Amazing Grace

🎼🎶🎵🎶🎹This is Kathy with a co-teacher, Mrs. Kitamoto!  A number of years ago the junior high school where we both teach a few English classes part-time wanted to try an experiment.  They called it Immersion English.  They selected music and art as two subjects that they thought the students could learn to follow the English instruction without translation.  While Kathy is not a typical music teacher, she does have some background in music, and is a very good English teacher.  On the other hand, Mrs. Kitamoto is an awesome music teacher who speaks no English.  The school paired them together for 4-5 lessons each school year for all of the junior high students.  Kathy has just completed this year's lessons.  During the lessons, Kathy teaches the correct pronunciation of the English lyrics so that the students can learn to sing a new song in English.  Later, in the school year, or even the following year, the girls will perform the song at one of their school events.  These classes have become very popular at the junior high.  Kathy's favorite part is having the opportunity to teach "Amazing Grace" to each grade at some point.  The students always perform this hymn when they go to New Zealand for homestays.  Now they also perform it every year at the oratorical contest.  Kathy gets the chance to explain the history of John Newton's conversion as well as the meaning of the lyrics as she teaches them to sing the song.  Pray that the seeds that are planted during these music classes will take root in their hearts and bear fruit in the future.  🙏