For at least one day, choir students at Noble Avenue Elementary School in North Hills were superstars.

Students from Noble Avenue Elementary School have fun with the headphones at Capitol Records on Tuesday. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

Through their choir instructor Avah Ham, the students visited Capitol Records in Hollywood on Tuesday to record their renditions of The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” and Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror”.

Ham has been bringing students to Capitol Records for approximately 20 years. As a private school teacher, she used to bring her sixth-grade class to the studio with the help of a friend, recording studio manager Paula Salvatore.

With Capitol Records staffers manning the control room, the students donned headphones, took directions, sang on cue, tried not to hum and delayed bathroom breaks to record the music, just like the professionals. The students sang as a group, and then recorded solos separately.

“I feel good,” fifth-grade student Valeria Nava, 10, said. “It’s really exciting.”

She said the visit was a lot of fun, though she was nervous at the beginning. When asked if she learned anything about recording music, Valeria said she knew quite a bit about music already.

“I feel more confident in participating and singing,” she said.

School faculty members and family members attended to witness the students’ professional debut. Anna Avetisyan made the trip to Hollywood to support her sister, Ani, 9.

“It’s worth it,” she said of the 13-mile trip. “This is an awesome opportunity for them.”

Avetisyan said her sister worked very hard to be in the choir.

“It makes my mom happy, and I’m happy,” she said. “She’s very excited. She loves singing, so this is an awesome opportunity for her.”

Noble Avenue Elementary School principal Cara Schneider wore a Beatles shirt for the occasion. She said the recording session was an “amazing opportunity.”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said. “What I’m really happy to hear is the kids themselves realize how monumental this is.”

The visit to Capitol Records on Tuesday was the first time in four or five years that Ham has taken her students to the studio. She said Noble Avenue Elementary School is the first Los Angeles Unified School District elementary school to record music at Capitol Records.

“I’m very excited,” Ham said prior to the event. “We want them to sing and be inspired through music.”

The choir instructor said the students had been rehearsing for months, and approximately 60 students attended. She said the school took donations to fund the trip, though Capitol Records gave the choir a “good rate” on the session.

The choir teacher said the trips are very memorable for the students who participate. Ham said a teacher at Noble Avenue Elementary School actually visited Capitol Records as a student in Ham’s class several years ago. The teacher still has the cassette she received afterwards.

While the students will receive a CD instead of a cassette, the memories will be cherished all the same. Many of the students appeared nervous during their first song, but the butterflies scattered after a voice came from the control room over the loudspeaker: “You guys sound awesome!”