Arts Integration Projects
When We Shine Foundation works with a broad spectrum of multimedia artists and artist educators who will come into the classrooms, schools or community organizations to help provide skills and expertise to match the needs of the group. Whether its a Teaching Artist from The Kennedy Center or Wolftrap, who provides Professional Development to support your teachers, or a songwriting or visual arts residencies for individual classrooms or schools or themed educational programs, we are here help provide financial assistance through mini- grants plus assist with choosing the actual artists to help guide and galvanize your arts education goals. Here is an example of a full elementary school, music integration project :
A Songwriting Residency Project with Melinda Caroll
Songs for Change Music CD & Songwriting Residency with Pomaika’i Elementary School
Children love music! With their unfiltered imaginations, they make great songwriting partners! The creativity of learning to see their world through the art of music and lyrics while conveying a musical story they want others to feel with them, is both exciting and empowering! The inspiring students of Pomaika’i and their teachers chose a school theme for their 2017-2018 school year, “the wellness of the ʻāina (land) is the wellness of the people.” My job as Songwriting Artist in Residence was to help them integrate and embody their classroom “garden” S.T.E.A.M. concepts and Hawaiian values, with both the students and teachers into memorable songs.
The Melinda Caroll Songwriting Residency, was sponsored by When We Shine Foundation and Malamalama Maui, with a creative placemaking project grant by ArtPlace America.
David Kauahikaua and Melinda Caroll worked with Rae Takemoto, Founder and Arts Integration Coordinator of Pomaika’i Elementary School in Maui, the only Arts Integration public school in the state of Hawai’i with less than a dozen in the U.S. mainland. Our budget from both Malamalama Maui and When WE Shine Foundation allowed us do the songwriting residency with one classroom from Kindergarten through 5th Grade, plus a special songwriting class from teachers for their 10th Anniversary of the school. In addition, funding for the actual CD recording project was provided separately by Friends of Pomaika’i, Arts Integration supporters for the school.
Our goals were to:
- Lead the students into a personal relationship with the garden during the process of songwriting creativity
- Help the students develop a sense of place in our fragile island home and our place in the world.
- Create new stories that deepened their understanding of garden-based learning.
The residency for the school began in September 2017, culminating in a fully recorded physical CD and public performance by the students and teachers for the families and nearby community on the school grounds in May of 2018.
A full songwriting residency curriculum and budgets are available upon request. A shorter outline follows:
- Pomaika’I Elementary School, a Public School in the Waikapu District of Maui, has developed a S.T.E.A.M. and Arts Immersion Education Curriculum that has been in place for 10 years. The Songwriting Residency with Melinda Caroll was designed for K thru 5 plus the Teachers Songwriting Workshops to compose a 10th Anniversary Song for Pomaika’i. The theme for all songs was: “The wellness of the ʻāina (Land) is the wellness of the people.” All music and songs were written through this “lens” of the garden. Also embedded into the writing process was Nā Hopena A‘o (“HĀ”) a framework of outcomes that reflects the Department of Education’s core values and beliefs in action throughout the public educational system of Hawaii.
Here’s how the basic songwriting classes work:
- Songs are written in three 45-minute sessions, with a fourth session for rehearsal and “sweetening”. Groups are generally limited to no more than 25 participants, in order to ensure ample opportunity for everyone to contribute – everyone is encouraged to be seen and heard.
- The subject matter can often be surprising, usually with a twist that can only come from the unrestrained imagination of a child.
- A class session begins with a 5 minute playful physical warm-up exercise, and a breathing – vocal exercise to prepare body, mind and voice. We then gather in a circle and set our intentions and goals for that day.
- During the lyric gathering there are multiple, lively brainstorming activities and variations to develop a song idea based on the student input. Using theater, dance and poetry improv techniques, the students may divide into small groups for Tableau, (a theater exercise in which the students embody characters or elements of the song) or partners or small groups may discuss different sections of the song to contribute their thoughts and lyric ideas. They quickly learn about metaphor, rhyme, melody and song structure simply by engaging in the experience, as it pertains to the song they are writing, age appropriately.
- The songwriter and class work together to craft the children’s ideas into a song. The songwriter asks for a melody to go with each line to a completed section and reflects back the music to match a child’s suggestion – it’s always original. The songs come out in a wide array of styles, from country to classical, from folk to hip-hop.
- Students are guided through the songwriting process, from the creation of an original idea to the finished song, in a fun-filled way that honors the input of every student.
