Post-Inaugural Inspiration: The P.S. 22 Chorus Sings 'One Dream'

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlcZXjXrIiQ&feature=youtu.be

Need a little something to keep the inspiration from Inauguration Day going? Look no further than our favorite children's choir, Staten Island's P.S. 22 Chorus. The world famous chorus' 65 fifth graders and their phenomenal director, Gregg Breinberg, headed to Washington D.C. to perform at the Inaugural Ceremonies, and, as usual, they sang their hearts out.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer invited the chorus back in September and Breinberg told Broken Records Magazine that he "let it be known from the get go that we would not be doing a traditional patriotic set." After several conversations with the inaugural committee, the chorus received approval to perform “God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood, “Home” by Phillip Phillips, "One Dream" by Sarah McLachlan, and “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons.

We should all be grateful that Breinberg was so persistently non-traditional. Here's the first verse and chorus of "One Dream":

We can feel a change is coming
Like a kiss upon a tide
Breathing life into every heart
A hope for kinder times
Cause we'll walk this road together
Though at times we felt alone
In the struggle to leave dissent,
We find the strength one yet to find

You carry your courage, carry the history
But all have gone before you
Wherever you come from
Your born of the one dream that finds you standing here

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Indeed, given President Obama's call for the nation to come together "as citizens" and "shape the debates of our time—not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals," those lyrics are quite appropriate for the occasion. And, now that the Inauguration is over, let's hope Americans keep listening to the voices of these wonderful schoolchildren and take the words they're singing to heart.