If students couldn鈥檛 come to teacher Kanata Soranaka鈥檚 classroom, she鈥檇 bring the classroom to them.
Now Soranaka and her music cart are a common sight in the halls of Belmont Elementary as she stays connected musically with hundreds of students in 19 divisions.
The cart is a mobile office containing the technology, instruments and accessories she needs during the school day, including a home-made Plexiglas shield that allows students to be near her safely.
The cart is just one of the ways Soranaka, who has worked in the 91原创 School District since 2005, devised to outwit the coronavirus and keep students learning, and one factor in why the music teacher has been chosen as a 91原创 Advance Times Hero in Education.
鈥淚鈥檓 really honoured that somebody nominated me,鈥� Soranaka said, adding that she鈥檚 felt supported by the students, staff and broader community.
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After teaching several years at Topham Elementary where she started a taiko drumming club and program and then the Yorkson Creek Middle School, she moved to Belmont after longtime beloved musical theatre teacher Jamie Thomas retired.
鈥淲hen the pandemic hit and schools were closed down, Kanata began brainstorming ideas for connecting with her hundreds of students to keep them engaged and learning music,鈥� said teacher Kelly Evans, who nominated her.
Soranaka, who is one of the members of Vancouver-based Sancho Taiko drumming group in her off hours, worked closely with teachers, adding materials, websites and activities to their individual virtual classrooms on many different platforms. She also developed a website entitled the 鈥榲irtual music room鈥� where students and their families could visit to access music-related activities, recommendations for exciting opportunities to develop their music appreciation, sample many different styles of music and learn about innovative ways musicians and artists were reaching out to share their talents.
鈥淪he invited the children to rewrite and perform the school song with 鈥楥OVID鈥� lyrics, to create music with instruments built from LEGO, and to try composing their own music,鈥� Evans added.
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Soranaka also contacted families to get permission to post students鈥� work and created a platform to share everyone鈥檚 creations so the children could feel connected to their school and with each other. But traditional school events such as spring concerts, Remembrance Day services, and Christmas concerts are not possible.
鈥淚 think there was a sense of loss鈥� in terms of community celebrations and a sense of togetherness, she said.
So as the school year started in autumn, it became a priority to bring people together.
鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to do the best I can to give a little bit of positivity in kids鈥� lives right now,鈥� Soranaka said. 鈥淚 think a lot of things are still challenging for many people and one way to try and support our school community is what we do in music.鈥�
Not every student who has music in school ends up being the next Beethoven or the next Shawn Mendes but that鈥檚 not the point of music education. Some students may go into the arts but most people find they are consumers of music, not the ones who produce it. Still, music education has been found to also help students with other core academics, as well as teamwork, socialization and much more.
Principal Tim Bonnar, who teaches Grade 6 and 7 band, said Soranaka鈥檚 work with elementary school age children lays an important foundation so they appreciate people with musical talent such as Kanata Soranaka.
鈥淓very kid has it [music] as a big part of their life without really thinking about it,鈥� he explained.
Music also provides social context. Soranaka was instrumental in this year鈥檚 Remembrance Day ceremonies, which had to be adapted due to the pandemic.
鈥淥ur Remembrance Day assembly this year required much more foresight, preparation and technological skill, but she managed to bring our school together (despite not being able to come together physically) in a meaningful way.鈥�
Bonnar said he鈥檚 grateful for the work of educators and school staff, such as Soranaka, because they didn鈥檛 resign themselves to helplessness when the pandemic hit. They鈥檝e worked hard to find ways to continue to make a difference in the lives of students. And in the case of education hero Kanata Soranaka, that is music to his ears.
鈥淎t times like this, I think we still need to experience joy,鈥� Bonnar said.
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