BRATTLEBORO — The seemingly ordinary P.S. 22 in Staten Island, New York, became extraordinary for a group of fifth graders when a woman in a black blazer strolled into the elementary school in late 2010 and invited the P.S. 22 Chorus to perform “Over the Rainbow” at the 2011 Academy Awards.
The woman was none other than actress (and Oscar host) Anne Hathaway. Not surprisingly, the kids erupted in screams, tears, and laughter.
Director Jonathan Kalafer's 80-minute documentary Once in a Lullaby chronicles the adventures of the 2010-11 chorus in the weeks leading up to that momentous evening, from after-school rehearsals to last-minute jitters on Oscar night.
Despite their tumultuous response, the kids were not entirely surprised by Hathaway's offer. The chorus had been in the national spotlight for several years after building an impressive Internet following (25 million hits on YouTube). Good Morning America, Nightline, and other shows also featured the chorus, which New York magazine called “the best-known elementary-school chorus on the planet.”
However, being invited to sing at the Oscars rocketed the kids into another realm.
Even Gregg Breinberg, the chorus conductor and music teacher at the school, cannot quite account for the group's fame.
“I didn't really know about YouTube. I didn't know about social media,” he says. “I didn't even know what a blog was. People just said, 'Oh, you should put videos on YouTube.' Well, how do I do that? A lot of people helped me out.”
To get a picture of Breinberg, imagine a cross between Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's renowned teacher, and The Music Man's unorthodox Harold Hill.
To say that Breinberg works wonders with the kids (one of the chorus members profiled in the film was homeless for a while) is an understatement. Emphasizing improvisation and free-form movement, Breinberg creates a hybridic sound that is part Trinity Boys Choir and part Harlem jubilee.
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Despite the group's success, Breinberg is not without his critics.
“I'm not a trained singer by any means,” he says. “People ask, 'How come the kids are not reading music?' [and say,] 'If they're not learning classical music, they're not learning real music.' Well, I didn't know there was an authority on what music was.”
Unlike the unschooled Midwestern “professor” in The Music Man, though, Breinberg is an accomplished pianist and arranger who has a bachelor's degree in music theory and composition.
But he is the first to admit that he has his own way of doing things. Music, he says, is a “whole body thing.”
When a production assistant at the Oscars informed Breinberg that the kids would have to “tone down” their movements just hours before they were to go on stage, Breinberg (and the kids) freaked. The direction went against everything Breinberg believed in as a music teacher.
Fortunately, Breinberg won that argument.
“Thank God we could be the P.S. 22 Chorus,” he says. “We didn't have to be like every other chorus out there.”
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As astounding as their journey has been, there is something a bit Oz-like about all the hoopla surrounding both the film and the chorus.
It's true: Once in a Lullaby is an inspiring story, and the teacher at the heart of it an extraordinary educator.
Outside the gates of P.S. 22, however, violence continues to escalate at many of the nation's urban schools as funding for the arts is slashed.
When asked by an interviewer at WNYC about music programs at other public schools in Staten Island, Breinberg's response was unambiguous.
“Unfortunately, that's a very sad question, with a sad answer,” he said. “They are few and far between. Music programs all across the board are being cut.”
“I'm really grateful that Jonathan Kalafer has helped in spreading the message of the importance of music programs.
“Music is life changing, and that's not just restricted to us.”
Rightly viewed, Kalafer's documentary is not only a cause for celebration but a call to action.