When something big happens in your life, sometimes you just have to get it out.
Talk to a friend. Share it with your family, or just shout it out loud.
You know, express yourself a little.
Expression through song writing and production are skills that the organizers of Studio on the Gohope to teach kids in Michigan.
Kyle Norris reports the program "travels to schools and community centers in Flint, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo":
Kids use computers and keyboards to make music and beats and then they write lyrics about their lives, and finally record the songs. Kids are given a topic to write about, like "education," “making it” and "family"... The results are songs about their personal struggles along with heartfelt tributes. Some kids sing about what it’s like to have someone they love die or to have a family member in jail. Instructors say the kids learn a combination of technical skills along with life skills.
Michigan Radio's Multimedia Producer Mercedes Mejia and Reporter Kyle Norris put this video together about the program:
If Studio on the Go came to your town, what would your "making it" or "family" song be about?
A program based out of Flint teaches kids the fundamentals of songwriting and music production. But the songs kids write are not your typical bubble-gum pop. The program is a professional music studio that travels to schools and community centers in Flint, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo. It's called Studio on the Go.
On today's podcast, we hear about a group of Michigan cartoonists who think comics can be an educational and valuable tool for kids.
As Michigan Radio's Kyle Norris explains, cartoonist Jerzy Drozd has picked 21 rural and urban towns in Michigan where he knows people are having a tough time making ends meet. Drozd has been visiting those towns and offering comic-drawing workshops, free of charge, to the kids in those areas.
Esther Gordy Edwards started the Motown Museum in 1985. According to Berry Gordy Jr., his sister preserved "the so-called trash left behind after I sold the company in 1988 into a phenomenal world-class monument where Hitsville started."
Esther Gordy Edwards gave her brother, Berry Gordy Jr., an $800 loan to start Motown Records back in 1959. She went on to become an integral part of her brother's company and started the Motown Museum back in 1985.
Edwards died last week at the age of 91. Today is her funeral.
Hundreds are expected to say good-bye to Esther Gordy Edwards, the sister of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. who helped him build the company and led efforts to turn its original Detroit headquarters into a museum.
The funeral for Edwards is 11 a.m. today at Bethel AME Church in Detroit. She died last week at age 91.
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