Chinese-American Jessica Schiffman is all smiles with her students. (Shanghai Daily)

    BEIJING, July 12 -- A Chinese-American young woman returns to China and teaches singing to the impoverished children of migrant workers, who have created a choir that expresses their love of music, as Ma Dan listens.

    When Jessica Schiffman sings the first note and raises her hand, the noisy class immediately becomes quiet: The 20 boys and girls, aged between nine and 14, start their choir rehearsal with a warm-up song, "Little Star."

    It is 2pm and the classroom is small, crude and fuggy with only a desk-set fan working ineffectively. The children, all from migrant families, sit on plastic stools in three rows, according to their different voice parts.

    They all look at Schiffman, dedicatedly waiting for her dictates. The sweat is rolling from their brows, but no one cares; they only care about signing.

    Their delightful and sweet songs have the magic power to soothe people's fidgety mood caused by the sultry summer. They themselves also find their dreams in the songs.

    "I love music. But we didn't have a music teacher until Jessica came," says Cai Yuzhi, a 13-year-old boy. "She taught me how to sing and how to do it beautifully. I enjoy singing very much and will never give it up."

    All the kids are from a local elementary school for migrant children. Formed in March, the city's first migrant children's choir gave its premiere in May. Schiffman, 23, is one of the volunteers who teaches more than 30 migrant children every Tuesday and Saturday.

    Schiffman, who is half-Chinese, comes to China to complete her Fulbright scholarship on public health research. "I want to learn more about Chinese culture and language," she says. "I also want to explore my family's roots."

    Meanwhile, she is also now a volunteer of the Jane Goodall Institute-Shanghai, in charge of the program called "Therapy Thru Music" (TTM).

    "While my grandfather spent his last couple of months in a hospice, I often played his favorite Bach sonatas with the viola. Music connected us so deeply that I believe he passed away with more ease and comfort," recalls Schiffman, who began learning the viola when she was a little girl.

    "I set up the TTM to improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients. When I came to China, I also would like to help students learn about TTM and about how powerful music can help patients in hospitals and for those who are underprivileged."

    And in the eyes of her colleagues, Schiffman is like "a musical fairy."

    "She devotes herself to what she believes in. Since Jessica is experienced in the TTM program, the Shanghai branch is now working well," says ZeeZee Zhong, one of the organizers of JGI-Shanghai. "All kids love her because of her kindness and passion."

    Schiffman started the first organization of the TTM in Ithaca, New York, when she was a freshman in college in the United States and now is working on the TTM's Shanghai branch. The choir is part of her program.

    Before she came to China, Schiffman thought she had her entire life planned out. But things changed when she started her music lessons.

    "I didn't think that I would be so attached to these migrant children whom I teach. I didn't expect that I would spend so much of my time volunteering to teach these kids, and I love it," she says.

    The first day of auditions at the school was an exciting yet somber experience for Schiffman. After she played a couple of songs for the children at their morning class, 20 to 30 children crowded around her, all wanting to touch her guitar.

    "They'd never had the opportunity to strum a guitar before. And it struck me that the first question these children asked was if they had to pay money to join the choir," she says.

    Schiffman says that the migrant school environment is the worst she has ever witnessed. "The roads, unpaved, are lined with mud puddles; the air is scarcely breathable; the houses are made of mud; and the children play on the streets. The schools have no playground, computers or library," she says. "To teach these kids, we always have to bring their own instruments."

    Schiffman had never taught a music class before teaching these kids, although she used to sing in a choir in America and has played the viola for most of her life. And what's more, her students had never learned how to sing before and cannot read music.

    "Teaching is a challenge, especially at the very beginning," she recalls. "I had to teach them by singing to them and having them repeat after me."

    As Schiffman teaches, she also uses techniques that can help students learn to sing. When the song is gentle, she will tell them to raise their hands and make a wave-like motion like water in a river. "This helps them think of the gentle flow of water and when they sing, they will sing more softly and gently."

    Tu Wenjian is a naughty boy in the choir. He says that Schiffman even makes grimaces to amuse them when they are singing a happy song. "That's funny," he laughs. But he will leave the choir and be back to his hometown in Anhui Province in August to continue with his middle school education. "I like Jessica and I hate to part with her and my classmates" says Tu, a little depressed.

    Schiffman is now the favorite teacher in the school. She has learned how to be strict but not too strict, so that they still have fun when dealing with naughty kids.

    Schiffman and the children are getting to know each other. They laugh together, they sing together and also they argue with each other. "I love my students more than I could have imagined. I know each of their personalities - strengths and weaknesses. They are all so smart and talented," says Schiffman.

    What impressed her most was the day when she and her students decided the name of the choir. "The kids chose 'Fang Niu Ban De Hai Zi' (the Chinese name of the French movie, "The Chorus") as the choir's name," she recalls. "I was deeply moved, because we thought of the name together and I knew that they realized that music was really making an impact on their lives, as in the French movie."

    It is summer vacation now and the classroom is so old that it has been torn down. "We have to have choir rehearsal at Fudan University. But it's not convenient," Schiffman says. As a result, they are setting up a music classroom with the money that was raised during May's performance.

    "I would like to include more migrant children next year and hire another music teacher to help teach additional classes. I would also like to invite my students to sing for patients in hospitals in Shanghai," says Schiffman.

    Love is all around

    The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) was founded in 1977 in California by British ethologist Jane Goodall for wildlife research, education and conservation.

    "Roots and Shoots" is one of the JGI's main programs. Through community service projects and educational activities, the program focuses on helping young people find concrete ways to make the world a better place by caring for the environment, animals and other people.

    It began in 1991 in Tanzania and now its members include pre-school to university-level youth in more than 75 countries and regions around the world.

    The Jane Goodall Institute-Shanghai, the local branch of "Roots and Shoots," was established in November, 1999. It encourages young people to initiate projects that demonstrate care and concern for the environment, animals and community.

    Its projects include the "Anhui Poverty Alleviation Program" which helps poor children of Tiantangzhai Village in Anhui Province; "Therapy Thru Music;" "Green Life Campaign" that encourages the public to adopt a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle; "Leukemia Ward Support" of Xinhua Hospital; and "Green Road Wetlands Ambassadors" to arouse the awareness to protecting the environment, to name just a few.