An adorable little girl named Gabby who was adopted when she was four years old by a couple in Dallas, Texas, is melting hearts. In a viral video, she explains to her mom what it was like to be adopted and what she thought the first time she saw her new parents. Watch to see her incredible explanation.
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Your next favorite podcast is about humor, hope, and immigration.
In the second season of Freedom to Thrive, host Hector Flores explores the immigrant experience, and what we can all learn from it.
Ifrah Mansour is no stranger to conflict.
A Somali refugee and current resident of Minneapolis, the multimedia artist and activist draws on her lived experiences to create work that explores trauma, displacement, and resilience. But like so many of the guests on Freedom to Thrive, an award-winning podcast produced by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Mansour doesn’t want to focus only on trauma; she also wants to celebrate the unexpected beauty she’s found during difficult experiences.
“One of the beautiful things about tragedies is that it activates hearts, and courageous people are born,” she says. For example, Mansour has noticed more Minnesotans than ever are reaching out to help the vulnerable, after the anti-immigrant crackdowns carried out by the Department of Homeland Security. “They are bringing food, they’re bringing extra clothes, they’re walking with people, and it’s just really beautiful.”
Hector Flores, co-founder of the Las Cafeteras and host of Freedom to Thrive, agrees with her. A child of immigrants himself, he has also seen how hope and hardship often live side by side.
Flores comes from a family with mixed status and is highly aware of the challenges immigrants and refugees in his community face, and how they’re affected by people’s misconceptions. “People want to know about trauma all the time, but we’re more than just undocumented,” he says. “We’re artists, singers, creatives … there’s so much richness in the culture.”
At its core, Flores’ comment is exactly what the Freedom to Thrive podcast is all about: Celebrating immigrants as complex, dynamic individuals, and challenging the dominant narrative that too often reduces them to symbols of hardship.
Launched in 2024, Freedom to Thrive explores heritage, resilience, community, and the ways art and comedy can spark social change. Now in its second season, the podcast continues to feature conversations with immigrants, policymakers, artists, musicians, activists, and more. Recent guests have included comedian Mo Amer, Grammy Award-winning singer Lila Downs, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen.
Where the first season focused on individual stories of identity and belonging, Flores says his goal for season two, where he joins as host, is to “take it to the next level” — using storytelling to highlight “the fact that we’re more similar than different.”
One recent podcast episode drives this point home. In December, Flores interviewed Bryan Andrews, a rising country music star and rural Missouri native who frequently uses his platform to speak about issues affecting immigrant families. At the heart of his message and his songwriting, Andrews says, is the idea that small-town Americans and the rest of the country, including immigrants, have more in common than they realize.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from,” Andrews says on the podcast. “We’re all trying to make a living and we’re tired of getting railroaded by corporate greed or by politicians who don’t care.”
Rural Americans, Andrews says, are often stereotyped as racist and misogynistic but “the overwhelming majority of people in my home town have love in their hearts.” Media stereotypes often amplify differences and divide, he says, but at the end of the day, “we’re all in this together.”
Flores, who was raised in a working-class immigrant neighborhood in East Los Angeles, had similar thoughts. He says he often sees its residents stereotyped as wealthy, consumerist, and status obsessed. “That exists, but that’s not my life, that’s not my community,” he says. Like small-town Americans, people in the city “just want to work hard and take care of their families. We all want the same thing.”
Although the podcast tackles some heavy issues, each episode’s ultimate focus is how personal and collective struggles can be healed through art, driving home a message of hope and resilience:
Mansour’s episode about her experiences in Minnesota is just one of many examples. Flores asks her,
“What gives you hope for the people creating a home here?”
“The love I feel from other Minnesotans. It is trumping any hate we’re experiencing,” she replies.
CTA: Stream all episodes now on the Freedom to Thrive YouTube channel or the website, here.
The podcast has been nominated for a Webby in the “Belonging & Inclusion” category. You can vote for it to win until Thursday, April 16!
This article is part of Upworthy’s “The Threads Between U.S.” series that highlights what we have in common thanks to the generous support from the Levis Strauss Foundation, whose grantmaking is committed to creating a culture of belonging.
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The Bee Gees’ perfect harmonies on Johnny Carson in 1973 left him completely speechless
When family members harmonize, there’s nothing quite like it.
The Bee Gees were one of the most popular pop groups in the world from the late ‘60s to the late ‘70s. In the early years, they had big hits such as “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” “I Started a Joke,” and “To Love Somebody.” In the late ‘70s, they found a new sound, disco music and made massive hits for the dance floor, including “Staying Alive” and “More Than a Woman.”
