Press Releases

Students Rock Community

Chandler Elementary School
14030 Weddington St.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
Program Coordinator: Donna Chazen
818-789-6173, dchazen@lausd.net

Students Rock Community in All That is Good
This is Where I Live Community Sing-A-Long Concert at
Chandler Elementary: Sherman Oaks, CA,
March 14, 2008 at 12:45PM and 1:35PM

Van Nuys, CA Wild cheering, jumping up and down, and spontaneous and inspired participation are all responses humans dream of when looking to empower their communities. At Chandler Elementary School in Van Nuys, CA on March 14, 2008, this dream becomes a reality when 500 children, ages kindergarten through fifth grade come together to sing their hearts out with a live band as part of the This is Where I Live community sing-a-long.

“The whole school sing-a-long…is a great way to bring our entire school community together,” says Donna Chazen,
Program Coordinator at Chandler Elementary School. “Parents, students and staff have a great time.
You can hear the community singing the words or humming the melodies for months.”

This is Where I Live Character and Community Building Arts Program inspires children to bring out their best qualities through the joy of singing.

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“Together We Can Do Great Things” is the theme of this year’s sing-a-long concert at Chandler Elementary School. With song titles like “Cooperation”, “Perseverance”, “Integrity” and “Kindness”, the program gives each child the opportunity to see themselves as a good citizen while allowing them to recognize the positive impact they have in their classroom and community.

“Music is the best way to teach these concepts in a concrete way,” says This is Where I Live founder and award-winning songwriter Jennifer Russell. “The connection between the words and the physical act of singing allows us to retain information in a way that we will remember for the rest of our lives.”

In addition to learning the words, students also learn hand and body movements that demonstrate the concepts of the songs. As part of the program, students work with artist teachers for three weeks before the sing-a-long concert. During classroom instruction time, students also learn about rhythm and song form, while applying memorization and performance skills.

“These songs are so powerful,” Chazen says, “that teachers have used them as part of grade level
performances.”

Russell also knows the impact these songs can have on people and their communities. In March of 1999 after answering a call to create programs promoting the principles of character and ethics for the Character & Ethics Project in the City of Glendale, Russell developed the foundation for the This is Where I Live program. After writing the theme song “This is Where I Live”, Russell then gathered 65 first-through-twelfth graders into a choir who performed the song at the project’s kick-off event. Years later, Russell still meets students, parents, teachers and government officials who remember the specific impact her songs have made on their lives.
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Eight years after starting her project, the songs in the music kits “This is Where I Live” and “Together We Can Do Great Things” have reached over 10,000 children in 500 schools throughout the world. This is just the beginning of the truly universal goal Russell has for the music. By focusing on a city that is a reflection of our global community, Russell wants to inspire every child in Los Angeles to sing songs that bring out their best.

And don’t think that this program is only for children. After being accepted as a Los Angeles Unified School District Arts Community Partner, Russell added a professional development component to the program. By helping teachers become comfortable with singing while learning how to teach a song, Russell inspires teachers (and all adults) to revive their love of music with fun and interactive activities.

Donna Chazen has seen this transform the teachers at Chandler. “The professional development piece
empowers our teachers to continue vocal music instruction long after the This is Where I Live teachers
have completed their 4 weeks,” she says.

One cannot help but participate after witnessing the overwhelming enthusiasm and joy generated by a This is Where I Live sing-a-long concert. We are soon raising our voices to join with others. Helped along by lyrics on a screen, no one is left out. As all the voices merge, it is obvious that the whole is as great as its parts; there is no separation between students, teachers, musicians and parents. In this elementary school auditorium it becomes clear that yes, together we CAN do great things, and we can do them with fun and integrity.