Where children learn to sing again

Selecting choir members was the first step. She started simply, humming a pitch for each child to match, but out of 200 students, only about 10 were successful. Expanding her criteria to include good rhythm, she eventually chose 28 students, though some later withdrew under academic pressure, leaving around 20.

Every Wednesday at 8:30 am, Lanczky met Wu and the other teachers via a video conference call. During the three-hour class, she assigned homework, asking them to record their lessons and document their students' progress. She was professional and to the point, identifying mistakes immediately.

The course lasted three months, and Wu often felt overwhelmed by the assignments, especially because her students had the weakest foundation among the five choirs.

Rehearsal conditions were harsh. With no spare classrooms, they held rehearsals in the school's meeting room after lunch or after school. Equipment such as music stands and keyboards had to be bought with her or the principal's own money. They even had no choir risers — until the principal, who also taught art, drew the design himself and hired a village carpenter to build it.

Still, Wu insisted, "If our children can learn well, that will prove the method works."

And the students understood — one day, though no rehearsal was scheduled, she found the two section leaders themselves leading all the members in practice. She then promised to take them to perform at Macheng No 2 Experimental Primary School, which had an upcoming event.

She wanted them to look beautiful onstage, but the 100-yuan ($14.2) performance outfits were expensive for rural families, and one child even considered leaving the choir.