BlueNose Edutainment

When are we going to write our songs?

May 19, 2007

Wow! I don't know how to express what this year has meant to me!

We were the Grand Prize Winners of the 2006 contest and were rewarded with a concert from Cheyenne Kimball and many fantastic prizes!

My students were overwhelmed with excitement and pride -- life had taken an unexpected and fantastic bend in their road! For me, it meant the affirmation of a job I do everyday. Trying to unlock the key to learning with joy is difficult at best. However, your program afforded us that opportunity and for that I will forever be grateful.

This year, Rock'n Write, became the hubbub of conversation! "When are we going to write our songs?" was a familiar classroom question and I let them simmer just long enough in anticipation! We began our adventure into songwriting in March, and at that time, the website was still last year's model. I knew that it was scheduled to be changed, but due to state testing, I was under time constraints to begin at that time, so, my apologies for not adhering to the new worksheets, plans, songs, etc. I had e-mailed Lyman and he had assured me that whatever we sent in would suffice.

Luckily, my pre-lesson plans were quite similar to those new ones provided. We discussed what type of songs they liked, why they liked them, and if they were familiar with the words. Of course, as I suspected, most knew all the words to their favorite songs, and that was one of the main reasons why it was their favorite. We talked about how people come to write songs -- what moves them to put those words down onto paper. What do they rely on? Who do they want to affect with their words? Who will like their songs? Mainly, we discovered as a class, that writing from the heart offers the type of songs that more people can relate to, being that we are all human beings sharing the same emotions.

Next, we discussed how there is a fine line between simplistic diary writing and song lyrics. They actually figured out on their own that the song lyrics had to be a balance between diary-type writing and poetic language! I was extremely proud of their discovery!

I sincerely hope that the songs my students have written will touch you all in some way. They run the gamut from simple "get up and dance" lyrics to deeply emotional and insightful lyrics. It was a true joy to watch the improvement my low level students made in writing when simply given the option to write what they were feeling. Some amazing transformations took place within the confines of two weeks!

I truly feel that within my group, I have more than a few budding songwriters! If you thought last year's students were good, you will be bowled over by this group!

Next year, I promise to use the new format as it will be perfect for the pre-lesson stimulus. Again, I appreciate all you do for students and can't wait to see where you are headed next year! Good luck in all your endeavors!

Sincerely,

Maureen Harter
7th Grade Language Arts Teacher
Bernal Intermediate
San Jose, California

When are we going to write our songs?

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