John: I decided early on to venture outside my comfort zone and try things I'd never done before.

In that spirit, I made my first visit to LACHSA, the L.A. County High School of the Arts, and joined a class in vocal jazz ensemble.

I was nervous as a cat.

Thankfully, I met Adam, Natalia, Nate, and Chelsea, 4 class leaders, who took me under their wing.

They prepped me for class and for their formidable teacher Pat Bass, otherwise known as Ms. B.

Is she tough as nails?

Girl: Yes.

Yeah.

John: Is she gonna be tough on me?

That's what I really want to know.

Girl: Yes, I think so.

John: What's the name of the song about boppin?

Girl: "Everybody's Boppin."

John: "Everybody's Boppin."

If I were just to ask you to do that, would you be able to launch right into it now, or if you're-- Girl: Right here?

Girl two: Us?

Kids: ♪ Some cat's saying that bop is dead But that cat done Lost its head Tell that's square He's been misled Because everybody's boppin ♪ John: You see?

You see why I wanted to join them.

I am gonna be so terrible at this.

[School bell ringing] I think that's the bell.

Let's go, let's go, let's go to class.

Jeez!

You're taller than I am.

How tall are you?

Boy: I'm 6'8".

John: Oh!

And yet there's no LACHSA basketball team.

[Indistinct chatter] Girl: Hi!

Ms. B: Hi.

How are you?

John: Hi there.

The new kid in school.

Ms. B, how great to see you.

Ms. B: Good to see you.

John: Where do I sit?

Ms. B: Right there.

We're gonna do warmups first.

Girl: You know how babies go, like, "Pbbbb"?

So we do that on the piano.

John: Uh-huh?

Babies?

I do that all the time.

[Laughter] Pbbb.

Girl: Yeah.

♪ Pbbb John: ♪ Pbbb Girl: Yeah.

Yeah.

Boy: Yeah.

There you go.

John: Hey.

I can do this.

[Laughter] [All warming up] Kids: ♪ Ba ba ba Da ba ba ba da ba ba Ba ba ba ♪ Lithgow and Kids: ♪ Ba ba ba Da ba ba ba da ba ba Ba ba ba ♪ Ms. B: Nate, we're gonna go right into the tune.

Nate: "Snowfall"?

Ms. B: Yeah.

Because we've got a part for you.

John: I--Oh, my God.

Ms. B: No, I think you'll like it, and it won't be that complicated.

It'll be your solo, and you're sitting right next to the guy that's gonna help you along.

That's right.

John: I'll be right here.

[Laughter] This is what I'll be looking at the entire time.

Ms. B: Let me, John, explain a little bit about this.

You know, I'm from a town of snow, Buffalo, New York.

John: I know it well.

Ms. B: This tune is about the snow and the falling of the snow and what it's like and what we feel about it.

So here we go from the top.

[Playing piano] Girls: ♪ Ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ Nate: ♪ Snowflakes Nate and John: ♪ Whisper 'Neath my Window Snowflakes Whisper ♪ John: ♪ Stage fright [Laughter] Nate and John: ♪ 'Neath my Window ♪ Ms. B: Yeah.

Oh, I like it.

You want to do it again, or you want us to go on?

John: Let's have everybody sing.

Ms. B: OK. All right.

[Scat singing] [Cheering] John: That first hour was a revelation.

The class was relaxed and chatty, but when the time came, they were disciplined, expert, and warmly supportive of me.

I saw that among Ms. B's great skills as a teacher was her way of turning her students into teachers, as well.