Where children learn to sing again

In 2023, Macheng launched an "Education Community" reform to integrate urban and rural schools and share resources. As a leading partner school, Wu's original campus was paired with four rural primary schools, one of which was Huangshi Primary School.

With seven classes and around 200 students, Principal Li Yi explains that most students at Huangshi Primary School are leftbehind children (whose parents work far from home and leave them in the care of grandparents or relatives), and the school is shorthanded across all subjects. He agreed to Wu's request simply because the school had never had a proper music teacher — Chinese or math teachers would just fill in when needed.

"Could I start a choir here?" The idea evaporated the moment Wu entered the classroom. Even the sixth-graders who were about to graduate could not sing a complete song. "The lyrics and rhythm were a total mess," she says.

Near the end of her first semester, she was not satisfied with their progress and was beginning to grow anxious. "If I keep teaching like this, they still won't be able to sing."