Behind the Scenes

Later this session, you’ll watch your learner’s Lip Dub at Exhibition. You’ll see the final cut. What you won’t see is everything that happened before the camera ever started rolling. Every Lip Dub begins with a song. The way each studio finds its song offers a glimpse of the studio it is beginning to become.

In Spark Land, the vote was close, but Trolls claimed the victory. As soon as the music began playing, learners were singing, dancing, and imagining together. One learner naturally started inventing dance moves. Another gathered friends to practice the lyrics. Others joined in, adding ideas and trying new movements. Before long, the whole studio was creating something together.

Discovery approached the decision with a headphone dance party. Learners listened to each song choice, danced a little, laughed a lot, and cast their votes. Best Day of My Life won, and it didn't take long before little groups were already humming the chorus as they began imagining what their Lip Dub could become.

Adventure approached the decision differently. Learners researched additional songs beyond the original choices and wrestled with a question that shaped every conversation: Should they choose something that was simply fun, or something that represented who they wanted to become as a studio? After plenty of discussion, they chose On Top of the World.

Then the music kept playing, again and again. That’s when another part of the story began. In Discovery, one Director moved quickly from group to group, listening to just a few lines before saying, "Alright...perfect. You'll be great." Then off to the next group before circling back again. Small groups practiced while others quietly waited nearby for their turn. Every few minutes someone changed a movement, adjusted a transition, or tried another idea.

Adventure’s process looked different. Instead of one continuous take, learners first storyboarded their ideas and then floated throughout the school capturing individual scenes. Outside, a rainbow parachute floated into the air as learners practiced running underneath before trading places. A few minutes later, the same group stood perfectly still in the lobby rehearsing serious expressions before moving to another location. They reviewed footage. They paused. They changed scenes. They tried again. With every revision, they weren't just editing a Lip Dub. They were beginning to decide what excellence would mean for their studio—and practicing how to kindly hold one another to it.

Then filming day arrived. Spark Land transformed into a village of joyful trolls. Bright colors filled the studio. Glitter appeared. Hair grew taller, brighter, and wonderfully wilder. Everywhere you looked, learners were laughing, singing, inviting one another into the dance, and completely immersed in the world they had imagined together.

At Acton Main, Discovery learners waited at the monkey bars, the surfboard, the bamboo, and every stop along the route. Then someone called, “Places!" The calm disappeared. "You're on!” “Go!" "Move to the bamboo!”

Small groups burst from one place to the next, racing across the playground with smiles stretching from ear to ear. They looked like they were living every lyric of Best Day of My Life. For those few seconds, it was impossible to separate the learners from the music. Every sprint required trust. Every learner knew someone else was counting on them to arrive at exactly the right moment.

The camera kept moving. Then…”Retake!” Everyone smiled, maybe groaned a little, and walked back. Reset. One more time.

By the end of the week, I found myself thinking about everything families won’t see in the finished video. The learner who quietly became a choreographer. The Director encouraging one more group. The teammate helping someone remember lyrics. The organizer. The problem solver. The encourager. The friend who noticed someone standing alone. The laughter during costume creation. Those moments won’t make the final cut but they are woven into every second of it.

When your own learner shares stories about making the Lip Dub, ask a question that won’t be answered by the video: “What part of creating the Lip Dub are you most proud of?” You might be surprised that the answer has very little to do with the final performance. Every year our Lip Dubs look different because every studio is different. Different songs, different ideas, different learners, different gifts. The finished video is worth celebrating. But perhaps the most important creation isn’t the Lip Dub at all. It’s the studio that quietly learned how to create something together.