A Grammy-nominated Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile song opened the school year at Bala Cynwyd Middle School, where the Advanced Chorus performed "A Beautiful Noise" under the direction of music teacher Anne Sterner-Porreca.

Students Mikayla Hsu and Zara Khalil were featured as soloists, according to a Lower Merion School District newsroom post published Monday, Aug. 31. The district said Sterner-Porreca uses song selections to encourage students to think about the messages and experiences music can express.

"A Beautiful Noise," written by an all-female songwriting team and released in October 2020, earned a Song of the Year nomination at the 64th Grammy Awards. The credited songwriters include Keys, Carlile, Brandy Clark, Linda Perry and Lori McKenna.

Sterner-Porreca also directed the BCMS Advanced Choir before summer break in a surprise rendition of "For Good" from the musical Wicked to honor Assistant Principals Nikki Wake and Dave Clark, according to a separate district post. She rewrote the lyrics and assembled keepsake lyric books for the honorees.