But you hardly ever heard anyone say it out loud, except in lamentation. Twenty years later, her mother keeps it programmed into her cellphone. In the halo of the music, Paloma Perez's limbs shed their stubby awkwardness to take on a comforting solidity. Pierre Marquez could be at a revival meeting, the way his elongated El Greco face looks transported with joy. Step together," their teacher coaxes.) Vincent Maldonado's black smudges of eyebrows knit together sadly, and his mouth widens like a mask of tragedy as he sings. ("If you happen to bump into anybody right now, it's because you're going in all directions, so watch my legs. As she signals the harmony, starting pitches, and breathing, the children burst into an old Negro spiritual "Come and Go With Me," and the ones standing in front swing into the hip swiveling and hand clapping accompaniment Johanna has taught them. Their eyes fasten on Johanna, standing facing them in her jazz siren's tight black slacks over skinny legs, her V-neck sweater cut nearly to the breastbone, blue eyes widened like searchlights. Sixty 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds snap to attention, the molded plywood seats in the first row flipping up like a volley of machine gun fire as their occupants rise. Then the accompanist at the grand piano tucked just below the stage leans into the keyboard and softly plays a few bars, and the mood changes. But more importantly, it is the story of how one person can make a difference against those odds, rising above corruption, indifference and regimentation with hope, music, and love. Seven Days of Possibilities offers an inside look at the politics, history, and complex personal relationships that govern one typical New York City public school. Johanna came to identify so strongly with her students that she eventually took them to her hometown in rural Finland, to meet her family and friends, to perform in a gospel concert, and to show them what an alternate childhood - one of tiny schools, quiet classrooms, fresh air, wholesome meals, and endless music - could be like. She helped turn them from tough, angry, street-smart city kids into a disciplined, technically proficient, soaringly beautiful gospel chorus. But over the course of several years, Johanna formed an intense, transformative connection with her students. Propelled by pluck, determination, and a smidgen of desperation, she obtained a job teaching music at P.S. She was a young Finnish jazz singer looking for the big time. Johanna Grussner arrived in New York City starry-eyed.
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