“We Are the Champions” is a song by the British rock band Queen, released from the band’s sixth album News of the World (1977). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it remains among rock’s most recognisable anthems. Written by Freddie Mercury, “We Are the Champions” was built on audience response following a concert at Bingley Hall, Stafford in which the audience sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to the band. It embodies numerous elements of arena rock, with Brian May stating, “We wanted to get the crowds waving and singing. It’s very unifying and positive.” “We Are the Champions” Featuring Mercury on piano, Classic FM called “We Are the Champions” a “bombastic monument of an anthem”, with “its soaring, triumphant melody known at sporting events and award ceremonies the world over”. Problems playing this file? See media help. Musically, it is based on Mercury’s piano part, with Roger Taylor and John Deacon providing a drums and bass guitar backing. May overdubbed some guitar sections, initially subtle, but building to a “solo” played simultaneously with the last chorus. Mercury employed many jazz chords (major and minor 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th harmonies), and the choruses featured these voiced as four- and five-part vocal harmonies. The lead vocal is very demanding and strident (highest point is a C5 both belted and in falsetto), with one of Mercury’s most notable performances taking place at the Live Aid concert, at Wembley Stadium, London in 1985.

While all of this has been a fantastic experience, it has left out kids who attend schools in underprivileged, more diverse communities without funding for modern music education. Schools and districts in these areas lack funding for the equipment, teachers, curriculum, and support necessary to facilitate rock-band-style programs like the ones I’ve created.

My mission was to tackle this head-on and bring these exceptional programs to students in economically challenged areas, so I sold my music schools and am launching The Van Tuyl Music Foundation to forever change music education. Our foundation will directly provide the funding for the equipment, instruction, curriculum, and support necessary to facilitate these programs.

Ryan Van Tuyl

“We Will Rock You” is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album News of the World.[3] Rolling Stone ranked it number 330 of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004,[4] and it placed at number 146 on the Songs of the Century list in 2001. In 2009, “We Will Rock You” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[5][6] Other than the last 30 seconds, which contains a guitar solo by May, the song is generally set in a cappella form, using only stomping and clapping as a rhythmic body percussion beat. In 1977, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” were issued together as a worldwide top 10 single.[7] Soon after the album was released, many radio stations played the songs consecutively, without interruption. Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, hand claps, foot stamping Brian May – electric guitar, backing vocals, hand claps, foot stamping Roger Taylor – backing vocals, hand claps, foot stamping John Deacon – hand claps, foot stamping

While all of this has been a fantastic experience, it has left out kids who attend schools in underprivileged, more diverse communities without funding for modern music education. Schools and districts in these areas lack funding for the equipment, teachers, curriculum, and support necessary to facilitate rock-band-style programs like the ones I’ve created.

My mission was to tackle this head-on and bring these exceptional programs to students in economically challenged areas, so I sold my music schools and am launching The Van Tuyl Music Foundation to forever change music education. Our foundation will directly provide the funding for the equipment, instruction, curriculum, and support necessary to facilitate these programs.

Ryan Van Tuyl