Today we finished the song! I’m so proud of my kids! We had one line for the prechorus we needed to write and then the bridge. One of the kids had written down something she had said to her dad the night before, “No one knows you like I do, Dad.” She said she was trying to butter her dad up, but thought it sounded like a good song title. It was the perfect line for the prechorus in our friendship song. The bridge didn’t come as easily. I think everyone was so eager to just finish the song, they were willing to stick any line in there to finish it. I reminded them that the bridge can bring your song to a whole other level. After a bit of a struggle, they finally got it. (more…)

Today I did something different. We started the class with a game I call “Finish My Line,” where one person starts a story and mid-sentence I call on someone else to pick up where they left off. (This was actually a game my husband suggested. Thanks, hon.) I explained to them that the point of this game is to listen. Really listen to what your peers are saying because you never know when you may get called on to finish their line. Secondly,  this game is all about collaboration. When writing a song, you may think you have the entire story written out in your head, but sometimes others may have a different idea of where the story should go, and although it’s different from your idea, it’s not wrong and needs to be respected. Sometimes it takes collaboration to create the best possible story.  We played the game and they had a blast. In fact, they wanted it to keep going. But the true test was about to begin once they started writing their verses. Would this game have an impact? (more…)

Yesterday was a learning experience for me.

Lesson #1: Boys and girls are different.

Yes, I’m sort of stating the obvious here, but for me I’ve always seen my students as the same, regardless of their gender. But yesterday, I learned a valuable lesson: Boys and girls are most definitely NOT the same – especially in a group dynamic. (more…)

After a summer of nervously prepping and planning, my first day at Crossroads finally arrived today. The minute I met these kids, I knew my fretting had been for nothing. I have seven great kids: Mila,Taylor, Antonio, Magaluna, Josh, Harrison, and Sofia. All different and wonderful! The hour I’d been waiting for flew by so quickly. One minute we were all belting out Lenny Kravitz’s “Fly Away” and the next I was seeing them out the door, reminding them to brainstorm ideas for the chorus of their song called “Awesome.” A very appropriate title for this group.  (more…)