You've probably heard about PS 22's chorus by now. It's a group of Staten Island fifth graders that sings under the direction of Mr. Gregg Breinberg. Honestly, I can't believe it's taken me this long to mention them. Every now and then I check their YouTube page for new performances. Today I found the song that I'm sharing with you. I don't keep up with the new country scene, so I'd never heard this Rascal Flatts tune before. Maybe you have.
No matter the song that the children sing, I hear the same message every time. Children want to express themselves; they want to be heard. Don't we all? Different people choose different modes of expression and their desired audience varies. Performing in a band or chorus allows this to happen in an efficient and vibrant way. You're rarely "on the bench" in chorus. Everyone gets to play. Sure, these are not their original song lyrics or composition, but you can tell that those words are what's written on their hearts at the moment. Core content teachers, we can never underestimate the importance of arts education in our schools. We need to protect that time for our children.
Here's the other lesson that we can all take away from PS 22. One person can make a big difference. I'm sure Mr. Breinberg would tell you about all of the people who pull together to make his program the best that is can be, but we know that good teaching depends on the person who's at the front of that room day in and day out when the camera's not rolling.
So you know what PS 22 has to say to you? Check out their 2009 performance below.
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