Those are the sweet sounds of Disney brought to life in Leslie Gent's chorus and keyboard class at Miami Beach Senior High School, and her chorus students are preparing for a pretty big gig.
"My kids are working towards state competition, we already went to solo and ensemble and got superiors in both, so we get to go to states. We are going to be taking some contemporary songs, we are taking songs from "Moana" and "Try" by Pink," said Gent.
And we can't forget about the keyboard players, they deserve some love too.
"I teach keyboard one through four honors, and some of the ones come in and have never even seen a keyboard before, and then I get a lot of kids that are more advanced, so basically, I get a wide variety of levels in the class," said Gent.
Whether her students end up singing, playing the keyboard, or doing something entirely different, the lessons learned in Ms. Gent's class are life changing.
"Chorus is a very lively pursuit, and it really helps kids break out of their shell a lot of times, they don't seem like they'd be very shy but you'd be surprised. I had one of my shy students come back, I made him do a solo he was awesome, he told me that because I made him get up there and do a solo, he can now get up and make presentations for his business classes without even thinking about it," said Gent
Ms. Gent's teaching style is inspirational to her students and the school, basically, she hits all the right notes.
"Normally, what you would look for in a teacher, is someone who is patient and someone who has the drive to teach their students. Ms. Gent has always been very patient and she really makes you want to learn," said Isaac Tovar, a Senior in Ms. Gent's keyboard class.
"I feel like she gives off a very positive vibe and energy. Which really helps because most days you don't want to come into your algebra or science class, but this class is really fun, its definitely one of my favorite classes," said Victoria Nava a Junior in Ms. Gent's chorus class.
"She's very enthusiastic about what she does, and her students are true performers. She gets them to competitions, and they compete with everyone around. She really fights to make sure that she gets everything for her students," said Dr. Maria Rodriguez, Principal of Miami Beach Senior High School.
So give it up for Leslie Gent, who always gives a command performance, she's this week's super teacher, and the recipient of two passes to Universal Orlando Resort.
(Prizes provided by Universal Orlando Resort™)