However, between those booming Bee Gee eras, their career seemed to be on the way down. By 1973, their most recent album, “Life in a Tin Can,” and single, “Saw a New Morning,” had flopped, and they began to play smaller clubs. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t win people over with their incredible harmonies. Case in point was their March 23, 1973 performance on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”
Carson introduced the band by touting its history as songwriters. “My next guests have had quite a career. Their compositions have been recorded by people like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Tom Jones and hundreds of others,” Carson said.
The band opened their set on stage performing “Wouldn’t I Be Someone” and “Saw A New Morning” and then sat down for a chat with Carson, discussing why they don’t like playing large arenas and how they got started performing together as children. After the break, they returned with an acoustic guitar and performed their first number 1 hit, “Massachusetts,” from 1967, with Robin Gibb on lead with his brothers Barry and Maurice chiming in perfect harmony.
If you look closely in the background, Maurice is having fun goofing off when he’s not on vocal duties. At the end of the performance, Carson appears to be a bit choked up as he adjusts his tie.
“Massachusetts” was written about the great migration of young people to San Franciso in 1967, as the hippie movement began to take off in the mid-to-late ‘60s. Interestingly, the Bee Gees had never been to the state.
Tried to hitch a ride to San Francisco
Gotta do the things I wanna do
And the lights all went out in Massachusetts
They brought me back to see my way with you
“There are two different memories, Robin remembers us doing it in a boat going around New York City. And I remember us checking in at the St. Regis with Robert, going to the suite, and while the bags were being brought in we were so high on being in New York, that’s how ‘Massachusetts’ began,” Barry recalled the song’s creation in the “Horizontal” liner notes. “I think we were strumming basically the whole thing, and then I think we went on a boat round New York. I don’t know if we finished it, but I think that’s where the memories collide. Everybody wrote it. All three of us were there when the song was born.”
The song was initially written by the band for The Seekers, but they were unsuccessful in getting it to the band, so they recorded it themselves.
The Bee Gees would have a career turnaround in 1975 when they experimented with a new, more soulful sound with the song “Jive Talkin.” This became a big hit and propelled them into the world of disco, where they would become one of the era’s most popular acts.
The Bee Gees’ historic career ended when Maurice passed away in 2003 at age 53. Robin followed in 2009 at age 62. Barry, 79, is the final surviving member of the band.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.
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Employee says goodbye to his coworkers with an over-the-top ABBA performance
Drag performers are the ultimate personality hire.
Anyone who has ever had a job has fantasized about going out in style on their last day. Some dream of telling off their superiors; others hope their coworkers will open up and tell them how much they’ll be missed.
Mati Baran said goodbye in the most original way possible by delivering an over-the-top lip-sync performance, complete with video accompaniment, to “The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA.
The performance was fitting for Baran. When he’s not working as a graphic designer, he performs as Rabba Cadabra at drag shows and lip-syncing competitions in the London area. The video was a huge hit on TikTok, earning more than 4 million views.
The video begins with Baran standing in front of a large office monitor, while another version of himself sings the ABBA tune on the screen. Hilarity ensues as Baran begins interacting with the recording, staging a tug-of-war for the audience’s attention. The two Barans even come to blows, slapping each other across the face before eventually reconciling. “This is amazing,” one coworker shouts in the video. “This is so good!” another adds.
The performance was unforgettable
Baran’s coworkers were blown away by his performance.
“They were ecstatic. I couldn’t have asked for a louder audience, to the point where I was getting worried they couldn’t even hear the music,” Baran told Upworthy. “Even the surrounding workplaces situated next to us came to watch because of the noise they were making. The whole day was quite emotional for my closest friends at work and me, and I was surprised to see that some of them even started crying during the bridge of the song. I’m always happy when silly things somehow bring deeper emotions in people.”
Commenters on TikTok loved the video, too.
“I’m sorry, my dear, but you’re not leaving, shantay, you stay!” KatKat wrote. Others said Baran was the perfect personality hire. “Personality hire award goes to:” Olenka wrote. “Personality hire final boss,” Em added.
The ABBA song was a great choice for his goodbye
Baran said that ABBA was the perfect choice for the emotional moment.
“I knew I wanted something dramatic and a bit over the top emotionally,” he said. “This song just came to mind one morning, and right away I knew it had to be it. It just felt right, and everyone loves ABBA!”
