I teach primarily ESL students, where English is their second language. During a junior high session where the students had defined instruments, had watched instruments being played and were listening for specific instruments, a student looked at me and honestly asked, “Mrs. Camozzi, is a pencil falling music? Is a foot-tap music? Is a chair falling music?” I asked him, “When a chicken talks, is it Hmong?” (hoping that the word ‘incidental’ may happen in some form)
He smirked and said, “Yes! He says pab! pab!” (Said, “bpah, bphah”). I agreed, while the rest of the class began to laugh wildly. Pab, I found, meant, “help!”