Each year the musical performances at the Oscars are varied d engaging, but this years performance by the PS22 Chorus was particularly exciting. In case you haven’t heard of this inspirational group, PS22 chorus is an elementary school chorus from a public school in New York who has become a youtube sensation. For ten years they have performed spirited arrangements of pop songs. When their teacher began to post them to the internet as a way to simply inspire others he never would have predicted what would happen next.
Eventually, many pop stars saw the renditions of their songs and the kids found themselves in the company of Beyonce, Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga, and even Oprah! Their videos have been viewed over 29 million times, but even with all the success it is clear the young students have kept the goal of their singing in mind. For them it is all about the joy of the music and doing what you love. Their inspirational story even stole the show at the Oscar red carpet where amidst all the glitz and glamor there they were wearing bright t-shits and even brighter smiles.
Unsurprisingly, their moving performance of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was a highlight of the awards. Serving as the finale for an overall less than entertaining awards show, their lively energy would have certainly been useful earlier in the show. Those kids sounded really, really great too! Having all the winners come out was a really nice touch, and it was a fun way to close the show. Congratulations to those young students and their families, it was an absolutely dream-like moment for them and perhaps an even bigger moment for the arts in schools.
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