The song’s opening lyrics were perfect for the moment:
I don’t wanna talk
About things we’ve gone through
Though it’s hurting me
Now, it’s historyI’ve played all my cards
And that’s what you’ve done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to playIn a world where workplace goodbyes can be awkward and easily forgotten, Baran’s performance ensured his coworkers will remember him forever. It shows that with a bit of courage and attitude, a sad goodbye can become an unforgettable celebration.
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Māori singer wows all four judges on ‘The Voice,’ then she teaches them how to do the haka
Moments like this show how culture can be shared with care and enthusiasm.
Back in 2017, Māori singer Ora Taukamo, known as “Aunty Ora,” wowed judges on The Voice: Australia with her rendition of Adele’s “One and Only,” somehow making it even more soulful than the original.
It was then that judge Delta Goodrem asked Taukamo what she did outside of singing.
Taukamo answered, “I teach the haka.”
Intrigued, judge Kelly Rowland asked, “Can I learn the haka?” Taukamo giggled while saying, “Sure!” Then, Rowland, Goodrem, and the two other Voice judges, Boy George and Joe Jonas, stepped up on stage for an impromptu lesson.
The group put their hands on their hips, bent their legs into a squat position, and began stomping on their right foot in unison while hitting both hands on their thighs. As their percussion began setting, Taukamo began leading them through a chant.
The moment was cool enough on its own, but made even more heartening by the way it instilled pride among fellow New Zealanders.
“You make me feel proud to be a Kiwi you lovely woman!”
“I aroha ahau ki taua haka. (I loved that haka.) Really nice how the panel joined in. Beautiful voice.”
“Taahua… making Aotearoa proud.”
“Adore you !!! Aroha (Luv) your whanau (family- all of the 5 million) in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Taukamo would eventually end up going home on the show after singing these showstoppers: “Circle of Life” from The Lion King, “One Moment in Time” by Whitney Houston, a ”Love Me Tender” cover by Norah Jones, “Open Arms” by Journey, “All of Me” by John Legend, “I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly, a “With A Little Help From My Friends” cover by Joe Cocker, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John, and “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” by Bonnie Tyler.
Aside from her powerhouse vocals and her impressive haka teaching abilities, Taukamo is remembered for her infectiously positive energy, which che clearly infuses into her craft in order to lift others’ spirits up. This can clearly be seen on her Facebook bio, where she writes, “Your voice is a tool to help heal others.🎙️Sing from your heart at all times and just be yourself, most of all be natural.”
That philosophy came through in that brief, joyful exchange on stage.
The haka is more than choreography. It carries history, identity, and connection, and Taukamo shared it in a way that welcomed others while honoring where it comes from. Watching the judges laugh while trying to follow her lead created a sense of togetherness that reached far beyond the studio audience.
Four different colored figurines on a globe Photo credit: Canva Moments like this show how culture can be shared with care and enthusiasm. A few minutes of music and movement turned into something people across the world could feel a part of. Taukamo may not have taken home the top prize, but in this way, her impact was all the more meaningful. She left behind a performance that people still talk about, one that celebrates voice in every sense of the word.
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Gay man learning how to say goodbye ‘like a straight man’ is pure comedy gold
“No whimsy, no enthusiasm, nothing”
It’s no secret that there are certain mannerisms and speech patterns we often associate with being gay. The phenomenon of so-called “gay mannerisms” and voice has actually been the subject of quite a bit of scientific research. One study from 2002 found that people were able to accurately predict the sexual orientation of a speaker just by hearing their voice about 62% of the time. Researchers theorize that some, but certainly not all, gay men may adopt more feminine mannerisms and voice patterns as a form of subconscious social signaling.
It’s much more complicated than that, though. The way gay men speak and behave is as diverse and varied as the community itself: which is to say, very.
But one more pressing question remains: If “gay mannerisms” can be categorized and studied, can those of the heterosexual male be quantified? And, more importantly, can they be learned?
Comedic experiment ensues
Content creator Kai Cameron was up to the challenge. The openly gay TikTok star recently launched a tongue-in-cheek 30-day challenge where he attempts to learn how to do and say things “like a straight man.”
On Day 1, Cameron’s brother teaches him how to sit down like a straight man. On Day 4, they move onto answering the phone. Day 7 features more advanced material: entering a party the way a straight man would. Cameron learns to sway his hips less, talk in a deeper tone of voice, and suppress any hint of enthusiasm.
