Go PS22!

I am so excited to see the PS22 Chorus perform at the Academy Awards tomorrow night! I have been a huge fan of Mr. B and his singers ever since I first discovered their videos on YouTube. At the time, I was working on an arrangement of the song Carbon by Tori Amos for the adult choir I sing with, and was looking to see if any other choirs out there had covered it. It's kind of an obscure song, so I didn't have my hopes up too high, but then I found the following video and simply fell in love:

I was so taken with these kids that I temporarily abandoned my search for more versions of that song and just kept watching their videos, one after another. I especially loved their versions of "I'll Stand by You", "Forever Young", and Bjork's "Joga". These kids reminded me why I love singing, and singing in a choir in particular. They got me back in touch with the pure joy at the heart of it, something that, though I hadn't completely lost it, was buried under layers of perfectionism and "safe" singing (you know: singing that risks nothing, that is not emotionally vulnerable, but sounds good, and so is received with praise). I became a PS22 evangelist for a while there, insisting that everyone I knew, whether they were musicians or not, watch their videos. I was convinced that there was something there that anyone could benefit from seeing, and everyone I showed them to was genuinely affected by the experience.

A number of influences combined to give me the final push it took to get Shine off the ground, but the PS22 kids were right up there among them, reminding me over and over again that it was a worthy pursuit, that I could do it as long as I had the love for it, and that it was going to mean a lot to a lot of people someday.

I often tell people that Shine is inspired by the hit show Glee, because it's something most people have heard of, but the truth is that these real-life kids and their incredible teacher in Staten Island have moved me and encouraged me much more than any TV show could, and what they do is much closer to what we actually do in Shine. I hope that their Oscar performance will make them famous enough where I can say, "You know the PS22 Chorus? It's kind of like that!"

I like to think that Shine is somehow connected to PS22, like a sister chorus on the opposite coast. So, PS22 kids, we wish you a wonderful performance tomorrow, and a safe trip home! Thank you for sharing your music with the world. You guys rock!