Fearless Innovation--Songwriting for Our Lives: Inspiring Learners with Arts-Based Practices That Support Creativity (Songwriting to Inspire Learners‪)‬

As long as I can remember I've had songs in my head. A song will repeat itself over and over again until another one bumps it out. In fact, it took me most of my adult life before I realized that I could be a songwriter because I always had other people's songs playing in my mind. Most of the songs I grew up with were about relationships between man and woman, and the songs were written, performed, and recorded to entertain and provide escape. However, as I matured as an educator and a scholar, I increasingly became interested in the role of songwriter as minstrel, the artist who sings his or her take on contemporary life and times. I began to explore ways that I could create entertaining musical op-ed pieces about my field, public school education. In addition, I looked for ways that I could develop a pedagogy that would result in teachers helping children to express themselves through songwriting. This is important because it expands the modes from which people can learn information as well as opening up creative ways for learners to express their knowledge and beliefs.