PLEASANTON, Calif. (KRON) — Students look forward to performing a high school musical and concert at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton each spring. When the school closed due to COVID-19, the school’s beloved music teacher said, the show must go on.
Mr. Mark Aubel’s musically gifted students responded with enthusiasm and pulled off an impressive 40-minute-long virtual performance posted on YouTube.
“For this virtual concert, the students recorded themselves at home and sent them in to be compiled into an ensemble,” Aubel told KRON4.
Members of the orchestras, choirs, and jazz band performed individually from home. With some fancy video editing, the students look like they played as a group together.
Drama student Corey Sabhlok added comedy into the virtual show serving as master of ceremonies. He was joined by the musical’s lead actor, Michael Steele, and jazz student Joey Herz in introducing a dozen performances.
The students had no idea how their voices and instruments would sound together in harmony until the final video was uploaded on YouTube. The work they put in shines through, even virtually.
Aubel said he is proud of his students for rising to the challenge in an unprecedented time.
“This group is strong and resilient and knows how to make the best out of a difficult situation. Sometimes it’s about the journey and not the destination. The three months that we spent together rehearsing were more important that the performances we missed,” Aubel said.
One of the school’s proud parents nominated Aubel to be a KRON4 Hero for inspiring students to still perform music during the coronavirus pandemic.