Snap-Tunes: classroom songwriting sessions
A creative experience that comes right to the classroom, providing a stress-free way to help elementary school teachers enhance student learning!
Working with award-winning performer and musician, Laura Koch, over three engaging sessions, your class will brainstorm, plan, write and record their very own ORIGINAL SONG through collaboration, engagement with their learning, and the harnessing of their amazing creative minds!
Working with award-winning performer and musician, Laura Koch, over three engaging sessions, your class will brainstorm, plan, write and record their very own ORIGINAL SONG through collaboration, engagement with their learning, and the harnessing of their amazing creative minds!
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What's it all about?Developed through an artist residency at Langley Fine Arts School in 2017, Laura Koch, who leads and writes for the band, The Kwerks, designed an engaging and energetic creative experience for your students that takes their classroom learning to a deeper level. Students are challenged to listen and feel, move and express, brainstorm and collaborate, as they work together to craft their original class song based on the topic/theme of your choice. Students' sense of ownership and pride is palpable, and teachers, administrators, parents are thrilled with the results.
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Your class song will be recorded "live off the floor" of your classroom and will be edited and delivered as a YouTube lyric video link, and a Spotify album to share with families!
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A letter of praise for Snap-Tunes "I have had the pleasure of observing Laura Koch in her role as musical leader and innovator multiple times. She is bubbly, caring and creative with the Snaptunes program being the vehicle in which she shares her talents and inspires the younger generation..." "Students with neurodiversity or learning difficulties can shine when working with Laura. She has a unique gift for breaking down barriers and opening up positive opportunities for all the students she interacts with..." "Laura asks for student input during all stages of the song writing process and she taps into student creativity in a fun and cooperative way..." "...a song that lasts forever and can be played over and over again. I know this from personal experience because Laura just finished recording our [grade 5] class song prior to the COVID pandemic hitting and it united us as a class..." "...when Laura comes to your classroom, she truly does ‘run the show’. You can sit back, observe and be inspired..." Craig Mitchell -Classroom Teacher of 35 years (READ FULL LETTER HERE) |
Listen to some songs written by students!
A grade 2 class in Langley wrote a song called "Swim Home" about the salmon life cycle.
A grade 5 class in Maple Ridge made a video to visually express their song "We Stand With You".
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Working with your ideas.
Want a School Anthem to sing at assemblies? Want to have your students write a song about a theme or particular subject? Want a student-written song for your school concert? It's possible!
(Some examples of song topics that have been written: friendship, the salmon-life cycle, "things in the sky" - cloud formations/northern lights/moon cycles, kindness, teamwork, school pride, solidarity with local indigenous groups in caring for the land, the water cycle, hope in hard times, love of reading, bullying, orange shirt day, Canadian rights and freedoms, animal adaptations and habitats, camouflage, and the list goes on!)
Whether you're a PAC member looking for inspiring and engaging activities for your school, an administrator who's looking to build some school spirit, a music teacher who is looking for something a little different, or a classroom teacher who is looking to bring music into the classroom, Laura is flexible and collaborative, and can specialize her sessions for your needs.
(Some examples of song topics that have been written: friendship, the salmon-life cycle, "things in the sky" - cloud formations/northern lights/moon cycles, kindness, teamwork, school pride, solidarity with local indigenous groups in caring for the land, the water cycle, hope in hard times, love of reading, bullying, orange shirt day, Canadian rights and freedoms, animal adaptations and habitats, camouflage, and the list goes on!)
Whether you're a PAC member looking for inspiring and engaging activities for your school, an administrator who's looking to build some school spirit, a music teacher who is looking for something a little different, or a classroom teacher who is looking to bring music into the classroom, Laura is flexible and collaborative, and can specialize her sessions for your needs.
Working with the curriculum.
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Snap-Tunes is designed fit right into the empty spaces in your curriculum plans, and enhance the work you're already doing. Rather than an "add on" program, this is one that will lessen your load as students engage with several different areas of the curriculum at once. Talk to Laura about what you're wanting to fit in, and see where Snap-Tunes can fulfill your needs. It's a win-win!
A Snap-Tunes story from a grade 2 music class: "The students were told that their song topic would be the "water cycle", and while they initially didn't seem enthusiastic about the idea, with a little coaxing and coaching, the kids and I came up with the brilliant idea of personifying a droplet of water. Not only that, but this class was a wiggly one, and so what better than to write not a song, but a RAP! Poof! Out poured a great piece about a frustrated droplet who just wanted to chill in the lake, but knew he had to be evaporated up into a cloud for a while before dropping back down as rain. The children came alive and were so happy about their rap!" |
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What are teachers and parents saying?
WOW is a word that comes to mind when I think about our class experience with Laura and creating our own class song. I teach grade three and we created a song about kindness. We even sang it with Laura at our school assembly! My students loved Laura and connected with her right away. She was positive, encouraging and made each student feel special. She definitely knocked our socks off!! I will definitely be having her return next year! 
My daughter has loved the songwriting workshops with Laura. She is so excited about the song that she helped write. She has excitedly recounted the details of their songwriting sessions and how all the kids had a role to play. She can't wait for the big reveal at their spring concert. Thank you, Laura, for empowering our kids and showing them that they are capable of great things! Wow! I can't say how happy I am that the school brought Laura in to work with my son's class this year. The kids were so engaged with the process and the concert was incredible. You could see the pride on their faces as they sung their very own song to us parents in the audience. Not a dry eye in the room! Laura is a joy to work with. She is a talented musician and songwriter who understands the creative nature of the children and the process by which melodies and music are made. |
For weeks our 7 year old constantly hummed under his breath. Every time we asked him what he was singing, he immediately clammed up and refused to talk about it. Eventually he cracked, "Mom, it's a surprise, you'll see when you come to my show". The surprise was worth the wait. The grade 1 & 2 classes of Langley Fine Arts worked with Laura Koch, of The Kwerks, to create an original song entitled The Northern Lights. The kids's faces burst with pride when they performed their original composition. I am truly wowed by Laura's skill. She led more than 90 6 - 9 year olds through the process of writing an original song. Rhythm patterns, mood changes, expression, lyrics - she did it all and the result was a resounding success. I am forever grateful to Laura, and the Fine Arts School, for taking my son down the path of music creation. I have my fingers crossed the school will invite Laura back to work with the older students. I had the pleasure of working with Laura to write an original song for our grade one/two show. She was professional, enthusiastic, collaborative, and extremely talented! What a treat to have an expert "Artist in Residence" to work with our young learners and help develop their ideas! 
My kids have loved working with Laura in their classrooms and performing the original songs they create together in the choir. You won’t regret bringing her into your school. |
