PS22 Chorus: The Story Of A School Choir That Found Global Fame
Here’s another incredible story where music (and YouTube) can achieve the impossible.
It’s the story of the PS22 Chorus, an elementary school chorus from Public School 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island (New York).
It all started when their dynamic and caring teacher Gregg Breinberg started posting videos of their performances on YouTube. The videos went viral (thanks to he students’ pure love of music.) captivating viewers from their house to the White House (where they performed for President Obama). Celebrities and Indie Rockers alike started flocking to the elementary school to visit and perform.
Here’s the trailer from the documentary presented at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 29th, “Once in a Lullaby: The PS22 Chorus Story”:
PS22 Chorus has been featured on Oprah, Nightline, Good MorningAmerica, The Today Show, MTV, Sesame Street, and, perhaps most notably, at the 2011 Academy Awards, closing the show with a stunning rendition of “Somewhere of Over The Rainbow”.
The chorus has performed for President Obama, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Stevie Nicks and a host of others. The kids have sung with Katy Perry, Queen Latifah, Tori Amos, Kylie Minogue, Celtic Woman, Crowded House, Freelance Whales, Little Dragon, V V Brown, and many more great artists.
If you want to enjoy their performances, I would strongly suggest you to visit their YouTube channel: PS22Chorus YouTube Channel. To date, the chorus’s videos have been watched more than 46,000,000 times
This is definitely an inspiring story that shows us how children have a lot to teach about music, and that a talented teacher can teach his students the most important lesson of all: within themselves is the power to do anything.
