your students know about your double lives, I'm really interested in how your worlds collide 7. And I'm going to first play a song from your most recent album, "Hold Tight, I'm Flying." It's a song called "Jerk 8 Song."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JERK SONG")

NO SMALL CHILDREN: (Singing) Full of importance, full of entitled 9. So independent, in a little denial 10 and such a jerk, such a jerk, such a jerk, such a jerk. You'll get your way 'cause you're a jerk - jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk.

L PIMENTEL: No comment. No comment.

(LAUGHTER)

CHANG: So being elementary-school teachers, I'm thinking you might not want your students hearing you call someone a jerk. Is that awkward 11?

J PIMENTEL: This is Joanie, by the way. We certainly don't encourage name calling.

CHANG: (Laughter).

J PIMENTEL: But, again, this is a space for adults. It's not really for kids. If parents let their children listen to the music, great.

L PIMENTEL: I mean, I think a lot of the music, including "Jerk" - we have a lot of songs that are sort of this anti sort of feeling that - everybody loves to feel that way once in a while. And they're meant to be tongue-in-cheek. And - you know, 'cause everybody wants to say once a while, you're such a jerk, you know?

(LAUGHTER)

L PIMENTEL: And I think the kids mostly get the joke of the name and the songs. And I think they get it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "JERK SONG")

NO SMALL CHILDREN: (Singing) Full of importance, full of entitled. So independent, in a little denial...

CHANG: Are you guys, like, the cool teachers at school? Is that even in dispute?

(LAUGHTER)

L PIMENTEL: I'm probably the coolest of the band.

J PIMENTEL: I disagree. I don't want to toot my own horn. But toot, toot. I'm just kidding (laughter). I would say that the kids are really big champions of us. And it's - they do think it's pretty cool. We have heard stories from parents where the kids will be talking about us outside of school to somebody else, either another student or somebody else in their lives. And it is very nice to have their support and love.

CHANG: How do you balance all of this, a full-time 12 teaching job with a rock band?

L PIMENTEL: We attack every single part of this band like a teacher would. You know, there's, like, a lesson plan for - rehearsals 13 for, you know...

(LAUGHTER)

L PIMENTEL: ...The five-year plan - whatever.

CHANG: It's so structured.

L PIMENTEL: Yeah. And, you know - but, you know, being organized about it really, you know, kept us straight. So in the beginning, we said - we had a mantra that said, we're going to just say yes to everything. And although we were really tired 'cause we were doing weekday events and whatnot - but we were so energized 14. And the energy was making us excited about everything. And it would spill over into the classroom.

And now we don't say yes to everything. We - at some point, we had to start saying no because we had all these wonderful opportunities. So now we mostly play on the weekends. We tour on our breaks. And it's been just wonderful. We're just so methodical about every part of it. I think it helps us keep it all in check and in balance.

CHANG: Has music become this very necessary outlet 15 for you that sort of counterbalances the teacher life?

L PIMENTEL: For me, it's always been necessary.

J PIMENTEL: I'd say that it's much cheaper than therapy. But it's actually gotten to the point - I realized this some time ago - this is Joanie by the way - that it's really not possible for me to feel fulfilled or happy without it taking a really big role in my life. It's not just a hobby. This is a lifestyle and a career.

CHANG: There's a song about gratitude 16 towards music. It's called "Music Thank You." Let's listen to it for a bit.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MUSIC THANK YOU")

NO SMALL CHILDREN: (Singing) Thank you my best friend when I want to pack it in. Thank God you extend your hand when I done belly 17 land. Again, music thank you. Amen, you're my bookends when I couldn't keep it in.

CHANG: Do you guys identify more as teachers in the end or more as rockers, more as musicians?

BERLINSKY: This is Nicola. You know, we always say they're parallel. There's no separation between them. When I wake up, I'm thinking about this band all the time. And then something happens that clicks over on the drive to school. And I'm thinking through every part of the day. And then I'll see Joanie and Lisa at work. And recess becomes a band meeting. But then we start talking about our students and sharing notes about our students and really living the successes of each other's students. And then we're back at band practice again.

(LAUGHTER)

BERLINSKY: And then we're grading papers. And then we're texting each other about band notes and a show that's coming up. So I have to say they are so intertwined.

J PIMENTEL: We spend a lot of time together.

(LAUGHTER)

CHANG: Nicola Berlinsky, Lisa Pimentel, and Joanie Pimentel, teachers by day, rock stars by night in the band No Small Children. Thank you guys so much for joining us.

BERLINSKY: Thank you.

J PIMENTEL: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MUSIC THANK YOU")

NO SMALL CHILDREN: (Singing) Music thank you.