On Day 11, Cameron was ready to tackle the simple but crucial task of saying “Goodbye,” to a friend. His instructor in the clip, this time actor and filmmaker Peter Falls, demonstrates a textbook, nonchalant “Alright, see ya later,” with a barely perceptible hand-gesture-wave-kind-of-thing. Straight guys will instantly recognize it and notice Falls’ impeccable form.
The words come easily enough for Cameron, but he gets stuck on the hand movements. “Can you do the finger thing again?” he asks, before trying it with a dramatic wave. “That’s way too much,” Falls says.
After a little more practice, though, Cameron’s mostly got it. He confidently walks forward, chest puffed out, body stiff, and drops his voice a few octaves before muttering “See ya, man,” with a small (for him) flick of the wrist.
Close enough!
Viewers find the videos hilarious but revealing
Does the video series mine humor at the expense of people who exhibit “gay mannerisms?” On the contrary: thousands of commenters say that it’s rare to see such a brilliant dissection of the straight man.
Many noticed that so much of the demeanor comes from the eyes:
“U just have to lose the light in your eyes,” one commenter wrote.
“I love how the light leaves your eyes everytime and then comes right back,” said another.
“It’s the dead eyes when channeling straight man,” another echoed.
Other viewers went even deeper and more philosophical:
“No whimsy, no enthusiasm, nothing,” someone said.
“Watching [your] content has taught me a lot about what it looks like from the outside to be a straight guy. Just beat up by life. Body language which clearly indicates no one cares about you, so you stay reserved,” one commenter noted.
“I think some cultures have done a ton of damage by brainwashing boys and men into hiding vulnerability, sensitivity or even just being themselves. That takes a psychological toll. A lot of men don’t stay reserved because no one cares but because society (other men) teach them that tough men have to keep it all in. It is not healthy for you,” another said.
A third summed it up: “Basically just act depressed while doing all things and you got it!
The fascinating origins of voice, body language, and mannerisms
Cameron’s social media video series is incredible comedy and entertainment, but it’s also a brilliant educational demonstration.
“Straight voice” isn’t just the absence of the more feminine qualities of “gay voice.” It is, itself, a learned and socially constructed behavior.
“When men enjoy doing things that are typically associated with women or femininity such as shopping, grooming their nails, giggling, etc., they are often quickly labeled as gay or soft and are negatively evaluated by many members of society,” Ayana Ali, a clinical social worker and therapist, told AskMen.
Even many gay men feel self-conscious about their voice and mannerisms, and may even mask them to adopt more traditionally masculine qualities in certain situations.
It’s an incredibly complex web of social conditioning, how we’re raised, biology, sociology, culture, gender norms, and more.
But it’s never been more hilariously deconstructed than in Cameron’s 30-day challenge.
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13 years ago, an astronaut sang live from space with singers on Earth. It’s a must-watch.
People are revisiting Chris Hadfield’s performance with Barenaked Ladies and the Wexford Gleeks choir.
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield hasn’t seen Earth from as far away as the Artemis II astronauts who circled the Moon, but after completing three space missions, including a six-month stint as commander of the International Space Station (ISS), he is familiar with the “overview effect” in a way few humans ever experience.
In 2013, Hadfield captured what it feels like to see our home from space in a song he performed with Barenaked Ladies. While he played guitar and sang from the ISS, the band and the Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts Glee Club (aka “Wexford Gleeks”) performed alongside him from Earth.
The song is called “(I.S.S.) Is Somebody Singing,” and it’s all the more moving in light of the images from Artemis II.
Here’s a sampling of the lyrics:
Pushed back in my seat
Look out my window
There goes home
That ball of shiny blue
Houses everybody anybody ever knew
The song takes us on a journey: we fly out to space, around the Earth, and return home again, all while looking out the window at our beautiful planet. The visual of people singing from Earth, their “voices bouncing off the Moon,” takes on even greater significance now that we’ve returned there.
A view of Earth from near the Moon, taken during the Artemis II mission. Photo credit: NASA Even though the video is 13 years old, people are revisiting it now with new appreciation:
“I keep coming back to this everytime there’s a significant step forward in space exploration! and it’s the perfect time to watch this for Artemis II!”
“Coming back to this after watching the Artemis II launch, and it feels so magical knowing they’re going back to the moon for all of us. These launches really make me feel connected to all of humanity.”
“Cried to this as the Artemis crew returned to earth. Watching the earth grow larger through the window, seeing the glow of reentry, the clouds passing by and the big red and white parachutes.”
Commander Reid Wiseman looks out at Earth from the Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA Some people have asked how it was possible for the musicians to play live together without a delay. In interviews with astronauts on the ISS, there is often a lag in communications. But that’s less of an issue for a song like this than one might expect. Most likely, Hadfield played and sang live from the ISS, while the band and choir followed along with the transmission as they heard it.
