Things I Wish I Had Written, #3

Sorry I've been gone for a few days...between the Christmas season and New Year's, we've been from here to the ends of the earth, celebrating with family and friends. The remodel of our house began this past Monday, and it is incredibly distracting. All at one time, the outside is being worked on AND several projects (including painting) are going on inside the house. What on earth were we thinking? Oh well, at least that means it will be finished more quickly, right? RIGHT????

Anyway, here I am again, writing about the things that I wish that I had written. It's actually a pretty great exercise, thinking about why I love these films and books, because it gives me a clearer idea of what it is exactly that I am writing about, and want to write about in the future.

Number Three is School of Rock. Normally, I'm not a fan of Jack Black. I find him incredibly annoying and immature, but he is close to being as endearing as is possible for him in this movie. And it's not him (or his character, Dewey Finn) that I like so much about this movie. It's just that I can really, really relate to the storyline. Would-be, has-been singer accepts job as a teacher and finds fulfillment. I can identify with what Dewey was and what he becomes--a choir teacher who inspires kids to be something other than what everyone else has perceived them to be. He inspires them to be rock stars! Not just little clones of their parents, and victims of their parent's expectations. He gives them dreams. I can't tell you how many time a kid in my choirs has been perceived as "bad". I've even had parents tell me 'about their kids'. It's kind of heartbreaking, because usually those are the kids that need more love than any of the others. And it is so amazing to watch them on stage, doing what I've taught them to do, watching them become rock stars in their own right.

Speaking of kids, the kids in this movie are hilarious/fascinating/heartwarming all at once. Like the kid that is so oppressed by his dad, but then uses that to become the lead guitarist and songwriter for the band. The girl that refuses to be a groupie. She's a tiny Tracy Flick, the classic overachiever. My favorite character? The shy girl who unveils this amazing voice, but suffers from stage fright.

Sure, Dewey (acting as Ned Schneebly) fools them all into believing that the band is really for a school project, but he's really just doing something that all children's choir directors do: using any means necessary (in this case, the private school kids' competitive nature) to achieve things they never imagined.

Have you seen School of Rock?

Toodles!