• Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the song "Mill Valley" by Rita Abrams & Strawberry Point 3rd Graders

    join us in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the song Mill Valley


     "Talkin' 'bout Mill Valley, that's my home!"

     

    History of the Song

    50 years ago, Rita Abrams, a former Kindergarten teacher at Strawberry Point Elementary School in the Mill Valley School District, released a song with a 3rd-grade class at the school called “Mill Valley.” We would like to invite you to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the song, which was played on the radio around the country and was featured on the Billboard Top 100 in the 1970s.

    On July 4th, 1970, a music video was released, produced by Warner Bros. and directed by well-known filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

    We would love to celebrate this milestone in person in our community, but considering our current pandemic, we want to celebrate virtually. 

     

    How We're Celebrating

    Zoom Call with Rita Abrams & Incoming 4th Grade Student Q&A

    The Mill Valley School District will share a recorded Zoom call with Ms. Abrams herself and Dr. Berman, including a Q&A from rising 4th-grade students who learned about Mill Valley history this past school year, district music teachers Lori Adessa and Darren Smith, and maybe even some other special guests!

     

    Video Celebrating the Song

    In a video, we will be highlighting members of our community singing the song as well as sharing statements about what makes Mill Valley a special place to be. To participate, please submit a video of yourself to afinlaw@mvschools.org by Wednesday, July 1st (filmed landscape/horizontal rather than portrait/vertical) singing the song or sharing what makes Mill Valley a special place. 

    The video will be shared on this page, on social media, and in a future newsletter.

    Sharing on Social Media

    In addition to submitting a clip for the district video, you can just post a video on social media singing the song or sharing what makes Mill Valley a special place to be by using #MVThatsMyHome and please tag us in it! (@millvalleyschools on Instagram & Facebook, @mv_schools on Twitter)

  • Song Links

    "Mill Valley" Music Video

    The song's original music video, produced by Warner Bros. and directed by well-known filmmaker, Francis Ford Coppola. 

     

     

    Marin Community TV Rebroadcast of 45th Anniversary at Throckmorton Theatre

    Marin’s community TV station, Channel 26, will be rebroadcasting the show we did for our 45th Anniversary at the Throckmorton Theatre, in which some of the original singers appeared. 

    On Sunday, July 12th at 7 pm it will air locally on Comcast 26 and At&t 99 and will be available worldwide from their webstream.

     

     

    2014 Park School Students & Rita Abrams Music Video

    This remake of the original song and music video premiered at the 5th-grade graduation at Park School in 2014. Directed by Tiffany Shlain and produced by Devon Rothwell.

  • Quotes About The Song

    • “Such a difficult time for all of us right now. I keep listening to this for peace of mind. I hope others find it as well.” - YouTube, June 2020

    • “...I never knew what an impact it [Mill Valley song] made on me. Then in 1991, I was in a foxhole and running around the desert and when I was scared beyond my means and to my wit's end, I would close my eyes and part my mind and I would hear Mill Valley come into it. In a little bit I was again at peace…” - Gulf War Veteran

    • “The way Miss Abrams and her Strawberry Point School 4th grade class sang about it, Mill Valley was paradise on earth - especially when so much of our earth, in 1970, was in chaos...But listening to this school teacher and her children rhapsodize about their home town, “where life feels very fine and free,” allowed listeners to escape, if only for a moment -- or three. That’s what the best pop music has always been about, and that’s what makes “Mill Valley,” both the tune and the town, timeless.” - Ben Fong-Torres, Rolling Stone

    • “Everyone has a Mill Valley in their heart.” - Canadian DJ