Most kids go through some kind of music education in school; probably in elementary school, as secondary schools usually don't have the time or resources to force every kid to partake in music each year. What usually happens is that kids will go through some kind of "general" music class wherein they learn to sing "Kumbaya" in solfege, or organize a performance of "Jingle Bell Rock" on recorders and triangles for the PTA meeting. And people wonder why arts programs are increasingly being cut from public school curriculum.
There are a number of theorists out there with interesting ideas about how we should be teaching our kids about music. German composer Carl Orff had an interesting idea about education: "Since the beginning of time, children have not liked to study. They would much rather play, and if you have their interests at heart, you will let them learn while they play." Most of you probably had some kind of Music Ed experience-- think about it, and consider if it seemed based on anything close to a concept of "play." I remember a lot of being forced to sing "Freres Jacques," and I can hardly blame the kids who knew it wasn't cool to do that stuff. It wasn't, and I doubt anyone, teacher included, got anything important out of that stuff.
In 1976, Canadian music teacher Hans Fenger was inspired by Orff's concept, and decided to commence on a project involving students from several elementary schools in the provincial Langley region, British Columbia. By his own admission, Fenger knew little about teaching music to children, but trusted the kids' grasp of what they liked enough to arrange this project. Chiefly, this project involved recording a group of students in a school gym on two-track, performing their favorite tunes and playing instruments developed by Orff (for use in his Schulwerk program). The recordings were never supposed to be widely distributed, until producer/author Irwin Chusid (Songs in the Key of Z) heard them, and the decision was made to make them available worldwide. So, in the end, a completely local, unpolished music education project is now at the fingertips of serious music fans everywhere. Strike one up for Canadian taxpayers.
Of course, if you were skeptical that the results could match the inspired enthusiasm, I wouldn't blame you. The thing is, these people put so much joy and interest (trust me, having interested kids is never a given for teachers) into the proceedings, that they make this CD good by sheer force of will. The opener, Paul McCartney's "Venus and Mars/Rock Show," captures the ridiculous amount of feeling for which the kids have for this music. And they sound good, too!
"Good Vibrations" features bells and acoustic guitar (standards in Orff's program), and adds a little authenticity to the mix by bringing in the sleigh bells like Brian used to do. The singing and arrangement are actually a tad on the melancholy side, much more restrained and poignant than you'd think a group of grammar schoolers would be capable of. In fact, throughout the album, the prevailing mood is often quite somber. Perhaps, as Fenger postulates, the students loved songs that evoked loneliness and sadness, or perhaps they just felt so at ease playing music that they couldn't be bothered with being hyper and unfocused.
David Bowie's "Space Oddity" is one of many highlights here, as again the kids have the downtrodden verse melody mastered, and even coordinate the countdown with some pounding percussion. Plus, someone in there is dropping some serious spook-organ, and another kid is going crazy on the special effects guitar. It's an amazing track, followed by another, "The Long and Winding Road." Now, I don't really even like this song-- it may be one of the worst songs the Beatles ever recorded. However, the Langley Schools arrangement for solo vocal (one of a few on the CD) and humble piano accompaniment brings out what was apparently actual inherent sincerity in the tune.
The record isn't an all low-key affair; later, the kids bring out the noise in the Bay City Rollers' "Saturday Night" with stomping and cheerleader chanting that only fifth graders can make legitimate (which begs the question of how grown men ever performed this song). They pull out the same stops on Herman Hermits' "I'm Into Something Good" to similar effect (and begging the same question).
My favorites, though, are their versions of "Desperado" and the Carpenters' "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft." The former is another incredible solo vocal version of a tune that I always thought was extremely cornball. I would go so far as to say that this version of the song, with a young singer performing with so much heartfelt, delicate emotion I seriously almost cried, is definitive. The latter begins as yet another solo vocal, though the full choir joins in quite soon, along with bells and swelling cymbals and bells. You'd think they were really announcing the next wave of civilization, saying goodbye to the modern world in favor of something less image-conscious and much more honest and plain fun. They even changed tempos in the middle.
Now, in all honesty, a whole record of kids, albeit inspired, singing your 70s AM Gold hits has a greater-than-zero potential of getting a little stale after a while. There's a wonderful feeling listening to this record that all will be well with our world, and that as long as the children are happy and singing, we have nothing to worry about. But after a while, if I need to put on some AC/DC or something, I hope they don't take it personally.
