When Fried Eggs Fly

At Public School 3 in New York City, second and third graders learn much more than how to play the triangle in music class. Bruce Mack, their extraordinary teacher, wants the kids, their parents, and their teachers to collaborate on a song about protecting the environment and then perform it as a group. Filmmaker Constantine Limperis' When Fried Eggs Fly charts the progress of this community-written song over several months. In the classroom, Mack teaches the children how to sing rhythms, count measures, carry a melody, and perform together. In interviews outside of class, the kids talk about the project, often saying—as Art Linkletter observed—the darnedest things (such as, “It's like your voice is in jail and you're letting it out.”). Mack instills in his students self-confidence, discipline, and other important values, and while some parents and teachers express skepticism at first, Mack's enthusiasm wins them over—at the end, everyone is belting out the song with smiles. Combining shaky, handheld shots and hyperkinetic editing to convey the students' energy, When Fried Eggs Fly—which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival—serves up a positive message: with vision and commitment, community can be created for a song. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Wadland)