KAYSVILLE—What’s happening in Ukraine is in the news and on everyone’s mind, and people are trying to find ways to help. Last week, students at the Davis Catalyst Center used their skills to record and produce a music video with performer Alex Boye and Ukrainian children to show support for the country. 

“Today I’m doing a project to record one of my songs and sing it in Ukrainian,” said Boye. “I’ve never spoken it but I want to dedicate this to Ukraine. I’d love to do something.”

Some of the children have never sung before but they speak Ukrainian, he said. “Then we filmed it on the screen and put it together with the dance.”

“My friends invited me to do this,” said Masha Bagmet, who is from Ukraine but lives in Riverton now. “This Ukrainian song can help people remember about us.”

Bagmet brought her three children ages 9, 8 and 5 dressed in traditional costumes to sing and dance. “They are home singers. They probably don’t have an accent because they’ve lived here all of their lives. Both of my parents are in Kiev right now.”

Boye has recorded at the school before. “Alex and I have mutual friends in the industry,” said Audio Production instructor Jason Knoell. “I reached out and told him about this awesome school and asked if he wanted to be a part of it. He said, ‘heck yeah.’”

He wants to do a lot of production there, said Knoell. “He gets an awesome product that he doesn’t have to pay for and the students get a world class experience working with him. It’s a win, win.”

“I look back at all of the trials and struggles to get here now,” said Boye. “To get this kind of head start would be incredible. I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to give back and help kids to find their own feet in music and entrepreneurship.”

Boye said when he first heard about the school he thought it must be a college. “I saw it and said ‘this is a high school?’ I flew in a producer from Los Angeles and he was just mind blown. This is groundbreaking. It’s genius.”

When the teacher said “the bus is here, no one wanted to go,” he said. “Have you ever known a kid who didn’t want to go? This is like the movie ‘Fame,’ only not for dancers.” 

Farmington High senior Jonah Johnson helped with Boye’s recording. “It’s fun to actually see what goes on and watch the producer and how he interacts with Alex,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in audio and want to produce in the future.”

The kids are awesome, Boye said. “They’re really hungry and all in. I want to keep coming back. The kids get real world experience. You throw them in the deep end and they swim. Sometimes we’re not trusting enough of kids. This team could take on the world.”λ