I got about one hundred and twenty 3rd and 5th graders on stage to perform “Imagine,” at the end of our Winter Celebrations assembly. I had never put my 3rd and 5th graders together to perform a song, but this felt like the right year to do it. Here’s the thing, these aren’t horrible classes, but they aren’t the strongest 3rd and 5th grade classes, I have taught. These kids performing “Imagine,” together meant they would have to learn two songs for this assembly when they usually perform only one.
I chose to do this with them not because they had a higher level of musical aptitude. I did it because, I felt like they needed to perform this song, our community needed them to and I needed this performance.
“Imagine,” is an audacious song. It breaks down the idea of “accepting what you cannot change.” It calls into questions what people perceive as things that you “cannot change,” and ask people to imagine beyond. In the frame of a lilting peaceful melody, Lennon call into questions many of the foundations of humanity: religions, tribalism, nationalism, and realism. It is both a call for peace, and a call for radical change in the context of optimism and belief that the peace that we want for ourselves and our families is shared by all of humanity.
John Lennon’s words “I read the new today, oh boy…” from “A Day In The Life,” have been an almost constant line in my head every single day for the past year. My students, and my job, have been one of the things that has helped me work through the challenges of this year. Yes, the other songs I taught “Light One Candle,” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” have great messages, but they were safe messages.
Before our last run-through the day before the performance, I stood balanced on top of an auditorium chair, and gave my 3rd and 5th grade students one final message about “Imagine.”
One person is powerful enough to ruin this performance for 119 other people. If one person is selfish, and doesn’t sing this song with care, they can ruin this performance. However, you are also powerful in another way. If you commit, focus and work as you sing this song, you have the power to create an unforgettable performance.
As we’ve studied “Imagine,” we’ve watched all kinds of different performers. We’ve seen people of different races sing this song, we’ve also seen people who can’t hear or speak, perform this song. That’s kind of a crazy idea, a sign-language choir. Someone had to use their imagination in an awesome way to figure out how people who could not talk or hear could perform music. That is what this song is about, imagining things beyond the way they are right now to make our world a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive society.
We are singing this for ourselves, but we are also performing this for your families, your parents. There’s times when things are tough for your parents and it’s hard for them to get going in the morning and do things they need to do. You provide them motivation during these times, you give them hope. So when you sing this song, be that for them, and give them that energy, and that inspiration. They deserve it for all they’ve done for you, and you deserve a great performance because of all the great work you’ve done up to this point.
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