From the 87th Annual Academy Awards to the Today Show and dozens of places in between, the 50th anniversary of the classic Sound of Music has been a ubiquitous celebration in 2015, and a group of Greenwood School sixth graders have put their own inimitable twist on it.

Led by teacher Jolene Jackson and filmed by local filmmaker Gary Yost, the students perform a song adapted from the poetry of Palestinian writer Mahmoud Darwish, centered around the lyrics: “I Have a Million Nightingales / on the Branches of My Heart, Singing Freedom.” The performance (see video below) begins in their school classroom and then shifts to a lush Horse Hill, with Yost’s flexing his aerial videography talents for some spectacular views of the area.

The hills were alive, indeed:


Want to know what’s happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!