Learning Together, Miles Apart: ESL Classes Go Live

This year, Rising with Melodies expanded beyond the piano room to launch virtual English classes, pairing volunteer instructors in the United States with students in Trujillo over live video calls. What began as an idea to give our students another tool for opportunity is now a running program, held weekly online.

Inside a Live Lesson

Classes take place over video call, with a volunteer teacher sharing lesson material on screen — vocabulary drills, comprehension exercises, and short reading passages — while students respond, ask questions, and practice speaking out loud. It's simple technology doing something powerful: putting a real teacher in front of a student who might otherwise never have the chance.

Why English, Alongside Music

Music opened the door, but we know opportunity requires more than one skill. English fluency expands what's possible for our students — further education, employment, and connection to a wider world. Adding ESL classes to our music program lets us serve the whole child, not just their talent.

Built to Grow

The ESL program runs on the same platform as the rest of our school — each student and volunteer teacher has a secure login, class schedules and attendance are tracked, and sessions happen over video call at a set time each week. It's designed to scale as more volunteer teachers join and more students enroll.

A language is a door. Every week, our volunteers help a few more students walk through it.