Rik Leaf's Blog, page 7

The Buddy Bench Anti-Bullying Project

No Buddy Gets Left Behind With This Anti-Bullying Project

The Buddy Bench has become a force to be reckoned on school playgrounds around the world. The idea is simple enough. There is a special bench on the playground. If someone is being bullied or left out and has no one to play with, they can just go sit on the bench. It’s the responsibility of the entire school to keep an eye on the bench, and if they see someone on it, they know that person needs a buddy and it’s their job to go and invite them to play. From the moment I heard about it, I loved everything about the Buddy Bench.

Who: 300+ students at Bert Ambrose School in Fort St John, B.C., Canada

When: October 2015

Why Invest In A Project Like This

During the week I was at Ambrose I was doing some songwriting sessions with some classes, slam poetry with others and one filmmaking project. On our first day of songwriting, I asked the class to describe their school. I like to start the first songwriting session with brainstorming and getting students talking about their lives, their school, their class. I write any ideas or stories that really jump out, down on the board. Mostly cause I don’t want to forget, but also because I like the process of students seeing someone take interest in the stories they are sharing, and how different threads can weave together. I take a picture of the whiteboard at the end of the class with my phone, and if we happened to play around with chords or melodies, I sing that into my phone as well. That evening, after I’ve had a chance to sift through the stories, I often come up with a chord progression and melody.

The process is creative and collaborative. The process of working together to create something is actually the most valuable investment. It’s great to have a finished product like the video that I can share with someone like you, but for the school and the students it’s actually the process that is so rewarding.

Where We Produced The Elements Of This Project

Over the next two days, we wrote the song. This happens in a group setting. Sometimes I break them up into small groups to come up with lines and ideas for the song, and we all come back together to see if the pieces will fit. Following in a long tradition of pop culture musicians and songwriters, I don’t actually read music. I always have my phone with me and get the teacher to record a video of our process before I leave the classroom each day. I like to document the process of songwriting, but it’s also a really important way for me to remember what I played and how we sang the song.  This is especially important when I’m writing songs with 4 or 5 classes in the same week.

How We Wrote & Recorded The Buddy Bench Song

After collaborating on the lyrics and the call and response song structure, I bring my laptop and a microphone with me, so I’m able to set up my portable recording equipment in the classroom and record audio for the song. The songwriting session doesn’t allow for me to get too involved in the technology side of things, but I do want the students to see the process of how to use GarageBand so that they can use it after I’m going.

This video below starts with clips from the classroom session as we work out the song and then jumps to the assembly on Friday afternoon, where this class taught the song to the rest of the school.

Verse

What it means to be cool  (Repeat)

Just be yourself                   (Repeat)

What it means to be cool  (Repeat)

Just be yourself                   (Repeat)

Don’t skip out on school   (Lead Vocal)

Cause that’s not cool         (Crowd)

Don’t be a brag                   (Lead Vocal)

Cause that’s a drag            (Crowd)

Together on Chorus

On the Buddy Bench you’re an inch away

You can find a friend and make their day

On the Buddy Bench you’re an inch away

You can find a friend and make their day

Spoken Word Bridge:

Cause you’re unique

There’s only one you

Being yourself

Is the best thing you can do

That’s why it’s cool

Repeat Chorus

The Buddy Bench ended up being such a cool song and worked so well, that I recorded it on a children’s album. You can listen to THE BUDDY BENCH song and DOWNLOAD the album for FREE HERE!

If you’re a musician and would like to learn to play the song, you just need to know how to play 4 chords to play this song.

D / F / C / G

In this video, I have my guitar in an open tuning and I’m playing with a capo, so it might sound a little different than you if you’re playing in standard tuning in first position. But these are the root chords and I play them in the same order all through the song.

I have had schools from other countries contact me to ask if they can perform this song themselves as they launch a Buddy Bench of their own. If your school would like to use this song you are certainly welcome to as well. Songwriting provides a great opportunity for students of all ages and grades to come together and be creative. Celebrating something like the Buddy Bench also provides a unique opportunity to connect the creativity of students to creating positive solutions that they face in their lives.

This next video comes from another Buddy Bench experience. I was in this school for the week they were building, painting and assembling their Buddy Bench. So I used the original song for the soundtrack to accompany the images of this school designing their Buddy Bench. It was a smaller school, so when we recorded it, I got some of the high school students to do the spoken word bridge part.

The Buddy Bench is such a great idea. Does your school have a Buddy Bench story you can share?

 

As a performer/producer, published author and slam poet, discovering the value of my own creative talents and abilities has allowed me to tour the world, and participate in some life changing projects with the United Nations and the Foreign Affairs Department of Canada.

I’m the author of, Four Homeless Millionaires – How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind, and the Creative Director for Tribe of One, an international collective of indigenous artists, musicians, dancers and slam poets.

Developing Songwriting in Schools is a passion project 10 years in the making.

I invite you to check out the Closed Facebook Group, The Teacher’s Toolbox. It’s an online community forum that provides creative resources to teachers.

