WALLINGFORD, CT — As the Pond Hill Elementary School community was grappling with the death of beloved Principal Kristin Vollero, music teacher Tim Kansler found solace in Vollero’s own words – “find the joy.”
Vollero died Dec. 24, 2022, at the age of 47 after a courageous battle with cancer. Vollero served as principal at Pond Hill for the past five years, where she “touched the lives of so many students, staff, and families with her kindness and dedication to everyone in the Pond Hill community,” Superintendent of Schools Danielle Bellizzi said at the time.
Kansler wrote a song in memory of Vollero, titled “Find the Joy,” which was Vollero’s motto for teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“This is a message that resonated with the entire staff and she reminded us of often,” Kansler said. “When she passed away this was the first thing that I and many of my colleagues remembered about her. Not only did I want to honor her with a song that she had inspired, but I feel her message is so important that I wanted to create a song that could be shared with many people, and hopefully inspire them to always find the joy in every situation.”
Kansler said he began working on the song on Christmas Eve, when he learned that Vollero had passed away.
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“I began jotting down random lyrics that day and started working on a melody at the piano,” he said. “Over the next few months, I would refine the lyrics, melody and harmony parts until I came up with the final version. At one point I scrapped the song and started over and tried to write in a different style, but it just didn’t seem to be what I was looking for so I went back to my original version.”
Students recently performed the song at the school’s spring concert, which proved to be an emotional moment for many in the audience.
“Trying to capture the profound nature of those three words and have that communicated through music was something I strived for during the writing process,” Kansler said. “When I heard our students sing it for the first time in rehearsal, it was very emotional for me. The best part of my job is turning 10-and-11-year-olds into musicians, and watching them perform a song with a personal, emotional component to it was an incredible experience I will never forget.”
Kansler and fellow music teacher Jennifer Lamson recently recorded “Find the Joy” with the school’s chorus students.
“The chorus students took the recording process so seriously,” Kansler said. “They really wanted to get a good take, and Mrs. Lamson and I are so proud of the way they were able to focus and deliver their best performance of the song for the recording. I’m so glad Mrs. Vollero’s family could be in attendance at the concert to see how Mrs. Vollero’s special message has lived on and will hopefully inspire many people to live out that message.”
Kansler said he has made “Find the Joy” available for free online at www.teacherspayteachers.com so that “other music teachers across the country can download the music and perform it with their students and continue to spread her amazing message.”
“I’m so grateful to Mrs. Vollero for this message and feel blessed to have worked with her for the time she was with us,” Kansler said.
Listen to “Find the Joy” below:
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