VANCOUVER, Wash. — Distance learning is a big challenge for teachers and students. But this story proves where there's a will, there's a way, even in one of the more challenging classes to teach remotely: choir.
The song that Britta Hobb’s combined middle school choir created is the result of a lot of individual practice and some modern ingenuity. Amani Utupe translates from Swahili to Grant us Peace Give us Courage.
“I've used this song many, many times in my years as a teacher and I've always appreciated the message but it really rang true this year,” said Hobbs, who has been teaching for 20 years.
Hobbs and two of her students came together virtually to talk about how the song was produced.
It started with lots of practice in online classes. Then kids sang solo from home, as part of a virtual choir of sixth and seventh grade students from Covington and Frontier middle schools in the Evergreen Public Schools district.
“I'm not what anyone would describe as a tech-savvy person so I was nervous going in but I had this little song and I thought, you know let's just give this a whirl,” said Hobbs.
The choir director taught her students virtually from her home and then mixed their individual voices together. Then she made a video for the song.
“I thought it was amazing," said Frontier sixth grader Hannah Blevins. “It sounded like we were really singing together in an actual choir.”
Blevins loves the song. But it was a lot of work.
Distance learning has changed so much for students and teachers; with choir, there is no in-person team or togetherness, when making music. But kids are resilient. And many, like Covington seventh grader Summer King, thrive on the challenge.
“I liked it, I liked the assignment. I liked getting to record myself and stepping out of my comfort zone and hear my own voice,” said King.
The inspirational song came together, as teacher and students got to know each other online, many for the first time.
“A lot of my kids that I'm teaching this year I've even never met (in person), like I've never met Hannah, I've never met Summer and so all I know of them is seeing them in these funny little squares on my computer,” said Hobbs. “And it's still amazing to me though, that these kids are willing to take a risk.”
A risk that paid off, in song.