Alexis Kagel '08 and her students created the project to support UNICEF, the children's rights and emergency relief organization that has helped children all over the world.
Alexis Smith Kagel ’08, a graduate of the music education program at Elon University, recently had some of her students from Hillcrest Elementary School in Burlington, N.C., participate in a worldwide virtual choir. Eric Whitacre, composer, previously had written four pieces for adult virtual choirs combining videos of singers from around the world to make one final product. His fifth creation was for a youth virtual choir.
“I teach in a Title I school in Burlington and I wanted to find a way to let my students be a part of a global, musical community,” Kagel said. “Eight of my students decided to participate. They practiced in my room early in the morning for several weeks before I recorded each child individually. I used a webcam to record them and they sang along with the vocal track they heard in their headphones.
“Many of my students do not have internet access at home and I can’t wait to show them the final product when we go back to school in August. It is a beautiful, simple piece that sends a big message”.
The video was shown at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. It was projected onto a giant screen along with a live choir conducted by Whitacre.