As music teacher Mrs. Loschiavo’s students logged into Zoom last week, they weren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. She had mentioned a surprise, yet didn’t reveal what it would actually be.
Upon opening their screens, students were shocked.
Members from instrumental rock band Recycled Percussion logged into the call for a brief concert and to say hello to students and parents.
Recycled Percussion is a group who make music out of household items for a living. They have been contestants on America’s Got Talent, and even went on to have their own TV show, Chaos and Kindness.
“I knew the kids loved having a guest speaker, probably because I get boring after a while,” Loschiavo said. “Having [Recycled Percussion] come into the call just seemed like the perfect opportunity to surprise them.”
Loschiavo found out about a project the band was doing, where teachers could send them an email with the Zoom link attached, so they can stop in and say hello.
“Normally, I wouldn’t have even bothered sending the email. Typically we are so busy all the time, I feel like I would’ve had something else to think of,” Loschiavo said. “With quarantine freeing up so much time, I figured it couldn’t hurt.”
However, just because she sent the email doesn’t mean she thought she would get a response back.
“When they responded, I was so surprised,” Loschiavo said. “I was totally expecting them to never get back to me, because I can only imagine how many people were reaching out.”
When Loschiavo got the exciting news, Loschaivo wanted to make sure all of her students were given the chance to come watch the small performance. She sent out emails to all her classes, telling them about a surprise on Zoom, really encouraging them to come.
Her turnout ended up being even better than expected.
“I had two full screens full of kids, which has never happened to me before,” Loschiavo said. “I’m happy so many people tuned in, because I would’ve hated for someone to miss out if it was something they would think is really cool.”
That being said, Loschiavo had more reason for the band to come other than entertainment. The band actually originated in Manchester, New Hampshire, making them somewhat locals to LHS students. The lead singer also grew up in Goffstown, which is also relatively close to Londonderry.
“It was so much more fitting for them to come, just because of where they started out,” Loschiavo said. “Manchester is only right next door, so to think such stars came out of the town is crazy.”
Loschiavo also wanted to give kids an example of a unique music career, since many of her students plan to pursue the industry.
“I think the band can show kids there are so many career paths with music, and they are such a great example of that,” Loschiavo said. “I just want them to know there are truly so many choices.”
Overall, students were entertained and impressed by the band’s performance.
“Seeing Recycled Percussion was super cool, because music is pretty much my favorite thing,” junior Nicole Raza said. “Seeing them make music with so many different things was really interesting.”
Loschiavo was also happy with how the call went, and was glad her students were excited to see the band.
“Right now more than ever, it’s important to keep a sense of community, and find the fun moments,” Loschiavo said. “Hopefully the band created a happy memory for everyone in the midst of all this craziness.”
