On January 30, 2020 in New York City, nine students from PS 96-The Joseph Lanzetta School in Harlem entertained a packed house at the National Council for Jewish Women to a program of songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The program began with an introduction by NCJW member Norma Mosheim.
The brainchild of Carolyn Montgomery, Director of the American Songbook Association’s Education and Outreach program, she and pianist Eric Yves Garcia worked for three months to prepare the students for their first public performance. The school these students attend is vastly underserved and few of them have access to any similar programs. Not only was this the first public performance for these students, it was the first time any of them had sung anywhere. Even more impressive, Johnny Mercer was new to them and unlike the music they are used to listening to.
Not only did they learn about Mercer (before each song we were treated to a bit of biographical material about the songwriter), they learned about the Great American Songbook and why it is still popular today.
At the end of the performance, the students were greeting with rousing applause and many in the audience took the time to tell them how much they enjoyed the program.