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 …
Barbara Tilsen and I drove to the Children’s Music Network conference last weekend. We talked almost the whole way – 7 hours and 7 hours back. We’ve been friends for many years, something like 35 and have sung, shared and organized together. Barb is a wonderful singer, songwriter, community activist and spirit. And when these …
I am going to finish my recordings made in Tanzania two years ago. It’s one of many things on my list for this fall. Although the version recorded in Tanzania with those fine musicians is quite different, here’s the genesis of the song in an early version, recorded and shot at the CMN round robin …
I’ve written a couple of first day of school songs. Such an important event. I wrote this one with kids from Elvehjem School nearly 20 years ago. It’s in honor of all those kids and teachers returning or starting out! Whether it’s last week next week or today. Here we go…. First Day of …
I lead a lot of storytelling workshops in the course of a year. Mostly for teachers, through the Kennedy Center or early childhood trainings or district in-services. I have a constant refrain in these workshops – storytelling is a powerful and accessible tool for teachers. It has huge implications for classroom engagement and environment, it …
I recently finished a five day residency at the STEM Academy in Fond du Lac. The school focuses on technology and science, but they wanted to have a musical experience as well, because there’s no regular music class. They asked me to come in and write and sing with kids. We learned some songs and …