On PS22 and Music

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZnSwGCliB8&] If I had one criticism of PS22 and their teacher, it's that he is probably not teaching proper singing or performance techniques to them at a young age. Its common thought that this creates 'bad' habits that will influence the art in a negative way, later.

I was thinking that as I watched this.

And then I thought, "so what?"

There are probably many many children singing in children's choirs around the globe inside of Universities, etc. that don't enjoy the music they sing. I think I'd argue that that fact is more destructive to the art than something like PS22 is.

When musicians come to hate music, it might be one of the saddest days on earth.

If anything, performances like these are creative, unique, and stretching across boundaries. Right? I can see some of these kids rushing over to their friends' house after school and being super jazzed to load up YouTube and show their friends what they did at school that day.

These are kids. And they're excited about what they're doing.

That's the future of America, I think. Creativity is key. Technology (because it is simply an embodiment of creativity) is key. Fine arts (because they are simply embodiments of creativity) are key. The study of maths and sciences (because they are products of creativity) are key.

And so when I cringe to see the kids moving their bodies so much, I have to stop and think..."how proud are these kids of their work?" or "how much will the enjoyment of this experience influence their lives in the future?" You can experience the excitement within the last few seconds of the video. Sheer joy.

Because in the end it doesn't matter if they're singing Mozart or Lady Gaga (though it might be nice for them to understand both forms of the art); they're singing. They're practicing. They're performing. And they're enjoying it.

And, better yet, they're doing what they do...well. We don't have enough of that in today's world.

It's cool stuff. It really is.

-B

I really don't like the song that much, despite its catchiness. Gaga wrote the song with her dad taking shots on the piano after her grandfather died. I just don't, quite...get it. It doesn't speak any sort of message that I would consider life changing, and I don't think the lyrics are very poetic at all. Also, the music video was ridiculous.

Regardless, though, the act of singing it is moving something inside of these two groups. It's weird to think that something's moving inside of these groups when the lyrics to the song suck. But, you know, perhaps that speaks to the power of music within the soul. It probably does.

PS22 - True Colors

They're at it again. Cyndi Lauper's best song. While not my favorite arrangement (and it is hard to tell what part are where due to the volume of other harmonies), the kids still do a nice job with it.

This is one of those songs that works so well for things like this too: great, gorgeous pop harmonies with a positive message.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUiPArKFafo&]

It is clear, too, that the kids are close to their teacher. Every time I see a new clip, I always think of my friend Andrew and when they did his song. Cool kids for sure.

-B

How Hard Is It To Get Into PS22?

PS22 choir singing at the Lincoln Center for an Eric Whitacre event. Singing the arrangement of "Daniel" from one of the last videos I posted. Personally, I think this soloist is much better.

Interesting to see their teacher playing on what looks like at least a 9 foot Steinway grand piano standing up trying to play/direct.

If you get to the end of the song, you'll see Eric Whitacre's visit to the green room. Seems like a cool guy.

If you didn't already know, Whitacre is a big fan of YouTube and different ways for choirs to interact with each other. I think it is particularly interesting that PS22, who have a different approach to choral singing (specifically in younger children), and Eric Whitacre, who has a different approach to choral arranging and is becoming fairly progressive with the use of technology to move the art form forward, are together here. I'd love to see Eric work with these kids and the fruits that would come from this work. As far as I'm concerned, there are big talents here.

Still love the arrangement.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECa1ITTG_as&]

And oh yeah, how hard is it to get into PS22? Evidently...pretty hard.

-B

These Kids Get Everything...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gKYFZyvehE] If you can stand the barrage of screaming kids excited about-well, everything, you'll understand that PS22 has been invited to perform at the Academy Awards. Red carpet treatment and all.

I typically don't pay too much attention to award shows (sadly, this often includes the Oscars) but I'll probably watch this time. In the past, these kids have been pretty darn impressive for an inner city school choir.

Hats off to the director (former teacher of a friend of mine) who has used YouTube to take the choir to national acknowledgment. The internet is so powerful.

 

-B

YouTube Sensations Meet One Another

Many people advocate that the advent of technology has hurt our society in many ways. It is fair to say that society has changed because of it, and that in the wrong hands technology can be hurtful and destructive. However, there are so many upsides to our progression as a society, I kind of feel like it is worth the fight. In example, see below. We have two groups (one PS22 and the other Greyson Michael Chance) who had talents that were discovered on YouTube. They have both been able to do things that they might not otherwise have been able to do (perform for the President or Ellen Degeneres), had they not have posted the videos of them singing.

The connection is astounding.

Watch the reactions of the choir when they realize who it is that is in their presence.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEJFOs1maNM&]

It's as if they don't realize that many of their own videos are viral (given, it may be a different set of kids, but it is still the same group with the same attention to the same name).

I keep having this feeling that this type of connection and interaction (and sharing among the world via the Internet) can do a lot for the betterment of society. It can seem scary at times, because it makes it easier to disconnect from each other rather than to connect, but in the long run it can do things for us that we couldn't have otherwise done.

Better yet, think about how much technology's presence has progressed from the days in which it began. Tech and computers no longer have the "geek" label in the ways that it did before. More and more people are being referred to as "gamers" not because they own an XBox and play Halo, but because they own an iPhone or iPod. Sure, it has changed quite a bit, but it has helped to reach far more people.

I tend to think that the use of technology has helped us become more aware of problems in the world and society and has raised new voices that might have been marginalized otherwise.

And it has helped us discover new talent.

Technology, and the analogies that stem from it, reacher a wider audience than ever before and it is growing faster and faster. How do we embrace it and not let it destroy us?

-B