PS 22

As a former Staten Islander, I need to jump on the bandwagon and contribute to the conflagration of the PS22 Chorus (PS = public school) led by music teacher Gregg Breinberg. While it seems like the chorus has been around for almost a decade, it was the posting of music videos on YOUTUBE that inspired over nine million hits, sending the kids and their conductor into an elementary school stratosphere.

Aside from their sound, the thing that makes these kids unique is their passion. The kids' choruses I remember were always stiff and lifeless - as if it were an embarassment to stand in front of an audience and sing. That's not the case with PS22. They make a joyful noise.

Staten Island can date its original denizens all the way back to a prehistoric Paleoindian culture, so it's taken about 14,000 years for the "forgotten borough" to finally be considered cool.

Check out the PS22 CHORUS BLOG.

See what the kids are up to and listen to their music.