Students at the Berklee College of Music are trying to get two professors, including pianist Jetro da Silva of East Greenwich, left, invited to perform at the presidential inauguration.

The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

EAST GREENWICH — A group of marketing students at the Berklee College of Music in Boston is waging a campaign to get two professors, one an East Greenwich pianist, an invitation to perform at Barack Obama’s inauguration.

They’re doing it by trying to turn Jetro da Silva and vocalist Donna McElroy into video stars on YouTube, posting their soulful rendition of “America the Beautiful,” recorded four years ago at the inauguration of Berklee’s president.

As of yesterday afternoon, nearly 22,000 people had gone to the video-sharing service to watch the performance. The students in the introductory marketing class are urging as many people as they can to watch the video, using e-mail, social-networking sites such as Facebook and news releases to media outlets.

“They’re using the same methods Obama used to get elected,” said da Silva.

Their hope is that the video will become so popular, someone within the president-elect’s inner circle will see it, be impressed, and say “Yes you can” to the inaugural initiative.

(A formal application to the Armed Services Inaugural Committee, which is responsible for inviting performers, has also been filed. That group is expected to make its decision late next week.)

Da Silva, 41, who is also a music producer and has worked with the likes of Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and Earth Wind and Fire, said he’s flattered that someone would think the performances are worthy of the unsolicited marketing campaign. He laughed heartily at the idea that he’s become a video star and acknowledged that getting an inaugural invitation this way is a long shot.

“I was pretty touched and honored just to think they were touched by the video,” he said. “The kids are getting excited about it. They’re working hard for this.”

Da Silva confessed, when pressed, that it would be a rush to perform for the new president. “It would be exciting for me, but more so for the college. It’s a good thing for Berklee and for the students.”

A performance for Obama would have particular poignance for da Silva because the Brazilian native became a U.S. citizen just over a year ago, and got to vote in his first presidential election last month.

“The satisfaction of performing for Obama, as someone who had just become an American citizen, would be cool.”

Da Silva’s heritage goes back to Africa, Brazil and Portugal. “I’m all over the place,” he said. “To see someone like Obama there, who is a combination of African and white American means a lot to me. It signifies unity.”

A graduate of Berklee, he was inspired to seek citizenship four years ago, when he heard Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.

“I was very impressed. I saw his potential,” said da Silva. “I thought, ‘This is the person, as an American citizen, I would want to vote for.’ ”

The YouTube project was suggested to the students by Stephanie Kellar, a professor of marketing, who admired the performance of da Silva and McElroy, and found that the students were quick to jump on the idea as a way to support the faculty. It is not being done for class credit.

“They were all over it,” she said. “It absolutely resonated with them.”

Normally, students in her Principles of Marketing class develop a marketing plan and never get to carry it out. This was a real-world lesson on how to sell an idea, using some of the same high-tech techniques that helped Obama raise money and win votes.

But none of it would work if the performance wasn’t so moving, she said.

“This is striking people’s hearts. It’s one of those things that really is synergistic, touching people in ways you really wouldn’t envision,” said Kellar.

She said getting an inaugural invitation for da Silva and McElroy would be a huge bonus of the campaign, but “even if we don’t get the brass ring, we’ve done something good for two incredibly talented professors, and the college as a whole.”

gemery@projo.com