Every year on Valentine’s Day, Amador Valley’s choir class entertains teachers and students with songs about love. The tradition began in 2022 when choir teacher Shelley Durbin introduced Singing Valentines to the school. Since then, it has become a beloved event that brightens the holiday with music and celebration.
A New Tradition Brought to Amador
Mrs. Durbin brought the idea of Singing Valentines from a previous school where she had taught. The tradition had been in place there for 50 years, and she wanted to introduce the experience to Amador Valley.
“I actually brought the tradition of Singing Valentine’s with me when I came to Amador Valley from [the] school that I had previously taught at. At my previous school, they had been doing singing valentines for about 50 years…I was able to take what I learned from there and bring a new tradition to Amador,” said choir teacher Shelley Durbin.
Weeks of Preparation
Since December, choir students have worked hard to prepare for the big day. They choose songs and a leader, plan a theme for their clothing, and assign groups. Each group spends class time rehearsing, ensuring they are ready to perform in front of classrooms on Valentine’s Day.
“We usually have our groups assigned around Christmas time and then we start choosing our theme of our group and what songs we’re gonna perform. We choose song leaders and then we start working on songs, and sometimes we get arrangements of songs and learn them, or we arrange our own (songs) and learn most of it,” said Angela Bu (‘27).
Performing Throughout the School
On Valentine’s Day, choir groups travel from classroom to classroom, singing their hearts out. They bring energy, smiles, and a special touch of warmth to each performance throughout the day.
“The thing that I enjoy the most about singing valentines and the thing that is the most fun for me is probably just the actual singing whether it’s during practice or in the performances. It doesn’t matter whether we were perfect during the performance or anything like that, as long as we enjoyed it and had fun during it. That’s why we signed up for choir because we like to sing and we like music. I’m sure a lot of people would agree with me that just being in the music and having fun with it is the most enjoyable part about it,” said Fiona Moidel (‘25).
The event transforms the school for the day, creating memories of laughter and excitement. Whether students receive a singing valentine from a friend or just happen to be in a classroom that gets a performance, the experience brings joy to everyone involved.
“What I really like about singing valentines is how….We get to serenade people and that’s really fun because we get to see a lot of people have fun sending their friends singing valentines. They always seem really happy,” said Bu.
