Music Class Is Hit With Kids, Online Viewers

June 10, 2009 -- Watching Gregg Breinberg effortlessly settle down 60 high-spirited fifth-graders is enough to leave you in awe.

But when he cues his class to open their mouths again, you can't help but be left speechless.

Meet the choir of P.S. 22 from Staten Island, N.Y.

Who knew fifth-graders had so much soul?

"Fortunately, I knew fifth-graders had that much soul," Breinberg said.

Known as "Mr. B" to his students, Breinberg is the first to admit that he's not your typical chorus teacher. At times he acts more like an overgrown fifth-grader than the 35-year-old he is.

As he sees it, his job is to coax students to forget the sheet music and just sing. One of his tactics is to dispense with the usual music class fare.

"That's Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida,'" he said. "No children singing 'Kumbaya' here. ... These kids are so far emotionally beyond that stuff. They need an outlet. These kids, you know, some have been through tough places, some have been through a lot."

About three-quarters of the students at P.S. 22 are eligible for free lunches. Some are struggling at home, Breinberg said. Others are enrolled in special education classes, or are learning English as a second language.

Breinberg said he hopes music gives the kids a chance to overcome whatever barriers they might face.

"You seem to be lost in the song a little bit, closing your eyes and feeling it," 11-year-old student Mariah Baez said. "This just seems to be coming from me, yeah, 'cause first, when I was littler, I was scared about what the people would say. And then now, Mr. Breinberg was like, 'Oh, just feel it.'"

Breinberg said a big part of his work is making his students feel comfortable in their own skins.

"A lot of these kids may be struggling academically, and they may not feel like they are succeeding in other areas," he said. "And they go to this place where they can totally be themselves and be comfortable about being themselves."

That's what happened to Jared Holness, 10. He used to dread speaking in class -- much less singing.