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.....

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!!!

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.

1.5 Million PS22 CHORUS Videos Views!

Amazing! Simply amazing! Keep singing chorus, the world is listening.

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

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!

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

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!

In Loving Tribute To Lois A.H. Mosley

This past June, we were confronted with the loss of someone very special to the PS22 Chorus, Mrs. Lois A.H. Mosley. Many of you may recall several years back when the PS22 Chorus were involved with our original musical, SANDY GROUND -- Flowers of The Sand, which recounted the struggles and accomplishments of the early settlers of the Sandy Ground community on Staten Island. Lois Mosley, along with many other Sandy Ground descendents, were kind enough to attend the performance back in May of 2006. Mrs. Mosley, who wrote the book "Sandy Ground Memories" (which probably offers the most comprehensive history of Staten Island's own historical landmark), will be truly missed by all who knew her. She will always be remembered as a woman of great strength, wisdom, and heart, and PS22 is proud to have had the opportunity to share our Sandy Ground experience with such a beautiful human being and her incredible family. Click here to see further highlights from our 2006 Sandy Ground production.

We dedicate this new video of the Beatles song, "Strawberry Fields Forever", which was used in our 2006 Sandy Ground production, to Mrs. Mosley. Thank you for inspiring us all....

The PS22 Chorus is one of "My Favorite Things"

Well, more accurately, the chorus is probably my very favorite thing. Either way, we're proud to debut our second video from the new PS22 Chorus of 2009! This is a beautiful version of "My Favorite Things" by Rodgers & Hammerstein from the Oscar-winning musical, The Sound Of Music. And Allie is showing that she's more than ready for the Broadway stage!!

VIDEO DOWN

It's hard to believe this crew is technically only 3 weeks old!! They are astounding already.

UPDATE:
Check out the chorus performance of "My Favorite Things at this year's holiday show!)

And now you can get a closer look at the new stars you'll be seeing a whole lot of for the next 10 months or so.... (As always, click on the pics to enlarge.)

The PS22 Chorus Is STRANGE!

While the new chorus of 2009 is hard at work breaking in its 22 new additional members (appropriately enough) that we added today, I figured I would dig through the archives to see what I could come up with. And I found this vintage PS22 Chorus performance from the 2005 Holiday Choral Concert featuring The Doors classic, "People Are Strange." A real treat!

First Impressions!

First impressions are really important, and we have no doubt that this little sneak peak at only the 3rd official rehearsal of the PS22 Chorus of 2009 will leave you excited for things to come! Here they prove that point with the Converse promotional tune, "My Drive Thru" by Pharrell, Santogold, Julian Casablancas, and N.E.R.D.. And while we may still be a bit rough around the edges, we've only been practicing for less than 2 weeks. And all the hard work is resembling a party more than anything else with these guys, as you will be unable to miss when you watch the video!

And here are a few more videos from rehearsal today, featuring only a few of the promising PS22 Chorus soloists. Unfortunately this was Sandria's last day at PS22, but we're STILL hoping maybe she'll be back.... Girl's been known to come and go.... (Seriously, we will miss you Sandria, and big sister Ashleigh too. We wish you both the best in your new schools, which are lucky to have you.

Allie singing "Invisible" by Clay Aiken

And Tirzah singing "Family Portrait" by Pink

Looks like good things are to be expected this year from the PS22 Chorus of 2009! Stick around.....