PS22 Chorus – 5th Graders Use the Gift of Music to Help and Inspire

The PS22 Chorus, from Staten Island, New York, is made up of about 60 to 70 5th grade students. Students are chosen to be in the choir after auditions each year. They practice twice each week. On the surface, they sound and look like many other school choruses around the world. But, in reality, they are actually quite different.

Thanks to a very inspiring leader, Gregg Breinberg, they do not just sing, but truly put their hearts, souls and bodies into their words.

Thanks to their incredible voices, their passion for music and the power of online video, they have become “the best-known elementary-school chorus on the planet” according to New York Magazine. At last count, PS22’s videos have been watched more than 65 million times on YouTube!

Here at InspireMyKids.com, we love to see kids pursuing their passions. And it always great to see children achieving success as a team.  But we like it even more when their efforts are focused on helping people and making an impact on the world around them.

So, we were very inspired by PS22’s recent performance to help lift up one of the school’s own teachers, Adriana Lopez, who recently learned that she has cancer. This is not the first time PS22 has used its great talents to help others and we hope it will not be the last!

Check out their very inspiring video and then read below to see how you might use your own talents to make the world a better place:

Additional Resources:

• Check out other InspireMyKids stories and videos about inspiring musicians
• Watch more of PS22’s amazing videos here on their blog
• Read more about PS22’s inspiring leader, Greg Breinberg, here
• See IMK’s list of kindness quotes for kids

Topics for Discussion:

• How is PS22 making a difference in the world?
• What passion or skill do you have that you could use to help or lift others?
• Think of people who in your community who help others. What talents and skills do they use?
• What if every kid used their special talents to make the world a better place?  How would things be different?

Take Action:

• Think about your own special talents and what you love to do. Whether you love music or animals or sports or nature or writing, there is some way to use your talents to make the world a better place.  Come up with 3 ideas and then talk to your parents, teachers and friends to help make one of them happen!

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.

Parents Corner:

• Here is a wonderful article about helping your kids develop their talents