By Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
Morrisound Recording studio has had an all-star list of artists and music headliners walk through its doors since it opened in 1981.
Third Eye Blind, Ozzy Osborne, Little Feat and more have performed live broadcasts in the nationally syndicated “Rockline” radio show from “A” studio in Morrisound.
Now, the studio can add music’s future stars — including two from Plant City — to that list of celebrities.
Springhead Elementary School students Anabel Saldaña and Walker Reeves joined others from nine other Hillsborough County elementary schools Nov. 29, during the Young Songwriters’ Symposium. Participating schools chose a music teacher and up to two fifth-grade students to write and perform a song.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Springhead music teacher Jennifer Burrows said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Most kids never get to do that.”
The students recorded 19 tracks during their day-long session. The next day, Nov. 30, the students performed the songs live at a concert for friends, family and school employees and board members at Orange Grove Middle Magnet School.
Burrows has participated in the program for three years after learning about it at a meeting. She applied and was accepted into the program.
“It sounded like something fun,” Burrows said.
This year, she picked Anabel and Walker to work on writing songs. The students were selected based on their interest in music and also creative writing because songwriting takes both skills. The duo, along with Burrows, brainstormed for months on their songs, meeting after school weekly to collaborate.
“Students often write about tragedies or things that happen in their lives, important issues (such as) bullying, cute things like ‘I want a dog,’ or about the actual writing process like how they might be scared to perform their songs on stage,” Lorri Naylor, chair of the advocacy committee of the Hillsborough County Elementary Music Educators Council, said.
The students wrote two songs — “The Search” and “Fighting a Black Belt.” The two songs are vastly different.
Anabel’s creation, “The Search,” was inspired by a book she was reading, “Out of my Mind,” about a paraplegic girl. From there she brainstormed different ideas about friendship, loneliness and family. “The Search” is soft, almost melancholy. Anabel’s soft voice resonates to the tune of a humming guitar and gentle piano.
By contrast, Walker’s song, “Fighting a Black Belt,” is an upbeat tune with comedic lyrics about fighting a black-belt karate master. His voice is strong and confident as he talks about his karate instructor, Chris Welbon.
The district has offered the symposium since 2003. The project initially was designed by former Elementary Music Supervisor Margaret Griffin, district resource teacher Janice Lancaster, former Florida Department of Education Program Specialist June Hinckley and executives at Broadcast Music Incorporated. Later, Apple and Sibelius joined the project.
The Hillsborough County Elementary Music Educators Council currently funds the symposium. Daniel Shea and Sean Moats are teacher coordinators, and Supervisor of Elementary Music Education Melanie Faulkner oversees the project.
“The program is absolutely amazing,” Naylor said. “It covers so many aspects of the creative process and learning. They have to look deep down inside of them.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
LOVELY LYRICS
“The Search”
The Search is near
But the distance is far
I have my peers
With open arms
Should I choose
To be afraid
Of the things along the way
— Anabel Saldaña
“Fighting a Black Belt”
Fighting a Black Belt in a karate dojo
When I’m fighting him, I got to have my mojo
Fighting a Black Belt in karate dojo
Got to be ready at all costs
‘Cus I would get mad if I really lost
— Walker Reeves