Workshop for Teachers:
Finding the Music in Words

On Saturday, November 14, 2015, teaching artist James McCarthy presented a teachers’ workshop on music creation at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Participants unlocked their musical talents through the discovery of creating music with their own words. Through readings from We Go Jam: Celebrating Our Music, Our Soundscape, Our Hawai‘i, teachers reflected on key themes and explored the craft of composing songs and lyrics, as practiced in the tradition of Haku Mele, a selection in the book by Puakea Nogelmeier. They examined Hawai‘i place names and wrote short verses in which they expanded to simple rhythms and melodies. Each participant received a copy of We Go Jam and Musics of Hawai‘i, a recording resource and booklet.

James McCarthy is a teaching artist on the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts’ Artistic Teaching Partners roster. He is also a professional songwriter who has been nominated for a Nā Hōkū Hanohano award and had his songs placed in film and television. He earned an Ed.M. from Harvard University and is a founding faculty of SEEQS Charter Middle School, Honolulu.

Maui Arts & Cultural Center is located at One Cameron Way, Kahului, HI 96732

Lesson Plan

• Professional Development Opportunities For Teachers – We Go Jam: Finding the Music in Words 
  

• Accompanying Music: Wai Ola performed by Leon & Malia  
  

• Excerpts from stories used in the workshop

“Haku Mele” by Puakea Nogelmeier

“People of Place” by Carlos Andrade

For information on implementing this curriculum,
contact shoshino@hihumanities.org