We are four students —Lara, Marta, Noelia, and Hernán— from different grades at IES San Benito (San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife). We are here to tell you about the best learning experience we had when three teachers asked us to create a song to teach others about the heritage of our city. At first it sounded crazy, but we said yes, and that decision led us to months of teamwork, discoveries, fun, and real learning about what it means to value what we have around us.

First, we chose the title of the song. We wanted something that showed who we are and where we come from. That’s how we came up with ”Laguneando nuestro amor por la ciudad”. Here, in our city, the word “lagunear” means walking around the city calmly, sometimes without a plan, just enjoying the place. We thought it was perfect. We also decided that the music video would tell the story of a couple —two girls— walking hand in hand while discovering La Laguna. We wanted the main idea to be love: not only romantic love, but also love for our city, its history, and the people who lived here before us. We wanted to show that walking through a place can help you learn to appreciate it and what it represents. For us, there is no better heritage than the one you live firsthand.

Even though we started as a group of four, soon more classmates joined. In the end, 38 volunteer students from different grades took part. Everyone had a different job: singers, historical researchers, cast, dancers, set designers, music producers, songwriters and film makers. We organized ourselves mostly during recess and some class time, with the teachers’ permission. That’s how we learned that, with motivation, even small moments are enough to create something big.

To learn about the historical aspect, we invited two experts: a novelist and a university professor. They told us stories, legends, and interesting facts we didn’t know. We learned that La Laguna is more than 500 years old and that it was designed as the first “City of Peace.” Unlike other European cities of its time, it didn’t have walls, because it was meant to be open and safe. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. We also learned that La Laguna has always welcomed people from other places: migrants, travelers, tourists, and students from the university. In a world where we hear about war, division, and borders all the time, we realized our city can be an example of respect and coexistence.

Afterwards, we started writing the lyrics. We divided the song into two parts: one more traditional, with verses that feel old-fashioned, and another part in rap, more modern, to show the mix between past and present that represents La Laguna. A teacher helped us create the melody and instrumental track. Then, we did auditions to choose the main voices. We recorded everything with simple equipment, but with a lot of effort, and mixed it until we got the final version.

We didn’t want to stop at this point, so we asked the city council for permission to film the video in the streets. This part was the hardest. We spent many recesses practicing choreography, making costumes with recycled materials, and planning how to tell the story while showing important places in the city. When everything was ready, we spent a whole morning filming. Even though we were tired, we were happy to walk through the streets we know so well but seeing them “in a different way,” like part of a movie made by us.

After weeks of editing, the big moment arrived: the video premiered in June 2025 at the Teatro Leal. Watching something we made on a giant screen was amazing. We felt proud, surprised, and nervous, because it was the first time we showed our work to so many people.

This activity has been transformative for students and the whole school community. The city’s heritage united students beyond classrooms and grade levels. The song became a school symbol, even used as the class-change melody and in geography and history class materials, inspiring future secondary-level resources.

This experience changed the way we see La Laguna. Learning stories from centuries ago and connecting them with our walks, routines, and friendships helped us understand that heritage is not something far away or boring—it’s something alive. We realized that young people can also create, share, and protect what belongs to us. And, most of all, we learned that loving a city starts with knowing it well. Now we walk through the same streets “beyond the sidewalks,” as the song says, connecting past and present, knowing we are also part of the history that will belong to others someday.

Full Videoclip here:https://www3.gobiernodecanarias.org/medusa/mediateca/ensenas/?attachment_id=1800