Many years ago Laurie and I listened to elders in churches, nursing homes, nutrition sites, and activity rooms, gathering stories around various themes. I loved taking the time to sit and listen. These conversations led to lots of songs. I don’t remember exactly where this song came from, or who told it to me. But …
St Martin’s Day is celebrated in Europe on November 11. I’ve been fortunate to experience it three different times over the last four years. It’s kind of like our Halloween, but without the scary aspects and costumes. Kids carry lanterns made from everyday objects. They used colored paper and light them up with flashlights. In …
I love this article about kids and writing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2018/10/23/too-many-kids-cant-write-well-authors-dave-eggers-tim-whitaker-explain-how-fix-that/?utm_term=.f5c2ca738a2f
Here’s another great article from my friend Wendy Strauch-Nelson about Arts Integration. more at Resources Article 5: Why Arts Integration Arts Integration: The Impact on Teachers by: Wendy Strauch-Nelson One of the characteristics of ArtsCore that sets it apart from most other educational initiatives is that our focus is on teachers rather than students. It …
This year the Magic Penny Ceremony of the Children’s Music Network honored Kim and Reggie Harris. KIm and Reggie have been friends of mine for many years. I met them through my affiliation with the Kennedy Center teaching artist roster, and we’ve talked many times. I deeply admire their artistry; they are fantastic singers, activists, teachers, …
Here’s a video of the epic jam session that began the Tanzania project. When we first went to Tanzania in January 2015, I wrote two songs inspired by being there. La La Salama and Serengeti Plain. Both of those songs received some exposure through other people performing and recording them. When we returned in August …
Roy Acuff apparently once said, “I don’t sing songs, I sell them.” Whether he said it or not, it’s easy to judge him for commercialism and profit. Artists grapple with “selling out.” But I wondered about another way to look at it. As I watched Kim and Reggie Harris at the CMN Magic Penny Celebration, …