- We make a “rough” recording of each class singing their song for rehearsals and for the school to commemorate the workshop. We’ll have decided ahead if the residency will culminate in a Ho’ike-style School Assembly to share the results of the kids’ efforts with their school and community.
- This Songwriting Residency Program and Recording Project (optional) can range from the simple short-term residency experience to school and community concerts to full blown CD projects with music videos and professional media promotion! All these guidelines will be confirmed and agreed before we begin.
Teacher Check-List & Preparations for Each Class:
- Needed for each class are, a Chalkboard or Whiteboard writing space and a flip board for writing ideas, brainstorming, lyric development, and completion of the song.
- Arrange for audio speaker/s in the class for playback – Bluetooth preferred.
- Signed releases from parents of all students participating – these will be provided by Malamalama Maui and When We Shine Network.
- Name Tags for each student participating.
Preparing for Your Professional Songwriter a few weeks prior:
- Play selections from It’s Your Story, a collection of songs written by children for children, facilitated by Melinda Caroll – a free MP3 Download will be provided for each class. These are examples of songs children have already co-written with Melinda.
- Warm-up students voices by giving them opportunities to sing and make creative sounds
- Have them practice “Deliberately Listening” to ambient sounds in and outside the room and making their own creative “vocal explorations”.
- Read poetry aloud to your class and discuss with them the rhyme and rhythm.
Songwriting Toolkit for Students and Teachers:
- What is your intention or the feeling you want to covey?
- List all ideas that might say this.
- Decide on one main idea in a phrase or subject title.
- Brainstorm main idea and cluster. Make more clusters if needed.
- Write Lyrics
- Write first line
- Write second line, etc….
- Decide if it’s a verse, chorus or bridge. A, B, C song?
- Write Melody
- Sing and Record it or play it on an instrument line by line.
- Go section by section.
- Decide on final order of verses, chorus and or bridge and the title of the song.
- Sweeten the music and phrasing with your style, then record it.
Song Intention Check-List:
- Does the song convey the feeling you were going for?
- Do the lyrics match the feeling?
- Does the lyric develop within a section, and from section to section, to express an urgent or coherent story, the way you intended? Can you say it even simpler, in less words?
- Does the melody have the right flow, i.e., does it climax and subside where it needs to? (from the verse into the chorus, etc..)
- Is there rhyme scheme consistency and development in the right places? Are there contrasts in the story?
- Have you mapped your melodic rhythm by using slash marks to count the number of syllables (for ex., map the Verse 1 melody so that Verse 2 will have the same melodic rhythm)?
- Who is this song for?
Rehearsals and Assembly Performances – Practice Leading the children in singing:
- Be sure the children knows the lyrics, starting and stopping songs together
- Practice the intention they want to convey to the audience
- Practice on and off stage entrance and exit
- Practice bowing and thanking the audience.
After Songwriting Residency or Final Performances are complete for the school & teachers, you can continue experimenting with the song and music in even more creative ways:
- Practice singing the song with your students with the recorded music soundtrack, yourself or another accompanist.
- Have the students illustrate the lyrics to their song, make it a class storybook with one or 2 lines on a page, each student contributing an illustration.
- Try writing another song as a class using the techniques learned from lyric writing and putting it to music using a folk tune or other familiar melody.
- Allow students to write song lyrics individually that can then be read aloud rhythmically in a rap or hip-hop spoken word style. Encourage the students to create their own original melodies too! Record their work.
THE SONGS written by the students and teachers of Pomaika’i Elementary School
Songs for Change
(Song Lyrics are in the order they appear on the Songs for Change Album.)
- THE EARTH HAS EYES
Lyrics and Melody written by Melinda Caroll and Mrs. Robinson‘s 3rd Grade Class at Pomaika’I School
1st Verse
Every Bug and Every Tree
Every Flower, Bird and Bee Everywhere you can look and see, The Earth Has Eyes
The Wind that blows, the mountains tall, The changing patterns of Spring and Fall The Land is waiting, watching us all
The Earth has Eyes
CHORUS
The Earth Has Eyes, Nā Maka ‘Aina, Maka ‘Aina The Earth Has Eyes, Nā Maka ‘Aina, Maka ‘Aina The Earth Has Eyes, Nā Maka ‘Aina, Maka ‘Aina The Earth Has Eyes
2nd Verse
Feeling pride, being strong The land is saying we belong
Watch and listen, hear her song The Earth Has Eyes
The sun is warm, the rain is cool Her gifts are free, she’s here for you The earth is kind, we should be too The Earth has Eyes…
CHORUS
The Earth Has Eyes, Nā Maka ‘Aina, Maka ‘Aina The Earth Has Eyes, Nā Maka ‘Aina, Maka ‘Aina The Earth Has Eyes, Nā Maka ‘Aina, Maka ‘Aina The Earth Has Eyes
Bridge
She’s watching you and She’s watching me To do the right thing, She’ll wait and see Take care of others, the animals and trees, The bugs, the plants, the birds and the bees
3rd Verse
Enjoy the beauty of everyday
If you listen you can hear her say Please take care and be aware, The Earth has Eyes!….
