"Middle School the Musical" school performances...and why these kids inspire me to write for them

I wrote the book/lyrics/music to an 80 minute musical called "Middle School The Musical" for my students. Why not just order an existing musical? This is a special year. We are a fully grown school and graduating 8th graders for the first time. 8th graders who have sunk down and grabbed tightly to my heart. This show is for them. It's themes of resilience, lack of arts in schools, and silliness is for them. Here's an example of how arts empowers the adolescent...In our second of six shows last week I had a 13 year old stage manager solve two problems most adults would run from. She figured out how to dub the lead in the show by taking a mic backstage and saying her lines for her when her voice died completely mid show. At the SAME time, she fielded a 5th grader who had a meltdown backstage and wouldn't go on. I considered stepping in... But letting them solve their own problems (within reason and safety) creates some outstanding moments of middle school heroism. While I wrote this post another cast member just texted me about a relative who just got murdered. These kids ... Their strength ... As my fiancé beautifully reminded me - "excellence isn't marked by entrances and exits onstage" (which they have struggled with) "but by the entrance we make in each other's live." I always have a little sadness if they don't nail their show. But I choose to believe that process and emotional growth may not always appear in the form of a "great show" in traditional standards.