Audio St. Paul kids learning to sing from the heart (story audio) Photos Wellstone Elementary music class Students learn songs from different cultures School chorus View full slideshow (4 images) Respond to this story Talk about this story in the MPR News Forum Submit a commentary Help us cover this story

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St. Paul kids learning to sing from the heart
by Dan Olson, Minnesota Public Radio
December 16, 2004

Music teacher Ilya Freyter teaches just over 100 students a day at Wellstone Elementary School in St. Paul. Many of the students are new to this country. (MPR photo/Dan Olson)

Minnesota is the land of seasons -- fishing, hunting, skiing...and choral. In fact, we're near the peak of Minnesota's choral season. All sorts of groups are polishing their tunes for big holiday vocal extravaganzas including students at a St. Paul public school.

St. Paul, Minn. — Wellstone Elementary School in downtown St. Paul has its holiday program this week, and music teacher Ilya Freyter says it's going to be a cross-cultural hit parade.

"We're going to have recorders, handbells, a variety of different songs. We're going to have Hindu songs, Somalian songs, Hebrew songs, a few Christmas carols -- a really nice celebration," he says.

	Students learn songs from different cultures

Freyter says the program reflects the diversity of Wellstone Elementary's students.

"Our school is very unique. We have about 70 percent kids of immigrants, and some immigrants are fresh to this country. They just came in and don't speak any English," he says.

While Freyter is teaching his second grade music students how to ring handbells, a student pipes up that a new kid doesn't understand what he's saying.

"It's OK," Freyter tells the student. "He's learning, day by day, and you have to help him, and I have to help him to learn as fast as possible."

Commotion in the hallway signals a class change. The second graders squeeze their way out as 60 other students crowd into the music room.

This is the Wellstone Elementary school chorus. Freyter brings them under control with vocal warmups.

	School chorus

Ilya Freyter, 40, is a native of Ukraine. He's lived here with his wife and son for 11 years. Freyter was a public school teacher in the former Soviet Union before it collapsed.

Like so many of his students, he says he came to this country because there was no economic opportunity in his homeland.

"I can make a much better living, and I have more opportunities and I love America," he says.

Warmups over, it's time to rehearse the holiday program hits.

Freyter runs a tight ship. He prods the singers to work harder.

	Music teacher

"Show me vocal posture please, get serious about singing, because I don't see seriousness," he tells the students.

Many of the children know the songs. Others struggle with the words. Their mouths are moving but they're still making sense of the lyrics projected onto the music room wall. Nearly all seem delighted to be singing.

Makiki Reuvers who is nine, and Jasmine Jones, 11, both chorus members, enjoy performing.

"I can express myself, and I'm surrounded by people that have the same interest as me," Reuvers says.

"It makes me feel good because everyone around me gets to express how they feel in their singing," Jones adds, "because everyone has their own voice and everyone is unique when they sing. It's cool to sing."

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