BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Eighth graders in Bethlehem are hoping to inspire movement on global warming by writing songs as part of a songwriting workshop at Broughal Middle School. The students, who are choir singers, plan to perform the songs at a Nov. 19 concert.
Amy Putlock is the choir director at the school. She said music is the perfect vehicle to bring attention to climate change.
- Eighth-grade students in Bethlehem have written songs to promote awareness of global warming
- The six-week workshop was part of a collaboration between the Any Given Child arts program and Icehouse Tonight
- The children will perform the songs in concert on Nov. 19
“We were thinking about ways we can help kids get energy and raise awareness and bring a community together around a common theme," she said. "Music just seemed like a really obvious and meaningful vehicle for something like that.”
The workshop is the first of its kind at the school, Putlock said. It came about because of a partnership between the Any Given Child program and Icehouse Tonight. An initiative from the Kennedy Center, Any Given Child works to incorporate high-quality arts education in schools. Icehouse Tonight, a local performing arts venue, helped recruit recording artist Dina Hall to run the six-week class.
Hall said she helped students with elements like writing song lyrics and creating chords and melodies.
“They’re learning what’s going on, but you know expressing ideas is not always as easy as one might think when we’re putting into a formal situation,” she said.
The lyrics they wrote are designed to persuade people to take steps to reduce their environmental footprint. They include lines such as, “We want more than just a conversation, we must work together to save our nation.”
Hall said while some kids will sing, others will also rap.
“We found a way to put a bridge in there and the bridge is where the rap is," she said. "We’re going to break it down into a very percussive part in there and a couple of them are going to rap.”
“The whole point of the type of songs that we’re making in mixtape is about to try to spread the word and get the message across to the adults of the world so they can actually start doing something and making a change.”Broughal Middle School student Chelsey Ross
Students Chelsey Ross and Semaj Jean-Louis are rapping to encourage efforts to curb climate change. Ross said the songs they're writing in the workshop are aimed at the adults, who she said need to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
“The whole point of the type of songs that we’re making in mixtape is about to try to spread the word," she said. "And get the message across to the adults of the world so they can actually start doing something and making a change.”
The students said they're hoping their creative work will help improve the climate for their generation and for generations to come.
