Proud moment for teacher who carries out promise to students
Although he wasn't there, Houston Tanevski and his classmates from Brennan high school made an appearance on stage at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Singer Andrea Bocelli's daughter Virginia held up a poster with the students’ picture on it.
“We thought it was amazing, that we were showed up in front of all these people,” said Tanevski.
Students in Maddelena Liburdi's therapeutic music class started the school year learning music one note at a time. They have since learned over 60 full length songs and performed three concerts.
For Valentine's Day a student suggested recording a cd and sending the music to celebrities.
“I'm thinking how am I going to do this,” Liburdi said. “You can easily Instagram and slide into people's DM’s but they get hundreds and thousands a day.”
Liburdi promised to do her best.
“Sure enough I found out that Andrea Bocelli was coming to town. I've been a big fan for many years,” she said.
She bought tickets and her class recorded a small compilation of Bocelli songs, “so we could show him how brave we are and how awesome we are,” Tanevski said.
The music and a letter were taped to the back of a poster that said ‘You inspire us Andrea Bocelli’.
“We also did it in braille. They signed it. This is a gift. You got to make it to the stage,” Liburdi said.
Security took the poster which eventually made it backstage. Liburdi saw Bocelli's 12-year daughter Virginia showing off the poster to others.
“Somehow it ended up working and it was great to see the kids reaction to this,” said Jacob Renaud, a Brennan grad who volunteers with the group once a week.
Liburdi describes the moment her pride beamed.
“Final song they went up to take the bow and we saw her go on stage proudly with the poster and of course everyone's taking pictures of this so of course I'm just a proud teacher at this moment.”
A great moment that now has the students looking to send their music to another music star.
“Ed Sheeran,” said Tanevski. A perfect choice.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Independent stores and grocery alternatives see sales boost amid Loblaw boycott
As the month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores wears on, small independent food retailers and alternative grocery options say they're seeing a boost in traffic and sales.
1 dead, others injured after London-Singapore flight hit severe turbulence, Singapore Airlines says
One person has died aboard a London-Singapore flight that encountered severe turbulence, Singapore Airlines said Tuesday. The plane was diverted to Bangkok, where emergency crews rushed to help injured passengers amid stormy weather.
How to check the Air Quality Health Index and assess your health risks
As we enter another wildfire season, Environment and Climate Change Canada is advising people to pay attention to air pollution levels and check the Air Quality Health Index – especially on smoky days.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
Oilers win Game 7 over Canucks, advance to Western Conference Final
The Edmonton Oilers weathered a late Vancouver Canucks charge on Monday night, beating the hosts 3-2 to win their seven-game second-round playoff series in the decisive showdown.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
DEVELOPING Defence witness who angered the judge in Trump's hush money trial will return to the stand
A defence witness in Donald Trump's hush money case whom the judge threatened to remove from the trial over his behaviour will return to the stand Tuesday as the trial nears its end.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Microsoft's AI chatbot will 'recall' everything you do on a PC
Microsoft wants laptop users to get so comfortable with its artificial intelligence chatbot that it will remember everything you're doing on your computer and help figure out what you want to do next.