CHORUS 2X
The Earth Has Eyes, Nā Maka ‘Aina, Maka ‘Aina The Earth Has Eyes, Nā Maka ‘Aina, Maka ‘Aina The Earth Has Eyes, Nā Maka ‘Aina, Maka ‘Aina The Earth Has Eyes
THE LIVING EARTH
Lyrics and Melody written by Melinda Caroll and Mrs. Donelle Sakuma‘s 4th Grade Class at Pomaika’I School
Opening:
Oo Oo, Oo Oo, Oo Oo, Oo Oo
1st Verse
I am a prayer and I’m grateful for freedom
I am a prayer and I’m grateful for food
I am the Earth and I’m tender and gentle
When I change my thoughts, I can change the world. Chorus
I am free from pollution, My water is clean
I grow healthy animals, And I can Breathe
I am Beautiful, I am Beautiful, I am the Living Earth, I am the Living Earth
2nd Verse
I am the soil spreading under my feet.
I am the mountain sloping down to the valley I am the tree with my roots growing deep
I am the stone where the waters flow freely
Chorus
I am free from pollution. My water is clean
I grow healthy animals. And I can Breathe
I am Beautiful, I am Beautiful, I am the Living Earth, I am the Living Earth
Oo Oo, Oo Oo, Oo Oo, Oo Oo
Oo Oo, Oo Oo, Oo Oo, Oo Oo
3rd Verse
We are the eyes that watch over the land
We are the guardians of the Earth
We’ll put the blessing, back in the garden
When we change our thoughts, we can change the world….2nd Chorus
2nd Chorus
We are free from pollution Our water is clean
We grow healthy animals And we can Breathe
We are Beautiful, We are Beautiful
We are the Living Earth, We are the Living Earth
- ISLAND LOVE (The FBI Song)
Lyrics and Melody written by Melinda Caroll and Mrs. Fanning’s 5th Grade Class at Pomaika’I School
Chorus
Put you hands up for the F.B.I, put your hands up! Put you hands up for the F.B.I, put your hands up! Show Some Island Love today
Grow your garden in the natural way
Island Love, Island Love, Island Love, Island Love, Island Love!
1st Verse
This is a song about what we do
To help the environment and animals too Aerobic Compost is what we mean,
And the Carbon Cycle with Nitorgen Compost Critters are to stay
They make new soil in remarkable ways!
Pre-Chorus
That’s Fungus, Bacteria, Invertebrates
That’s Fungus, Bacteria, Invertebrates
Chorus
Put you hands up for the F.B.I, put your hands up! Put you hands up for the F.B.I, put your hands up! Show Some Island Love today
Grow your garden in the natural way
Island Love, Island Love, Island Love, Island Love, Island Love!
2nd Verse
Milipedes, cockroaches centipedes Spiders, Roly polys don’t carry disease Compost critters living there
In our aerobic compost, do you hear? Mold is a fungus, Bacteria’s small
They might be gross, but we love them all!
Pre-Chorus
That’s Fungus, Bacteria, Invertebrates That’s Fungus, Bacteria, Invertebrates
Chorus
Put you hands up for the F.B.I, put your hands up! Put you hands up for the F.B.I, put your hands up! Show Some Island Love today
Grow your garden in the natural way
Island Love, Island Love, Island Love, Island Love, Island Love!
3rd Verse
Save your money
Cut down on global warming
Pump out oxygen
Take out the Co2
Flip it, stir it, roll it round
Heat it up until it turns brown
Can you hear that compost sound?
Pre-Chorus
That’s Fungus, Bacteria, Invertebrates That’s Fungus, Bacteria, Invertebrates
Chorus
Put you hands up for the F.B.I, put your hands up! Put you hands up for the F.B.I, put your hands up! Show Some Island Love today
Grow your garden in the natural way
Island Love, Island Love, Island Love, Island Love …to Last Chorus
Last Chorus and Out
Show Some Island Love today
Grow your garden in the natural way
Island Love, Island Love, Island Love, Island Love, … Put Your Hands Up (For Island Love!)
