SING!
Encyclopedia
SING! is an annual student-run musical production put on by some high schools in the Greater New York City
area. It is a theater competition between the various grades, with the setup between grades differing from school to school (such as sophomore-freshman vs. seniors vs. juniors, senior-sophomore vs. junior-freshman or freshman-senior vs. sophomore-junior).
SING! was started by Bella Tillis, a music teacher at Midwood High School
in Brooklyn, New York in 1947. A Library of Congress
archive of the papers of entertainer Danny Kaye
contains playbills of SING! performances at Midwood High School from the years 1953-1957.
The 1989 film adaptation Sing
is based on the SING! traditions. According to The New York Times
review of the movie, the film's production notes say that Paul Simon
, Neil Diamond
, Barbra Streisand
, Carole King
and Neil Sedaka
, who attended various Brooklyn and Queens high schools in the mid to late 1950s, took part in SING! productions.
).
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area. It is a theater competition between the various grades, with the setup between grades differing from school to school (such as sophomore-freshman vs. seniors vs. juniors, senior-sophomore vs. junior-freshman or freshman-senior vs. sophomore-junior).
SING! was started by Bella Tillis, a music teacher at Midwood High School
Midwood High School
Midwood High School, at Brooklyn College, is a public, urban, co-ed high school located on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City.Midwood High School was for many years the recipient of multiple accolades because of its competitive educational programs and for the achievements of its students...
in Brooklyn, New York in 1947. A Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
archive of the papers of entertainer Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
contains playbills of SING! performances at Midwood High School from the years 1953-1957.
The 1989 film adaptation Sing
Sing (1989 film)
Sing is a 1989 film, starring Lorraine Bracco, Peter Dobson and Jessica Steen. The movie is about a fictional New York City SING! production...
is based on the SING! traditions. According to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
review of the movie, the film's production notes say that Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
and Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...
, who attended various Brooklyn and Queens high schools in the mid to late 1950s, took part in SING! productions.
Schools with SING! productions as of 2006
- Benjamin N. Cardozo High School: Production held in March
- Bronx High School of ScienceBronx High School of ScienceThe Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...
: Productions cancelled in 1994, but reinstated at some point, as SING! was produced in 2006. - Brooklyn Technical High SchoolBrooklyn Technical High SchoolBrooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech or just Tech, and also administratively as High School 430, is a New York City public high school that specializes in engineering, math and science and is the largest specialized high school for science, technology, engineering, and...
: Production held annually. Freshmen and Sophomore team up as Freshmores to go up against Juniors against Seniors. - Forest Hills High SchoolForest Hills High SchoolForest Hills High School , dedicated in 1937, is a public secondary school in Queens, New York City. It educates students in grades 9–12 and is operated by the New York City Department of Education.- Location :...
: Productions in mid-1950s, based on Paul Simon's age, and is still being produced as of 2006: "Each December, the students show off their singing, dancing and dramatic talents in Sing, an all student run original production in which the freshman/sophomores, juniors, and seniors compete for victory." - The Leon M. Goldstein High School for the SciencesThe Leon M. Goldstein High School for the SciencesThe Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY, formerly Kingsborough High School for the Sciences is a four year high school , located in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, New York. Leon M...
: According to New York MagazineNew York (magazine)New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
, "[Goldstein] is one of the last schools in the city to continue the tradition of the December "Sing" music-and-dance performance, in which virtually every student in the school participates. Seniors are paired with freshmen, sophomores with juniors." - Townsend Harris High SchoolTownsend Harris High SchoolTownsend Harris High School is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks as among the top 100 High Schools in the United States. It currently operates as...
: Production held in 2006. - James Madison High SchoolJames Madison High School (New York)James Madison High School is a public high school located at 3787 Bedford Avenue, in the Madison section of Brooklyn, New York, and educates grades 9 through 12. It is part of Region 6 in the New York City Department of Education...
: Productions, including Carole King (nee Carole Klein, class of 1958) and Janis Siegel (The Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of both...
), known to have occurred in the 1950s/1960s, respectively. Senior/Soph vs Junior/Fresh. Production held in 2008. - Gaynor McCown/CSI High School had their first SING production on January 22, 2010. It was a "Sophmen" SING
- Midwood High SchoolMidwood High SchoolMidwood High School, at Brooklyn College, is a public, urban, co-ed high school located on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City.Midwood High School was for many years the recipient of multiple accolades because of its competitive educational programs and for the achievements of its students...
: still being produced as of 2011 - Edward R. Murrow High SchoolEdward R. Murrow High SchoolEdward R. Murrow High School, is located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York and is part of the New York City Department of Education....
: "Students also produce Sing, where freshmen and seniors compete against sophomores and juniors". - New Dorp High SchoolNew Dorp High SchoolNew Dorp High School, administered by the New York City Department of Education, is a public school located on the East Shore of the New York City borough of Staten Island in the New Dorp neighborhood. The school is located at 465 New Dorp Lane next to Miller Field, an army airport turned park,...
