The gym was alive with the sound of singing Tuesday as hundreds of kids from North and Central Whidbey participated in “Get America Singing Again!,” sponsored by the An-O-Chords, the Anacortes men’s barbershop chorus.

An estimated 1,500 boys and girls packed the Oak Harbor High School gym, coming from all six Oak Harbor elementary schools, the Oak Harbor High School and middle school choirs, Coupeville Elementary School and Oak Harbor Christian School.

Although the voices were young, any oldtimer walking past the gym would have fondly recollected the tunes: “Oh, Susanna,” “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” “Down by the Riverside,” “If I Had a Hammer,” “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and “Music Alone Shall Live,” comprised the musical agenda.

“This is a combination of lots of people’s hard work,” said Charisse Berner, school district curriculum director, as song filled the gym. Music teachers had spent hours preparing, and various community groups helped with the cost.

“Our focus is to get America singing again,” Berner added. “What a fantastic sound — many of these kids haven’t sung these songs before.”

The An-O-Chords, working with the schools, originated “Get America Singing Again!” last year in Anacortes, and added more schools this year which coaxed a total of 3,400 students into raising their voices.

“It’s fantastic,” said An-O-Chord John Boyd, who presented flowers to all the music teachers. “The teachers did all the work.” Recipients included Susan Blanton, Patti Larsen, Renee Hall, Robin Bond, Alan Jennings, Barbara Leahy, Maryann Nowicki, Diane Manuel, Sharon Erickson, Linda McLean, Joni Keller and Jim Pruss. The An-O-Chords printed 1,500 songbooks this year containing 50 favorite old songs, from which seven were selected for the Oak Harbor sing-a-long.

The An-O-Chords, founded in 1955, aim to keep music alive in the community. As a result of budget cuts, younger kids sometimes lack musical training. “As a result, upper grade music programs suffer because too many children bring neither the joys of music nor the necessary skills from their elementary school background,” they state. If that’s a problem, it wasn’t evident Tuesday in Oak Harbor.