KALAHEO — “I have no idea.”
The silent glow of pride from the student in the Kalaheo Elementary School fourth grade class, who uttered those words in response to songwriter Paul Reisler’s request for song title ideas warmed the class on Thursday, the first of two days of learning to write and complete a song created by the class with the help of songwriters Paul and Cheryl Reisler.
As Cheryl penned the title of the class’s competition for song title to the eraser board, other students peeked out from their shells and slowly added their mana‘o while the song developed, word by word, voting, and more words.
Paul told the group they were brought to the schools — Kekaha Elementary School, Kalaheo Elementary School, and Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha School — by Kid Pan Alley, a well-respected and award-winning children’s songwriting residency that uses the songwriting process to empower children to become creators of their own music “Over the Waves.”
The choice of Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha is a first for Kid Pan Alley where the. songs written at the school will be translated and finished in Olelo Hawai‘i.
Local film producer Mitchell Galin, serving on the board of Kid Pan Alley for more than 20 years, suggested the Kid Pan Alley program be introduced to the island following a conversation with Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami and Keiko Napier of Japanese Grandma’s Cafe. Kawakami expressed his desire to bring educational programs that could expand and support students’ ability to experience creative expression, as a skill to support critical thinking and problem solving.
“When Pigs Fly” is another student’s suggestion that demonstrates the Kid Pan Alley description of providing children the opportunity to express their creativity, learn how creative thinking can make a better world while promoting self-awareness and self-confidence by attaching value to the children’s creative impulses. “Will; Monkeys Turn Purple?”
Paul Reisler is the founder and leader of the Kid Pan Alley Song Writing Project. He has been a songwriter and music artist for more than 40 years, including as leader of the well-known group Trapazoid.
He has been expanding the Kid Pan Alley residencies across the country, including O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island. Kid Pan Alley, to date, has written more than 2,800 songs with more than 80,000 children.
These songs are a sophisticated and powerful world view, as seen through the eyes of the children. Kid Pan Alley songs have been recorded by artists, including Amy Grant, Sissy Spacek, Kix Brooks, Delbert McClinton, Cracker, Pincas Zukerman, and Nashville Chamber Orchestra. The recordings have earned numerous awards, including Parent’s Choice Gold Award, American Library Awards, a WAMMIE, and have been nominated for a Grammy Award.
Cheryl Reisler is a longtime music educator, who started her career as an elementary music teacher to supervising elementary music programs for 136 elementary schools in the Fairfax, Virginia, school district before serving eight years as an elementary school principal.
Galin said the residencies at Kekaha and Kalaheo schools will include a concert for the community performed by the students.
“The historic Waimea Theater has agreed to provide its theatre for the performance songs written by the Kalaheo and Kekaha schools on Saturday, starting at 2 p.m.,” Galin said.
The performance of the songs written by the Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha school students will be scheduled for a future date.