As someone explained in a Quora inquiry:
“I actually know some performers who have performed with Chris Hadfield (not Hatfield) while he was on the ISS—Trent-Severn, three women from Ontario. It’s actually quite easy. He plays his guitar and sings. It’s beamed down from the ISS to a ground station, then transmitted by whatever method works (internet, phone lines, satellite link) to get to the destination, where it goes into the sound board. The sound man or woman sends it to the main PA speakers and to the stage monitors so that the performers can hear it. And they just play along with it as they hear it. It doesn’t matter that he actually played it a second or two before. They just play in time with it as it arrives where they are.”
What is challenging, apparently, is the singing itself in space. Hadfield explained that it’s “like singing with a head cold” because of the way the fluids in your body drain—or rather don’t drain—without the assistance of gravity.
The singing astronaut had another musical performance go viral in 2013. In fact, he made a whole music video from the ISS, covering “Space Oddity” by David Bowie. Hadfield said he always felt the song should be sung aboard a spaceship. (He added that if Bowie had been there, he would have done a better job.)
Thanks to Chris Hadfield for giving us these wonderful musical connections to human space exploration.
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19-year-old taco shop owner’s heartfelt plea to save his restaurant has been a huge success
He nearly had to say goodbye to his lifelong dream. One TikTok changed everything.
Since he was twelve years old, Alexander Quinones had a dream: to open a restaurant. At 19, he invested $5,000 of his own savings, along with graduation money and support from his mother, Julie Stevens, to bring that dream to life. Thus, Detroit Loves Tacos 2 was born.
And yet, that dream was on the brink of fading. The fledgling restaurant struggled to attract customers, and Quinones was making just enough to cover daily expenses and pay his one employee. Closure seemed imminent.
“We had a difficult discussion that day. We’re gonna have to close if something doesn’t give,” Stevens told WXYZ-TV.
“I felt like I was failing in life a little bit. I put all my money into this, I put all my time into this. So it really, really hurt me,” Quinones added.
A plate of tacos with condiments. Photo credit: Canva That was when the young business owner did something vulnerable: he made a heartfelt plea on TikTok, where he got candid about his situation.
He said his restaurant wasn’t built on “shortcuts” or “big investors,” but instead was the result of someone “working every single day, long nights with a vision.”
“Everything is made fresh with love and ready to serve,” he added, thanking those who have already visited and urging those who haven’t to “come by and check out what we’re doing.”
Quinones’ story seemed to be the missing ingredient in his success. Not long after his video went viral, his restaurant was flooded with customers, and he has even sold out several times. As he adjusts to the increased demand, he hopes to remedy that soon. He is also now considering expanding the business, including opening additional locations and launching food trucks. Not bad, considering the restaurant was about to close its doors just days earlier.
Of course, it wasn’t just Quinones’ virality that made him successful. People who have visited the restaurant remark on the quality of his food.
“I just ordered catering from Detroit Loves Tacos last week for a lunch meeting at work! The corn was top notch and the beans were amazing with the big chunks of onion! We also got ground beef, chicken, and vegetarian tacos. The rice was so good too. Everyone was raving about how good it was,” one commenter wrote.
Another said, “10/10!! Hands down the best birria tacos we’ve ever had.”
This is TikTok used for good. A struggling business had something real to offer, just no visibility. The platform changed that. And bam, the community showed up, because it feels good to support someone’s dream. Sometimes, it really is that simple.
For business owners, the thought of posting on social media can feel awkward, burdensome, and, at times, impossible to navigate in a way that feels worthwhile. But Quinones’ triumph is a welcome reminder that when it comes to finding your audience, a little authenticity really does go a long way.
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Bartenders expertly handled a ‘creepy’ guy. Then the plot twisted.
Instincts on point. Outcome hilariously unexpected.
People are praising two London bartenders for how they navigated a situation at their bar that raised some red flags, despite a plot twist that changed the whole scenario. In a video shared by Sam Finch, a woman ordered a gin and tonic. Soon a man approached and started dancing up on her. Finch observed that she was “not vibing with it.”
The guy kept dancing in her face, and she pushed him away with her hand. Finch asked her if she was okay, and she gave him a thumbs up. Still, he felt the situation was weird because the guy would not take a hint.
Finch consulted with his fellow bartender: “Do you think she knows this guy?”
“I hope so,” he responded.
