songwriting residency
promotes creative writing, reinforces curriculum studies, and inspires reading as students prepare a musical re-interpretation of favorite stories. History, Science, even Math can yield surprisingly memorable songs!
Volcano Land (Gr. 4)
Snowflakes (Gr. 2)
Coyotes (Gr. 2)
Bat (Gr. 5)
sense-of-place residency
students study local history, geography, geology, and interview community elders for first-hand accounts of life in the past.
"Lonnquist helped the children develop six songs with an environmental focus. Students took a field trip to each of the five parks in Door County, enjoyed classroom visits by naturalists, toured a state park art exhibit, and attended song-writing sessions. All of these experiences culminated in two concerts where students gave musical expression to their state park experiences in front of over 500 people.
At Newport State Park students learned about it's history as a pioneer town. Later, they crafted a song that revealed what they had seen, heard and felt on the field trip. Lonnquist helped students discover “mood” and they created a wistful, steady melody, which evoked powerful imagery. The “bones” for example, refer to wooden beams from Newport’s old foundations and dock:"
There’s a road that disappears
Overgrown by flowers and years
It leads to a forgotten town
Bones scattered all around
Where a sawmill used to stand
Wooden beams lie on the land
And what used to be a dock
Is only a pile of rock
Can you tell me what became
Of the town whose last remains
Whisper with the wind’'s caress:
"Newport Wilderness"...
This Is Home (Gr. 3)
Shadow Of A Wolf
Wisconsin (Gr. 4)
In The Marsh (Gr. 2)
Residencies are tailored to a school's needs, usually 6 song writing sessions per day (40 minutes per session) yielding 6 original songs
over a 3-day residency.
Students perform the new songs with Ken in a community concert.
musical-story residency
Awaken! (Gr. K-5)
Headless (Gr. 4-8)
Sweep! (Gr. 2-5)
South America (Gr. 6)
Songs are written as elements within a unifying story (original or public domain). Ken helps each grade identify a key aspect of the tale ~ a plot twist, a character trait, etc. ~ to serve as the basis for their song.
When the songs are finished, an additional day is spent writing narrative (often in a rhyming format) to be read by selected students in performance. Art classes can create a backdrop for the final show!
"Thank you for all the time and effort you put forth bringing “The Search For Flutterby” to life. You helped teach students about South American culture, and brought them into the world of song writing and theater. Your efforts helped join the staff and student body in showcasing our curriculum and talents to the parents and community... an experience the children will never forget.
This has been one of the few times in my career that parents have called and written personal notes of thanks for providing their children such a wonderful experience."
~ Katherine Crowley, Principal
