College education students putting together online musical
Education students at Medicine Hat College have been dealt a curve ball this year with the COVID-19 pandemic, but are making the best of the situation.
Traditionally, fourth-year students in the program put on a musical as part of their drama teaching studies. Due to the pandemic, students have shifted from an in-person show to online.
The musical this year is called ‘The Show Must Go Online!’ and is a free children’s musical.
“We take a music course every year and we look at how to teach it to elementary students,” said student Clare Spalding. “Some music teachers have to put on musicals at their schools and not many of us students have experience with that, so our teacher at the college has us put one on.”
All of the rehearsals, singing and filming are done online, and the students are sending in video snippets to be turned into the musical.
“We’re doing everything on Google Meets,” said Spalding. “It’s pretty unique and we have technical difficulties here and there, but it’s a lot of fun.”
The musical is about a frazzled drama teacher who records a video message to students informing them a show they were going to put on was cancelled. Because of this, funding for the program gets cancelled. The students team up to save the program.
“This is great for families,” said Spalding. “It’s going to be a fun show and it’s appropriate for all ages.”
People will be able to watch the musical on Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. during a live showing on Facebook. The show will be posted to YouTube after until Jan. 29.
People can find the Facebook event page by searching ‘MHC 4th year: The Show Must Go Online!’