Put Your Hands Up (For Island Love!) Put Your Hands Up (For Island Love!) For Island Love!
- PULELEHUA AND LEHUA
Lyrics and Melody by Melinda Caroll and Mrs. Janice Acopan’s 2nd Grade Class, Pomaika’I School
1st Verse
Pulelehua and Lovely Lehua are friends.
They both are unique to the tropical lands of Hawai’i Beautiful with their colors, red and yellow, orange and black. They both are very gentle and kind with each other.
Chorus:
Pulelehua and Lovely Lehua.
They need one another, to grow and survive They ask us to protect them,
Honor and respect them.
Our special Hawaiian blossom and butterfly. La la la la……. Pulelehua
La la la la……… and lovely Lehua
2nd Verse
Pulelehua loves flying from flower to flower Sprinkling pollen, to help flower seeds grow
Lehua is a feathery blossom
Her petals wave and dance in the wind
There is a symbiotic bond that is strong! …. Chorus
Chorus:
Pulelehua and Lovely Lehua.
They need one another, to grow and survive They ask us to protect them,
Honor and respect them.
Our special Hawaiian blossom and butterfly. 2X
La la la la……. Pulelehua
La la la la……… and lovely Lehua
- OHANA (The Kalo Song)
Lyrics and Melody by Melinda Caroll and Mrs. Jenson’s 1st Grade Class, The Taro Patch Kids, Pomaika’I School
1st Verse
The Kalo Leaf is shaped like a Heart, ‘Ohana And from this heart our family formed, ‘Ohana
Chorus
‘Ohana, ‘Ohana, ‘Ohana Our Hawaiian Family.
2nd Verse
We grow in the sunlight everyday, ‘Ohana With a little wind and a little rain, ‘Ohana Chorus
3rd Verse
Like the Kalo grows and gives us food, ‘Ohana Our family loves and cares for us too, ‘Ohana Chorus
4th Verse
The taro patch kids are helpful and kind, ‘Ohana They make sure that no one is left behind, ‘Ohana
Chorus
5th Verse
Growing a strong community, ‘Ohana
Means I’ll take care of you, you take care of me, ‘Ohana Chorus 2X
End Tag:
The Kalo Leaf is shaped like a Heart.
- Nā PUA ‘O HAWAi’i NEI
Lyrics and Melody by Melinda Caroll and Mrs. Yagi’s Kindergarten Class, Pomaika’I School
Chorus
We are the keiki, keiki ‘o ka ‘aina And we shine just like a rainbow That brightens up your day
Nā Pua ‘O Hawai’i Nei
1st Verse
Blooming petals of every color
Pink and Yellow brown and green You will see us growing everywhere
Sometimes big and sometimes small All along the garden wall
Fragrant blossoms gently fill the air.
Chorus
We are the keiki, keiki ‘o ka ‘aina And we shine just like a rainbow That brightens up your day
Nā Pua ‘O Hawai’i Nei
2nd Verse
Roselani makes you happy And Naupaka makes you smile Red Hibiscus opens in the sun.
Flowers bring such joy
And they make you feel good too Just like the keiki of Pomaika’i School
Chorus 2X
We are the keiki, keiki ‘o ka ‘aina And we shine just like a rainbow That brightens up your day
Nā Pua ‘O Hawai’i Nei
END TAG – Nā Pua ‘O Hawai’i Nei
- E KU’U MALA ‘AI (My Precious Garden)
Lyrics and Melody written by Melinda Caroll and the Teachers of Pomaika’i School in honor of their 10th Anniversary)
1st Verse
Your beautiful wildness feeds my na’au Your heart and spirit makes me breathe I whisper softly to the seeds in my hand As I lay them gently to the ground
Chorus
Grow, stay rooted, as you reach with humble strength Find those places deep inside
E Ku’u Mala Ai
2nd Verse
Build your foundation, nurture your dreams Take what you need until you bloom
The journey may not go as you planned Onipa’a, see it through
Chorus
Grow, stay rooted, as you reach with humble strength Find those places deep inside
E Ku’u Mala Ai
Garden Chant – Ho Mai Ka Ike
Ho mai ka ‘ike ‘ike papalua e
Ho mai ka i’ini i’ini papalua e
Ho mai ka mana mana papalua e
Ho mai, Ho mai, Ho mai ka papalua e
Chorus
Grow, stay rooted, as you reach with humble strength Find those places deep inside
E Ku’u Mala Ai
End Tag: E ‘Ola!!