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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

School songs for TLC

Question: I have heard that the Learning Community is having a song written for their building. Can you tell me more about this process and where the idea came from?

Answer: Students from The Learning Community are in the process of writing not one, but three school songs with songwriter Brian Chevalier, or "Mr. C" as he is known by the kids. Mr. C spent time in each classroom, K-2, to help the children write school songs. Three classes in each grade came up with the lyrics and the other three classes worked with Mr. C to come up with the music.

The kindergarten classes wrote a song about the school rules, the first grade classes wrote a TLC song, and the second grade classes wrote a CARES (cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, self-control) song. Each grade incorporated ideas specific to The Learning Community into the songs, which will be adopted as school songs.

Mr. C and the TLC students will premiere the new school songs at morning program on Friday, Oct. 9. Parents are welcome to attend. The students will practice and perform the songs throughout the year at morning programs and in their music classes. Mr. C will provide The Learning Community with a CD containing recordings of the songs, and The Learning Community will own the rights to the songs.

The idea for writing these songs originated with two second-grade teachers, Sandy Sullivan and Meg Marsden. Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Marsden attended a character education conference last year where they met Mr. C. In order to pay to have Mr. C come to The Learning Community, Mrs. Sullivan received a $1,000 mini-grant from the Broadalbin-Perth Teachers Association (BPTA); the PTSO also chipped in to pay for Mr. C's services.

- answered by Terry LaFountain, The Learning Community Principal

2 comments:

  1. It seems to me that the teachers wrote these songs with 'Mr. C' - the kids don't know or care about TLC or CARES. These things are being put in their heads by staff. Aren't they?

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  2. Please feel free to ask your children what they did during these sessions. A few teachers talked to the songwriter before the project for personalization ideas only. The children wrote the songs. My Second Grade class wrote the chorus for CARES. Although Mr. C did guide the song lyrics, three of my students actually wrote three very unique lines. They were extremely proud after we heard the finished version. It was a wonderful expereience. I am thrilled my own child and my students had this opportunity.

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