When I Was A Teacher, VIII
When I was a teacher, my students stood in front of the stage and sang along to "These Apples," "Brian Wilson," and "Life in a Nutshell" as the Barenaked Ladies performed their sound check at Manhattan's Roseland Ballroom.
That's when it happened:
"Do you guys know 'If I Had a $1,000,000'?" lead singer Ed Robertson asked.
"Yeah!" a chorus of cheering students responded.
"Then come on up here!" Ed waved. "Help us out!"
Moments later my students were on stage with the Barenaked Ladies, huddled around the various microphones.
"Check out where you are," I said to my students. "If you ever again question whether hard work pays off, think back to this moment in your life."
And then they sang. "If I Had a $1,000,000." Every single word. Just like the Barenaked Ladies would sing it. And while they sang, every single person at Roseland stopped to watch and listen. By the middle of the song, the lighting crew was working the lights, and by the end of the song, the only ones smiling wider than my students were the Ladies themselves.
"I'll be rich!" my students proclaimed at the end of the song.
They were greeted with cheers and whistles, and as they exited the stage, they were met with hugs and high-fives.
For a few moments, my students were rock stars.
That night, I attended the Barenaked Ladies concert. If you've ever been to one of their shows, you know the Ladies like to improvise and tell stories. Well, that evening, after "These Apples," Ed Robertson told the audience all about this group of incredible kids from the South Bronx who sang with them that afternoon. Tyler and Kevin and Steven and Jim all chimed. They even remembered my students names.
I have the tape to prove it. So do all my students. The sound board technician was kind enough to record that evening's show and provide me with a copy for every student who was part of that magical afternoon.
Classroom intoxication.
That's when it happened:
"Do you guys know 'If I Had a $1,000,000'?" lead singer Ed Robertson asked.
"Yeah!" a chorus of cheering students responded.
"Then come on up here!" Ed waved. "Help us out!"
Moments later my students were on stage with the Barenaked Ladies, huddled around the various microphones.
"Check out where you are," I said to my students. "If you ever again question whether hard work pays off, think back to this moment in your life."
And then they sang. "If I Had a $1,000,000." Every single word. Just like the Barenaked Ladies would sing it. And while they sang, every single person at Roseland stopped to watch and listen. By the middle of the song, the lighting crew was working the lights, and by the end of the song, the only ones smiling wider than my students were the Ladies themselves.
"I'll be rich!" my students proclaimed at the end of the song.
They were greeted with cheers and whistles, and as they exited the stage, they were met with hugs and high-fives.
For a few moments, my students were rock stars.
That night, I attended the Barenaked Ladies concert. If you've ever been to one of their shows, you know the Ladies like to improvise and tell stories. Well, that evening, after "These Apples," Ed Robertson told the audience all about this group of incredible kids from the South Bronx who sang with them that afternoon. Tyler and Kevin and Steven and Jim all chimed. They even remembered my students names.
I have the tape to prove it. So do all my students. The sound board technician was kind enough to record that evening's show and provide me with a copy for every student who was part of that magical afternoon.
Classroom intoxication.