GRHS chorus members at a performance at the Old Canal Inn in Nutley
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — With a message of inspiring strength in isolation, the Glen Ridge High School chorus is creating new ways for students to learn and perform from home. Seniors chose to sing the song “I Lived,” by OneRepublic, arranged by Deke Sharon, for graduation. With schools now closed in New Jersey for the remainder of the school year, chorus teacher Gregory Pavliv was determined to help his seniors have their moment to let their voices shine.
“My students are like family and I want to give them the same positive experiences we all had in high school, even if we are in the middle of a pandemic,” said Pavliv, who has been a music teacher for 14 years.
Students learned their music while sheltered-in-place using Google Meet with the aid of sheet music and recorded practice tracks. Each student recorded themselves using the Voice Memo apps in their smartphones then submitted them to their online classroom.
Motivated by their “Program Pillars” of representing their community and serving others, senior Alexandra McCarren, the elected chorus president said, “In a time like this it’s important to not lose our sense of community. It’s easy to forget we’re all going through the same thing. By singing and sharing our message, we hope to inspire and give everyone just a little bit of hope.
“We’re a team and even if we don’t get to perform these songs in front of people, the important thing is we perform them together, virtually,” McCarren said.
With the help of GarageBand and iMovie, Pavliv created their virtual performance with emotional video from within the walls of the temporarily silenced high school.
“We’re fortunate to have the technology that allows us to teach from home, and I’m grateful to have such talented and dedicated students to shape the future of music education,” Pavliv said.
View the video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/8kyVnkwFN3k.
Photos Courtesy of VeroLuce Photography and Gregory Pavliv
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