Sing along with Texas A&M Law School faculty to learn about U.S. Constitution
In order to reach a broader audience and make bedrock law more accessible to the public, faculty and staff at the Texas A&M University School of Law have produced a music video on the creation and meaning of the U.S. Constitution, complete with dancers.
The law school rendition, released Thursday in honor of U.S. Constitution Day on Sept. 17, is remarkably similar to music produced for “Schoolhouse Rock” videos, and has been characterized as a parody with hopes that no actual copyright laws were harmed during the filming.
The performers sing that on Sept. 17, 1787, the founding fathers signed the U. S. Constitution and follow that up with the words to the preamble of the document.
The director, Wayne Barnes, who teaches commercial law at A&M in downtown Fort Worth, blames Meg Penrose, A&M constitutional law professor, for the idea.
“The Schoolhouse Rock video is something we all grew up with and it’s a way to make the document more accessible to the general public,” Barnes said.
A lot of people believe they know the U.S. Constitution, but actually do not know as much about it as they believe, Barnes said.
But fortunately, the U.S. Constitution is an easy read, and not too hard to master, according to Barnes. The document is relatively brief, and it provides a basic structure for state and federal statutes, but is sufficiently broad as to not unnecessarily constrict the law, Barnes says.
“People in general believe they are experts but I don’t think the knowledge is out there as much as we’d like it to be,” Barnes said.
No touring schedule has been suggested and no recording contracts are expected. But hopefully, people will see the video and appreciate it, Barnes said.
“We had great participation,” Barnes said. “Some had some singing ability and others gave a lot of effort.”
