Lesson C
Communication and Cultural Awareness
Music
Is music your passion?
Grammar Note
Form and uses of countable
and uncountable nouns.
Countable nouns are used for
things that can be counted
using numbers.
My grandmother has
two dogs.
I have an idea.
Uncountable nouns are used
with anything that cannot
be counted with numbers.
A bottle of water
Some rice
A breath of fresh air
How much/How many
How many can be used
with countable nouns.
How many miles is it
to the hotel?
Uncountable nouns use much.
How much money do you have?
Vocabulary
career. a profession
or occupation
threatened. in danger
withdraw. to cause to leave
or return
homeless. having no home
overcome. to get the better
of in a conflict
aria. a melody sung as in
an opera by a single voice
pursue. to follow
Music Is My Life
Discuss the following questions in small groups.
• Have you discovered your passion?
• What would you do to make your dreams true?
• Would you leave your family and security to follow your dreams?
Hi, I’m Marco Antonio. Two years ago, I attended a summer high
school musical institute. There, I could explore my options in music as
a career. When I returned home to Guayaquil, I told my grandparents
that I wanted to pursue a career in music. They were not very excited.
In my grandparents’ culture, careers in music are not the most
respected. I enrolled Antonio Neumane Marno Musical Arts High
School. This upset my grandparents so much that they threatened to
withdraw me and enroll me in a traditional high school.
On the first day of my junior year, my grandparents took me out of
Antonio Neumane Marno Musical Arts High School. I knew that day
was going to change the rest of my life. I did the impossible and left
home, becoming homeless to pursue my future in music. Many families
helped me overcome my obstacles. For four months, I slept on different
couches and I lived in four different homes.
My life changed at my first opera show where I sang “Vecchia
zimarra, senti” from La Boheme, an aria. I became the character. When I
dropped my coat at the end of my aria, I had a sudden vision. The coat
symbolized my home. I gave up my home, my family, and my security
to pursue my career in opera. I then knew that I had made the right
decision. Music is my passion.
Source: Taken and Adapted from: What music means to me (n.d.). Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2GeBwle
Answer these questions based on Marco Antonio’s story. Notice the use
of countable/uncountable nouns.
1. How many years ago did Marco Antonio attend a summer institute?
2. How many months was Marco Antonio homeless?
Non-Commercial Licence
3. How much did Marco Antonio give up to pursue music?
18