Friday, October 31, 2008

SKY FITS HALLOWEEN!



The PS22 Chorus was looking rather ghoulish for Halloween! But the kids sounded better than ever today! Here's the proof -- as some of the members of the chorus got together this morning to record "Sky Fits Heaven" by pop icon, Madonna! Chorus member (and pirate) Nick did a great job filming his first time on the job! So now get ready for something good.....


UPDATE: Check out this version from our holiday show instead which includes the full chorus and Mr. Eberle on guitar!




And a few more Halloween pics.....




Tuesday, October 28, 2008

VIDEO OF THE DAY!!




Make sure you head on over to Schooltube.com today, because PS22's Oscar Mayer Weiner Commercial is "Video Of The Day" on the site!!!


Saturday, October 25, 2008

PS22 Chorus Featured On SchoolTube Home Page!!


The PS22 Chorus is currently being featured as an "MVP Spotlight Video" on the home page of Schooltube.com, a new YouTube-like website for students and teachers. I highly recommend you take a visit on down and see for yourself. Make sure once you're there to do a search for "PS22 Chorus" to see all of our posted videos.

If you're arriving at this post late (Schooltube.com updates its featured videos regularly), you can click on the pic below, and follow the red arrow to see the PS22 Chorus video that is currently being featured (at the time of this post).




Here's one of our new videos on Schooltube.


Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Saturday, October 18, 2008

2 and a 1/2 New Tunes!


Every chorus practice in these crucial early days brings significant improvement. Friday was special! First some of the group got together in the morning to put the finishing touches on some of the new material we've been working on. And of course they sound brilliant! Expect full chorus renditions of these songs soon...

"One Day" by Bjork


"In The Bleak Midwinter" Christmas traditional


And lastly, the full chorus got together in the afternoon and really took it to the next level. I think you can see and hear the progression with this new acoustic guitar rendition of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida". The improvement is evident when watching this video back to back with Tuesday's full chorus piano version.

"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The PS22 'Cavalry Choir' Sings VIVA LA VIDA By Coldplay



April leads the chorus and then the coaches in 2 incredible renditions (the coaches' is a capella) of "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay! It's very different obviously than the original, but I think the kids pulls it off brilliantly!




UPDATE:Check out this new version with the full chorus!




Tuesday, October 07, 2008

A Beautiful Message From Karen Peris of THE INNOCENCE MISSION


Karen Peris


The chorus and I were truly blessed to receive a beautiful message from Karen Peris, lead singer of The Innocence Mission, after covering 2 of the group's songs in the past 2 years. Personally, I was ecstatic to hear from a huge personal musical inspiration, and I know the chorus children, present and past, will share my enthusiasm equally when they read the absolutely magnificent praises bestowed upon them. There is no greater feeling than getting the approval of the original artists after covering one of their songs. And 'approval' doesn't begin to sum up the kind words from this extraordinary musician and human being. Read on.



Here is Karen's message:


"Last night, a friend told us about your Chorus singing "There" and we were able to see the performance clip. I can't begin to tell you how happy it made me, continues to make me whenever I think of it. What a beautiful, beautiful, joyful version. It is a huge improvement on the original. The children brought tears to my eyes with their glorious singing and their smiles. I so love the energy of this performance, the arrangement, the harmonies, everything!

"I was overwhelmed when I heard the performance of I Haven't Seen This Day Before. This, also, moved me to tears. Don(my husband) and I saw this earlier this year. Somehow we never thought of being able to contact you, to thank you and Justin and the rest of the children. I am very sorry that we didn't think of a way to reach you, then. But we carried the happiness of it around with us for many days.

"I don't know when these performances were recorded but if you were able to give my thanks to the children I would be so glad. And thank you, Gregg. I am so touched and honored by your teaching these songs to your 5th graders. Thank you for the amazing work you are doing, for providing such a joyful experience for so many children.

Peace be with you,
Karen Peris "



How incredibly inspiring to get a letter like that! And if that wasn't enough, The Innocence Mission is even featuring the PS22 Chorus version of "There" on the home page of their website! Chorus, you should be so proud of yourselves!!

Below are the two videos of the PS22 Chorus INNOCENCE MISSION covers, in case you missed them upon their initial posting.


"There" by Karen Peris


"I Haven't Seen This Day Before" by Karen Peris



And last, here is a beautiful song by The Innocence Mission themselves, called, "The Brotherhood Of Man." Hearing how beautiful this performance is certainly makes Karen's incredibly kind message to the chorus all the more meaningful.


"The Brotherhood of Man" by Karen Peris

Saturday, October 04, 2008

A New Sound, A New Look!



The new 2009 Chorus shirts are in, and the kids are looking sharp! Below are some photos to introduce you to some of the new chorus members, sporting this year's new look!