Suno

A week ago Saturday night, I had the opportunity to  hang out with an 88 year-old.

While riding to the house concert we were attending, we started talking about music.

He is a prolific lyric writer but does not feel comfortable putting music to his words.

He found an app called Suno that does what he cannot. 

After he played me one of the songs he had created, I downloaded the app.

You can put in your own melody, your own lyrics, or have the app make up a song completely based on your subject.

You tell it the style of music that you would like and give it a few other details and it creates a song!

I knew immediately that I could use the app at school.

 

Fast forward a few days, and I was trying to decide what song to play for the fifth graders as they left their promotion ceremony.

I thought to myself that it would be neat to make an original song.

Then, out of the blue, a simple lyric and melody popped into my head and less than an hour later, I had written the Greenwood Graduation song.

It is fun, quirky, moving, and unique to Greenwood, 

Full of words that my principal says each morning on the morning announcements.

 

I first recorded the melody on my voice recorder app and wrote the lyrics in my notes feature.

I then printed all of the lyrics and recorded the full song on my voice recorder.

I downloaded the song,

Uploaded it into Suno,

Told Suno that I wanted an upbeat inspirational pop song with a female voice,

And it created it!!

It was so cool!

 

I know.

There are ethical implications for this app.

AI demands a lot of the environment and computer generated art seems to take away from the creativity and need for the real work of artists.

But in this instance, when I needed a song fast, this tool was a Godsend! 

It took what I had to offer and made it better.

I used it as a tool,

Not as a replacement for my brain or creativity. 

 

And I think that’s the key: 

Using AI as a tool and resource 

rather than as a substitute for human thinking, emotion, and skill. 

 

Take a listen to the Greenwood Graduation Song and notice how it turned a simple melody and lyric set into a full song. 

The kids were dancing and having a blast as they were waiting to leave.

And my principal slowly recognized his own words, and it almost made him cry.

 

May we use our technological tools wisely

But not forget that our wisest investments are always in people.

 

Amen. 

Land of Plenty

 We live in a land of plenty. If one ever doubts this fact, then all she has to do is turn on HGTV and watch its programming for a couple of hours. Granted, our plenty is not equally distributed and too many of us take for granted the backs on which our plenty stands, but that is a note for another night.

 

A few weeks ago, my mom and I stumbled onto a Tiny House Marathon. Ever since that day, I’ve been turning on HGTV to try to find another Tiny House Marathon. In the process, I’ve found myself watching a plethora of different shows—and talking to the TV quite a bit, almost always making the wrong decision when given a choice between house 1, 2, or 3.

 

Last night, I found myself watching a beachfront property show where the couple was looking for a new home for their family. The husband and wife were both lawyers and their budget was between two and three million dollars. Yes, million. When talking about their children, the couple said that the kids were, “energetic, especially the boy.” When interacting with the kids, the couple was very awkward. And when talking about how happy they were with their new home, the couple was playing tennis, marveling about how much less stress they feel with their new life, and how happy they are to have made the move—and their children were nowhere to be seen.

 

Evidently, this show bothered me so much that I dreamed about it. In my dream, I met the nanny who quite clearly was the person raising the children and said, “I knew it. I knew that they had a nanny. I knew that they were hands-off parents and that those segments were staged.” In my dream, too, the boy was identified autistic, which I would wager money that he, in real life, should be but that he will not be because his parents will not want the diagnosis.

 

I know. I’m sounding very judgmental and investing a lot of emotional energy into something far beyond my reality. But I can’t seem to get it off my mind. Maybe I’m jealous of the money and properties and wishing that I could have three million dollars to invest in a tropical island home. But I don’t think that’s it. I think I’m bothered by how expendable the children seemed in that segment—and in other segments as well. Today, for instance, a couple opted to spend their “nanny budget” on a beachfront property and to push back their efficiency date of having a child exactly one year and nine months.

 

We live in a land of plenty. We have so very, very much. Even our tiny houses are bigger and nicer than many homes around the world. Yet when our plenty causes us to lose site of our children and to live life to our present fullest with little to no thought of leaving the world a better place, is our plenty worth it?

 

Dear God, we come to you tonight aware of the many good things that life has given—and the many people who have died to make these good things possible. Help us to turn our plenty into so much more than we can imagine and to devote our lives—our time, devotion, talents, and resources—not just to living our lives to the fullest but to helping others live their lives to the fullest as well. Children, teenagers, adults. Body, soul, mind, spirit, and strength.--Amen.

 

(Originally written on 5.29.16) 

Barb And Dee Go To The Zoo

I think one of the reasons that Barb the Great and I have remained friends all these years is because we have the same teaching philosophy.

We both come from the school of integration,

Of tying our lessons into classroom learning as much as possible

And using our form of arts education to teach the well-rounded child.

When we taught together, we would often team teach.

I learned about the didgeridoo from her Australian aboriginal art lessons.

I learned about the shamisen from her Japanese lessons.

I began teaching Native American lessons because of her interest in Native American art. 

And I began teaching music from Africa because of her lessons on African art.

 

As part of her lessons on North Carolina, Barb teaches about the red wolf. 

So yesterday, to gain more information on the red wolf, Barb wanted to go to the special red wolf exhibit they were having at the zoo.

Evidently, there are very, very few red wolves still in the wild and they live in eastern North Carolina.

 

Our goal for the day was simple. 

Get a red wolf book signed by its author and illustrator, see the red wolves, and get the North Carolina Zoo swag bag that they were offering.

We weren’t in a hurry.

We didn’t try to get to Africa and see all of the African animals.

We stayed in North America and saw the polar bear and Artic cats and bats and reptiles and sand cats,

And we spent as much time at each exhibit as we wanted.

We saw crowds to come and go,

But we just sat and waited and watched the animals for long periods of time.

That’s really the best way to visit the zoo. 

 

…

 

Barb’s two kids love popcorn, 

So they got a refillable popcorn bucket and filled it four times.

Barb sent her son to get a drink because I wanted a Dr. Peoper. 

He came back with the refillable souvenir cup.

We got it refilled at least 10 times!

We were determined to get our money’s worth, 

And we did!

 

…

 

I wanted to get a friend a souvenir giraffe coin.

One coin was five dollars. 

Four coins were $15.

I didn’t want four coins, but the machine evidently wanted me to have four coins because it told me to select four.

So I got one of each animal design.

I have no idea what I will do with them.

And I certainly didn’t mean to spend $15!

At least I helped drink a lot of Dr. Pepper :-). 

 

…

 

I support the zoo every year by buying a zoo membership.

I get the membership for myself and one companion, so I was able to use that yesterday for myself and Barb.

It made me happy not to have to pay admission!

 

…

 

Every Sunday in church, 

We pray for the church and all of creation.

We pray for people, yes,

But we also pray for animals and habitats and conservation efforts in good stewardship practices. 

Yesterday, I was able to see some of those conservation efforts and good stewardship practices in action.

I was able to spend time in community with people that I love

And I was able to contribute money to an organization whose highest goal is taking care of God‘s creation.

Yes, we made the most of the money that we spent.

But we also knew that it was going to a good cause, 

Whether that was employment of zoo, workers,

Or funds to help make the zoo run.

 

…

 

I debated missing church to go to the zoo.

I can think of only a handful of times in my life when I have intentionally missed church to do something secularly fun.

But I’m glad that I went.

And I’m glad that I was reminded of God’s love and grace in laughter, friendship, walking, waiting, eating, and drinking together. 

 

Where two or more are gathered, there I will be. 

And God was there.

And I am grateful. 

And still full of Dr. Pepper. 

 

Amen. 

ISS Is Not Where I Need To Be

It’s true. I wouldn’t be a good ISS teacher. Read this Throwback Thursday note from 5.19.16 to find out why.

 

——

 

I learned something today: I wouldn’t make a very good ISS teacher.

 

On Field Day, my job is to help cover the re-focus station with Barb The Art Teacher.

 

Instead of being firm and strict with the students who come our way, though, I usually end up talking to them and giving them the individual attention that they crave.

 

This happened today when I began talking to a student about math and ended up sitting with him and discussing the vocabulary in a beehive book. It was actually a very good book. I learned that bees put nectar in cells and leave it there to dry, thus making honey!

 

To hear Barb talk about it, I was patting the student on the back, saying a lot of “Good job, sweetie’s,” and filling the room with rainbows and butterflies 🙂. 

 

I’m not sure about all of that! But it’s true, friends. I wouldn’t be a good ISS teacher.

 

What about you, friends? What have you learned recently? About yourself or the world? I’d love to hear!

 

God of Light and Wisdom,
thank you for giving us
minds to know
and hearts to love.

Help us to keep learning every day--
no matter what the subject may be.
Let us be convinced that all positive knowledge comes from you
and let us know how to find you and love you in all the things you have made.

Encourage us when life is difficult
and when we are tempted to give up.
Enlighten us when our brains are slow

and help us grasp the truth held out each day.

Grant us the grace to put our knowledge to use in building your kingdom on earth
so that we may enter your kingdom in heaven.

Amen.

Seven Days

162 hours. 

9720 minutes.

That’s the maximum amount of time I have with a student if they start and end elementary school at GW. 

It’s less than seven full days of life. 

Yet for some students, 

Those minutes, hours, and days really mean a lot. 

 

After after the K1 program last Friday night, 

One of my fifth grade boys came up and hugged me. 

Quite dramatically, he said, 

“Oh those last two songs got me.

I’m growing up. 

I’ve been singing that song for six years and this is my last.

That got me emotional!”

Then I realized that his eyes were red and puffy. 

His mom told me that he cried real tears during “One Small Voice” and the school song. 

 

Somewhere along the way from kindergarten to fifth grade, 

During those maximum 9720 minutes of music education, 

Music burrowed into his being 

And took root. 

He allowed it to form him and shape him and now he has the tools of music appreciation that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. 

 

At the beginning of the year, I was asked to write my educational manifesto. 

I wrote: 

I want to help create kind, respectful, culturally aware human beings with control over their bodies and voices and with a love of music and learning. 

 

I have 45 minutes per week, 

For up to 36 weeks per year, 

For up to six years, 

For a maximum of 162 hours of elementary music, 

To do my job and live into my manifesto. 

 

That’s not a lot of time.

 

Yet every once in awhile, 

Learning transcends time and students get it. 

 

And I am always so humbled and grateful when they do. 

 

Amen.