School children in Ethiopia have sent a birthday message to Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters front man, after learning ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana to improve their English skills.
The video shows the kids hopping around with huge grins as they tackle the classic song, creating an active and encouraging learning environment.
From vocalising the Nirvana classic’s opening riffs, to imitating Grohl’s drumming parts, even stage diving off big boulders, the ninth graders give an excellent performance and the most heartwarming present a musician could ever hope to receive.
Peace Corps volunteer, Matt Westerberg, has been teaching his class at Yechila Secondary School in Ethiopia the lyrics to the song, and it seems to have an exponential effect.
In September, Westerberg said “I thought it would be funny to have the kids try and learn it. They laughed their way through it. The next day, they demanded to do it again. After a while, the students began to really build confidence through learning the song.”
“The best part was showing the kids their video, watching their reaction as they saw themselves on screen, and reading them the comments from people around the world cheering them on.”
Accompanying the YouTube video, reads the message “Special birthday wishes to legendary drummer Dave Grohl”, which must feel amazing for the musician, knowing he has had such a huge impact around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1U17hpoJ7s
This is not the first time Westerberg’s students have learned a ’90s anthem. In 2015, they debuted their cover of Pearl Jam’s ‘Even Flow’. “The Even Flow cover began as a joke that turned into a motivational project,” says Westerberg. I taught the kids the song and watched their participation and confidence with the language dramatically increase.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRW4MeU_Umg
Happy Birthday Dave Grohl!
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