B.C. teachers cultivate community through merry music videos

Sawatsky Sign-Off: Merry Music Adam finds out the story behind a pair of teachers making merry music videos for their students.

PORT ALBERNI, B.C. — Although his classroom is filled with students now, Jeff Bordal will never forget how empty it once was.

“The pandemic was a lonely time,” the teacher says. “It was a weird time.”

Jeff’s wife and fellow teacher, Brittney Bordal, also missed connecting with the school community, so the couple decided to produce a virtual talent show for the students.

Instead of the usual 15 participants, they showcased 150 kids.

“It was like, ‘Oh! Wow!” Brittney says. “This reaches a lot of kids we wouldn’t normally reach.”

The teachers found that students who might have felt uncomfortable performing in front of a live audiences were willing to showcase their talent on camera.

So after the pandemic, the duo started using video (https://www.youtube.com/@AESFrenchFries) to connect with the students, from posting fun online interviews, to producing a short movie, inspired by “The Office” TV show, called “The School.”

“We were like, ‘That’s actually a lot of fun,’” Jeff smiles. “And the kids love it and the parents like it too.”

So, Brittany and Jeff started writing seasonal lyrics to set to a Run DMC song, and cast some other staff members to appear in an original music video for the Christmas concert.

“The students were so excited to see their teachers acting silly,” Brittney smiles.

So, the next year the couple produced another 80’s inspired rap video, before re-imaging one of biggest hits of the ‘90s this year.

Instead of “Ice, Ice, Baby,” Jeff and Brittney created a song called “Naughty or Nice, Nice, Baby” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmxIs7XaAYU) poking fun at the good and not-so-good things that teachers do.

Brittany and Jeff wrote the self-deprecating lyrics in August, and recorded the song in November, before capturing their colleagues on camera before and after school, and spending 50 hours editing it all together on weekends.

“We have a lot of fun with it,” Jeff smiles. “And because it’s fun, it doesn’t seem like a big job.”

Rather than receiving coal, their student critics gave the video rave reviews.

“It was really good,” says an 11-year-old.

“I like the dance moves they did,” a Grade 7 student smiles.

“It’s just fun to see them laughing and stuff,” their classmate adds.

The greatest gift for Brittany and Jeff — after earning tens of thousands of views online — is seeing how being creative can connect the school community with the wider one.

“And that’s the goal,” Jeff says. “To always make everyone feel a part of the team.”