Choir students from all 14 El Monte City School District (EMCSD) schools performed an array of songs in front of a packed Durfee Gymnasium, signalling the start of EMCSD’s award-winning musical performance season. This was the district’s 3rd annual Big Sing! Choir Festival, which features performances from both elementary and middle school students. EMCSD has been named a “Best Communities for Music Education” for five straight years for their commitment to the arts and providing high-level musical outlets for all students.
The goal of the festival is to highlight choral programs across the district. “Elementary music teachers expressed a strong desire to give their students a more central performance opportunity,” explained Bethany Andersen, EMCSD’s Lead Music Teacher. “This led to the creation of the Big Sing and a shift in focus towards highlighting our elementary choral programs since our middle school choirs already have frequent performance opportunities both on their campuses and throughout the community.” With the launch of the Big Sing, EMCSD’s music team also began developing an Honour Choir program similar to their Honour Band program, further preparing students for potential musical participation in high school.
For the last two years, the Big Sing was held in spring, but was moved to fall to help spread out performance calendars, while also giving students something to work towards right at the beginning of the year. “The event sets a positive tone for the year, builds motivation, and provides students with a meaningful reason to perform early in the school cycle. It is a powerful way to kick off the year with a strong sense of community, purpose, and joy,” explained Ms. Andersen. Participation in the choir fest has increased over the years as EMCSD provides transportation and logistical support to reinforce the goal of equity and access for all students.
The evening’s performances emphasized cultural awareness and inclusion. Wilkerson Elementary students’ rendition of Once Upon a December had a combination of vocals and American Sign Language. Durfee sang in Spanish, showcasing their strong bilingualism on campus as one of EMCSD’s premier Spanish Dual Language schools. In a surprise bilingual performance, students from New Lexington and Shirpser sang Mo Li Hua, a popular Mandarin Folk Song. New Lexington is the home of EMCSD’s popular Mandarin Dual Language program, so their performance might not have shocked audiences, but the inclusion of Shirpser students impressed the crowd, since Shirpser does not have Mandarin Dual Language.
The idea to include Shirpser students alongside New Lexington revolved around multicultural connections. Music teacher Arlene Peraza said, “I saw a great opportunity to connect both school communities through music. At the same time, I knew that several Shirpser students also speak Mandarin at home, so I was able to tap into their funds of knowledge and build on the cultural and linguistic strengths that already existed on our campus. Including Shirpser students in a Mandarin piece allowed us to celebrate linguistic diversity while giving everyone a new shared experience. It became a beautiful way to unite the groups around something meaningful and new.”
When asked about the reaction from Shirpser students and families, Ms. Peraza said, “Shirpser students approached it with curiosity and enthusiasm. Some were especially happy because Mandarin is their home language, and it gave them a chance to feel confident, take the lead, and help their classmates. Many families shared how much they valued the opportunity for their kids to take on a challenge and learn in a new way. As a team, we make a conscious effort to expose students to music and cultures they might not encounter by bringing in a wider range of languages and traditions. This gives our students the chance to broaden their understanding of the world.”
EMCSD is now in the middle of choir, band, and elementary winter performances to close out 2025. When students return from break, musical theatre will take center stage until EMCSD’s Band Festival caps off musical performances in May 2026.
More information about EMCSD’s music and arts programs is available at https://www.emcsd.org.