: Production held every December. - New Utrecht High SchoolNew Utrecht High SchoolNew Utrecht High School is a coeducational public high school in Brooklyn, New York City, serving 3,114 pupils. It is part of New York City Region 7....
: Production in 1983, other years unverified, productions stopped ca. 1987 but were reinstated in 2007. - Michael J. Petrides School: Productions were reinstated in 2004 after a brief hiatus, and have been held annually since then. The composition of teams varies from year to year; either Freshman/Junior versus Sophomore/Senior or Freshman/Senior versus Sophomore/Junior.
- Port Richmond High School: Production held in 2005.
- Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School: Only high school outside the five boroughs of New York City known to have a SING! production. All four grades compete separately. Production held in 2010.
- Staten Island Technical High SchoolStaten Island Technical High SchoolStaten Island Technical High School , is one of the nine specialized public high schools in New York City. It is located in the New Dorp neighborhood of Staten Island. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education...
: Started in the fall 2002. Productions held every fall since. Held annually, has two teams. - Stuyvesant High SchoolStuyvesant High SchoolStuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
: Started in 1973, replacing the Student-Faculty Show, and has run continuously since then. The first Stuyvesant SING! included Tim RobbinsTim RobbinsTimothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
and Paul ReiserPaul ReiserPaul Reiser is an American stand-up comedian, actor, television personality, author, screenwriter and musician. He is most widely known for his role on the long-running television sitcom Mad About You.-Early life:...
, both students at the time. - Tottenville High SchoolTottenville High SchoolTottenville High School is located at 100 Luten Avenue, in Huguenot, Staten Island, New York. It is within walking distance of the Huguenot train station of the Staten Island Railway system. Tottenville H.S. is in administrative district 31. The school’s current principal is John P. Tuminaro...
: Started in 1975 and still running. Latest production held in November 2010. - Susan E. Wagner High SchoolSusan E. Wagner High SchoolSusan E. Wagner High School is a New York City public school located at 1200 Manor Road in Staten Island, New York. The school is owned and run by the New York City Department of Education. On average, the school has about 3,000 students. Wagner's school colors are Navy and White, with the Falcon...
: Started in 1974, and is still being produced. The 38th competition was held in November 2010. Freshmen pair with sophomores in "Sophmen" production, against Juniors and Seniors who each have their own show. Production is generally the week of Veterans' Day in November. - Townsend Harris High SchoolTownsend Harris High SchoolTownsend Harris High School is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks as among the top 100 High Schools in the United States. It currently operates as...
: Production held at the end of every January.
Schools with SING! production status unknown as of 2006
- Abraham Lincoln High SchoolAbraham Lincoln High School (New York)Abraham Lincoln High School is a public high school located at 2800 Ocean Parkway, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, and is part of Region 7 in the New York City Department of Education...
: Productions began in mid/late 1950s, based on Neil SedakaNeil SedakaNeil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...
's age.
Schools no longer doing SING! productions as of 2006
- Erasmus Hall High SchoolErasmus Hall High SchoolErasmus Hall Campus High School is a four-year public high school in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States operated by the New York City Department of Education....
: Productions began in late 1950s, based on Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
's 1959 graduation. Neil Diamond also attended in this timeframe. School web site shows no evidence of current productions. - Sheepshead Bay High SchoolSheepshead Bay High SchoolSheepshead Bay High School is a public high school in Brooklyn, New York City, New York.-Mission:Sheepshead Bay High School is a large, multi-cultural high school in Brooklyn, New York. There are currently 2,673 students enrolled, in grades 9 through 12. The largest group is African American ,...
: Started in 1962, last produced in 1997, ended due to budget cuts.
SING! is run by students
SING! is run by the students, except for the faculty advisors. The SING! faculty members select talented individuals who are experienced or talented to run their SING! teams. SING! is organized like a professional show, with playwrights, producers, costume designers, a theatrical design team, a chorus, and a band, which are mostly chosen by the SING! faculty, although at some schools there is much less faculty involvement (Stuyvesant High School, for example, has the faculty choose student coordinators, who then are in charge of delegating responsibilities). In some schools, such as Susan E. Wagner High School, the students are able to vote in their own directors, so that way the students choose the people they want to run their show, rather than have faculty decide for the participants of SING!. The chorus is often large, as in some SING! shows, the leaders can't turn away chorus members.Inter-SING
Inter-SINGs are SING competitions held between different high schools. They have been held in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Susan Wagner High School won the first Staten Island competition in 2007 with their Junior production of "The JSV Circus", Staten Island Technical High School won in 2008 with their Senior-Sophomore production entitled "Carnicus," and Tottenville High School, who participated for the first time, won in 2009 with Senior Sing X's production of "Narneville," a very twisted fairy tale.).