High Five Singers

I loved this story in the Chicago Tribune today!  It's about a choir at New Trier High School that was created five years ago for students with special needs.  They practice and perform alongside general music students. The extracurricular choir has become so popular it's now offered as a course for credit. 

The choir helps students with special needs grow musically and socially, while giving them a place to fit in and feel accepted.  Here are the lyrics from their signature song, "Don't Laugh at Me": 

"Don't laugh at me. 
Don't call me names.
Don't get your pleasure from my pain.
Deep inside we're all the same."

Thanks to a couple of teachers with a big idea, kids with differing abilities are learning to work together and bring out each others strengths.

Take a look at the full article by Tara Malone here:  Choir emphasizes teens' ability to sing