HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — When you think of the arts in middle and high school, there's no doubt chorus, band, and orchestra come to mind. 

Not only is today's A+ Teacher helping kids find their voice and inspiring them to perform, he's doing something even bigger. 

"If they don't know how they feel about music yet, they will. And I will teach them that music is something we all do. Music is something we all can do," said teacher Gilbert Lopez. 

Lopez has been the Director of Chorus at Rogers Middle School in Hillsborough County for the past 11 years. 

Even with the complexities of COVID-19 precautions, the chorus program is still hitting the right note. 

"Middle school, in my opinion, is the hardest age ever. Kids are insecure. They're mild and timid. They're not really sure of themselves and that's before COVID. That's before social distancing and face masks and six feet apart and smaller class sizes. The middle schooler in general is just going through a lot of stuff, a lot of changes and growth," Lopez said. 

Director Lopez is more determined than ever to inspire these kids, unlock their potential, and help them shine. 

To accomplish that he's building trust in a safe and positive atmosphere. For Lopez, music actually comes second and connecting with his kids comes first. 

"I get to know my kids. I start establishing relationships," Lopez said. "It's important for them as soon as they come in, we start with little games, little interactions, and just building that rapport. To me, the biggest thing in my program is rapport. I mean, you want them to sing a note, but they don't trust you yet. They don't trust themselves yet."

Trust goes both ways. Lopez said he can be quirky and funny, even incorporating Tik Tok to help reach the kids. 

"I knew what is was, but I didn't know how it worked. I wanted to find some way to break the ice and break down those barriers," he said.