The two were definitely not vibing
But they kept observing and consulting with one another about whether the woman was really okay. As the man’s behavior continued, the bartenders decided to check in more directly with the woman. They asked her if she knew the man, and when he stepped forward, they firmly asked him whether the two knew each other.
The man responded in the most unexpected way: “She’s my sister.”
The bartenders burst out laughing as the reality hit them.
“You guys thought I was a creep?!” the man said.
“OMG yes, he’s my brother!” the woman corroborated. “You were going to kick him out, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, literally,” the bartenders responded as they all had a good laugh over the misunderstanding.
Bartenders can play an important role in safety. Photo credit: Canva People appreciated seeing the scene play out for the humor in it, of course. A man annoying his sister being mistaken for a man being a creep? That’s pretty darn funny. But people also loved seeing such a good example these bartenders set for making sure someone was safe.
The commenters loved how the bartenders responded
“I think I can speak for all women when I say: Thank you, and please keep doing this. This time it made everyone laugh at the end, but there will be many times when we’ll be really grateful that we don’t have to fight alone. No need to apologize for checking in. This is how men should be! You’re great.”
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for checking.”
“I’m certain they BOTH appreciated you all checking on her.”
“I’d rather you ask and be wrong than assume and be wrong.”
“Please don’t ever stop checking in these moments. I’m so glad this time it was a laugh!”
“Never stop noticing! Once a bartender saved one of my besties because he noticed a bad situation, thanks guyss.”
“Better to ask and have a funny ending than to not ask and wish you had. Well done gentlemen.”
We see this scenario all too often: A man approaches a woman in a way that makes her feel uncomfortable, and she can’t easily get away. But the way these bartenders handled it was great. They were aware. They observed. They asked if she was okay. They kept observing even after she indicated she was, and they intervened when they were still unsure. Bravo.
Safety is a communal responsibility, and it was reassuring to see these two young men take it seriously. If we all look out for one another and speak up when we’re unsure if someone’s okay, the world will be a much safer place for everyone.
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Teacher creates ‘Circle of Fifths’ song for his kids to sing on the spot. The solos are everything.
A wholesome, entertaining, and surprisingly educational lesson in sight-reading.
It’s not always easy for teachers to come up with cohesive, compelling ways to teach their students even basic concepts. But something as abstract and dense as, say, the Circle of Fifths? Good luck!
And yet, a teacher named Benjamin Kapilow was undoubtedly up to the task.
What is the Circle of Fifths?
The Circle of Fifths visually organizes the twelve chromatic pitches in Western music into a visual, clock-like diagram. Understanding this diagram helps explain how virtually all musical elements are organized and connected. So, having mastery of it enables musicians to sight-read, aka translate sheet music, instantly.
However, music students are often instructed to simply memorize the Circle of Fifths without getting to learn how it applies to an instrument or singing, making it feel like a random assortment of conceptual ideas rather than a tool.
That’s where the “Circle of Fifths” song comes in.
In a now-viral video shared to Instagram, we see Kaplow’s entire music class grooving to a song he wrote himself to give them hands-on learning of the sight-reading concepts he had introduced earlier that week: including solfege patterns (you might know them as “do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti”) in minor syncopated rhythms, wherein accents are placed between counts instead of the strong downbeats, which gives a song a bouncy feel.
Beyond the impressive craftsmanship, what’s so endearing about this (that many viewers appreciated) is that Kaiplow had a clear “vision” for each of his students during this performance, assigning certain solos and lines to just the right person. Still, it was clearly a collaborative effort.
“I love that the teacher clearly knew their students and gave each student the line they thought they’d eat the hardest,” one person aptly put.
Another joked, “Is y’all’s teacher Lin-Manuel Miranda?”
And for those of us who still have no idea what’s going on but dig the tune, you’re not alone.
“Still don’t understand the circle of fifths, but this slaps lmao,” commented one person.
Creating DIY lesson plan songs is something Kapilow regularly does for his class because it’s fun, ensures no one knows the song already, and can readily test students’ sight-reading skills.
“Then I can target what they need to work on in the song,” he told Upworthy, adding that, technically, “Circle of Fifths” just shows up in the lyrics, since the actual lesson about it will happen later in the semester.
Photo credit: Canva Photos – music, teaching, students, teacher, singing These days, we hear a lot about how hard it is to keep students engaged in the classroom. But then you see something like this, and it makes you remember that fun and novelty remain tried-and-true teaching tools. Bless the teachers who pour their creative juices into their curriculum and really infuse joy into what they teach.
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