Lockdown has been tough on all of us, and for some it still takes time to get used to online classes. But for the students of Telford Priory School in Shropshire, the Zoom meetings aren’t a problem. During their online music class, the pupils recorded a cover of Elton John’s hit “I’m Still Standing” – and have now received praise from Sir Elton John himself for it.

Ron Sexsmith, a dear friend of Elton John, has sent the video to the singer. And Elton John was “blown away” by it. Since the cover of his 1983 classic has “really cheered me up”, as he revealed, he decided to send a personal message to the class and their teacher.

“I watched it three times in a row because I couldn’t believe how good you sang and played it”, the 73-year-old said. He describes the cover as a “brilliant version of I’m Still Standing”, admitting that the the students “did something brilliant.”

He also promised the students to welcome them at one of his future UK shows, once live concerts will be allowed again. And the singer is also hoping that one day, the students might fill in his shoes: “I hope you all have a great career and music plays a big part in it because you have certainly got talent.”

It’s not surprise that just like Elton John was “blown away” by the cover, the teacher was blown away by receiving a personal message from the legend. “I just couldn’t believe it when I received contact from Sir Elton”, teacher Ben Millington reveals. When he first gave the students the task to cover the song, all he had in mind was to cheer people up during those strange times: ““I wanted to do something practical showcasing the amazing talent of our students, whilst also cheering people up at this difficult time.”

No one was expecting such a reaction, so naturally the students freaked out when Millington told them: “When I showed the students there was screaming, crying, hands over mouths. I had to mute the microphones so we could actually hear what Elton was saying!”