Singing Superintendents End '13 Event on a High Note

by Francesca Martens

David Cox, superintendent of the Allegany Public School District in Cumberland, Md., brought together the Singing Superintendents for a performance Saturday morning at the 3^rd General Session of the 2013 AASA National Conference on Education.

The singers — five women and 15 men — came from states across the country for the 20-minute concert.

This was the first performance by the Singing Superintendents following a two-year hiatus.

Following a tradition started by AASA President Benny Gooden, the Singing Superintendents started with songs to honor the host city: “Hooray for Hollywood,” “All I Ask of You” from the Phantom of the Opera and “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables.

The second theme took on a lugubrious note as the singers performed Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” in dedication to all those who have been affected by school violence.

The concert wrapped up with a rendition of Anne McGinty’s “An American Celebration” during which audience members were invited to sing-along.

Cox ended the concert by thanking all those present and urging audience members to join the Singing Superintendents for their Nashville, Tenn., performance at the next AASA national conference Feb. 13-15, 2014.

(Francesca Martens, a senior at University of Southern California, is an intern on AASA’s Conference Daily Online.)

Video: Singing Superintendents Perform “Hooray for Hollywood” [3:35]

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