ESL choir spreads holiday joy through song

December 16, 2011

A group of twelve ESL learners are spreading a little cheer and joy through song this holiday season.

Formed and led by ESL Instructors Shannon Lu, Beena Wiebe and Jeff Goldhawk, the ESL Volunteer Choir has been practicing Christmas carols once a week for two months in preparation for performances around the downtown core.

The choir sang at the mall in TD Square, Olympic Plaza, and the lobby of Rocky Mountain Plaza recently, and was even featured on Global Television News in Calgary.

"The choir is important to the learners as they get to bond with students of other nationalities and also practice English," says Beena. "It gives them a sense of empowerment as many of them come from rich musical and rhythmic traditions."

"The students feel that they are meeting new friends, expanding English skills and just having FUN!"

The choir was started two semesters ago and is made up of ESL learners from benchmark classes 3 to 6.

Click here to view Global Television's coverage of the choir.

Here are some photos of their performances around the downtown core: