Songwriting Workshop Pairs Students with Bluegrass Masters

Swigert International School fifth grader Mattie Kellogg dreams of writing her own musical for the stage. “I love how musicals combine acting and dialogue with song,” she said. Two years ago, she took her first stab at songwriting in a small creative writing workshop organized by her teacher Robin Bresnahan, with special guest Paul Hoffman from the band Greensky Bluegrass.

This year, Bresnahan has expanded the songwriting program to include 18 students from four schools: Swigert, Denver School of the Arts, Polaris Elementary, and George Washington High School. Hoffman will be back, along with fellow musician Travis McNamara, formerly of Trout Steak Revival. The two singer/songwriters are working with the budding writers in four workshop sessions, culminating  in a showcase featuring the bluegrass masters performing the newly-created songs with the students.

“I like to dream big,” Bresnahan said. “I was thrilled when both Paul and Travis said they were interested in working on this project.”

The participants, ranging from fifth graders to high school seniors, have a wide variety of experience and talents. Bresnahan said that’s the point: “Some of the DSA students play instruments. One student is writing an album. Some of the younger students don’t have as much experience, but the idea is to have everyone learn from each other.”

The students work in groups, writing melodies and lyrics, before receiving feedback from their peers and the professional musicians at the workshops.

The Hook and Harmony Songwriting Showcase will be held on Jan. 28 at 6pm in the DSA Concert Hall. Tickets can be purchased on EventBrite.

Providing Winter Care Bags for People in Need

On the day before Thanksgiving, 7-year-old Vanessa Buck was busy assembling 60 bags of items to give to people experiencing homelessness. Inside of each bag she placed a scarf, hat, emergency blanket, mittens, socks, and candy. “I feel bad when I’m outside and see homeless people in the cold, so I just want to help them so they can be warm like us,” she said.

She and her parents distributed the bags on Thanksgiving morning to people in downtown Denver. It was the second year in a row that the family handed out cold weather care kits.

Mariana Garza Buck said she feels it’s important to instill the idea of service from an early age. “We have a roof over our heads. We have warm clothes. I want her to understand that some people don’t, so if we can help, we need to do that,” she said.

Labor of Love: An Annual Holiday Lights Display

For 14 years, Central Park resident Tim Nicholson has been dazzling people with an elaborate light display on his house that is timed to holiday music. “At any given time, especially on the weekends, there are 20–30 cars out there with kids singing and dancing. People bring blankets and hot chocolate,” he said. “It’s just amazing to see so much joy on everyone’s faces, so that’s why I do it.”

Nicholson and his wife chose to buy their house, which is located behind Swigert International School,  because it is across from a parking lot. “That’s actually key to the success because there’s a safe place for people to park when they watch it,” he said.

His background as an engineer at Walt Disney World and SeaWorld has come in handy as he changes elements of the display. This year he made a big software upgrade and had to reprogram all of the music. But he had an assistant: his 11-year-old daughter, Grace. “She’s grown up with this and loves it so much,” said Nicholson. “She says we can never stop doing it.”

And what do the neighbors think of all of this? “They love it. The community has been so supportive,” he said. He recalled a few years ago when a windstorm blew down a large metal tree and neighbors helped clean up the mess.

Nicholson’s  light display is located at 3402 Trenton St. and will continue from 5–10pm through The National Western Stock Show.