 

The post The Buddy Bench Anti-Bullying Project appeared first on Creative Leadership.

The Buddy Bench Finds its Groove

No Buddy Gets Left Behind With This Anti Bullying Project

The Buddy Bench has become a force to be reckoned on school playgrounds around the world. The idea is simple enough. There is a special bench on the playground. If someone is being bullied or left out and has no one to play with, they can just go sit on the bench. It’s the responsibility of the entire school to keep an eye on the bench, and if they see someone on it, they know that person needs a buddy and it’s their job to go and invite them to play.

From the moment I heard about it, I loved everything about the Buddy Bench. At a recent artist residency I was working with one class and as the kids described the Buddy Bench on their playground, it became the driving inspiration for the song we wrote. Cause lets face it…the world needs more Buddy Benches!

When I have a week to work with a class, I like to start the first songwriting session by just brainstorming. Talking about their lives, their school, their class. I write any ideas or stories that really jump out to me, down on the board. Mostly cause I don’t want to forget, but also because I like the process of students seeing someone take interest in the stories they are sharing, and how different threads can weave together. I take a picture of the whiteboard at the end of the class with my phone, and if we happened to play around with chords or melodies, I sing that into my phone as well. That evening, after I’ve had a chance to sift through the stories, I often come up with a chord progression and melody.

Over the next two days we need to actually write the song. We do some group writing, I often break them up into small groups to come up with lines and ideas for the song, and we put it together. I always have my phone with me, and have the teacher record video of our progress. I don’t write or read music, so documenting a song before I leave is pretty important. Especially when I’m writing songs with 4 or 5 classes in the same week.

I also have my laptop and a microphone with me, so that when the song starts to come together, I’m able to set up my portable recording equipment in the classroom and record audio for the song.

This first video, starts with our classroom session, and then jumps to the assembly on Friday afternoon, where this class taught the song to the rest of the school.

Verse

What it means to be cool  (Repeat)

Just be yourself                   (Repeat)

What it means to be cool  (Repeat)

Just be yourself                   (Repeat)

Don’t skip out on school   (Lead Vocal)

Cause that’s not cool         (Crowd)

Don’t be a brag                   (Lead Vocal)

Cause that’s a drag            (Crowd)

Together on Chorus

On the Buddy Bench you’re an inch away

You can find a friend and make their day

On the Buddy Bench you’re an inch away

You can find a friend and make their day

Spoken Word Bridge:

Cause you’re unique

There’s only one you

Being yourself

Is the best thing you can do

That’s why it’s cool

Repeat Chorus

If you’re a musician and would like to play the song, you just need to know how to play 4 chords to play this song.

D / F / C / G

In this video, I have my guitar in an open tuning and I’m playing with a capo, so it might sound a little different than you if you’re playing in standard tuning in first position. But these are the root chords and I play them in the same order all through the song.

I have had schools from other countries contact me to ask if they can perform this song themselves as they launch a Buddy Bench of their own. If your school would like to use this song you are certainly welcome to as well. Songwriting provides a great opportunity for students of all ages and grades to come together and be creative. Celebrating something like the Buddy Bench also provides a unique opportunity to connect the creativity of students to creating positive solutions that they face in their lives. The video below comes from another Buddy Bench experience. I was in this school for the week they were building, painting and assembling their Buddy Bench. So I used the original song for the soundtrack to accompany the images of this school designing their Buddy Bench.

The Buddy Bench is such a great idea. Does your school have a Buddy Bench story you can share?

 

 

The post The Buddy Bench Finds its Groove appeared first on Rik Leaf.

Creative Literacy & The Power of Words

Helping Students Visualize the Power of Words

This is a collection of the creative literacy projects produced during the week I spent with the staff and students at Bert Ambrose, an elementary school located in Fort St John, B.C. I worked with approximately 115 students in three separate songwriting classes, 30 slam poets and 55 involved in a multi media production.

1. Be The Best You Can Be!

When I walked into their classroom I saw a poster the kids had written up at the beginning of the year. Their teacher described it as a social contract that the entire class agreed to and signed.

The last line said, ‘So we can be the best we can be’ “What a great idea for a chorus!” I shrieked as I ran to grab my guitar. Small group break out sessions and collective brainstorming provided the rest of the lyrics.

2. The Buddy Bench

The Buddy Bench is a special bench on the playground at Bert Ambrose. If someone is left out and has no one to play with, they can go sit on the bench. It’s the responsibility of the entire school to keep an eye on the bench, and if they see someone on it, to go and invite them to play.

I loved everything about the Buddy Bench as the kids described it to me, and it became the driving inspiration for our song, cause lets face it…the world needs more Buddy Benches!

3. Shine Bright

This is Possibly one of the sweetest songs I’ve ever written with a class.

I walked into the room on Monday morning only knowing that the Grade 2/3 class wanted to write a song around the idea of this little light of mine. The vast majority of the class put their hands up when I asked how many had written songs before…so I knew I was working with seasoned pros.

One little girl was wearing a sparkly, glittery shirt with the words, dream big, sparkle more, shine bright…and that’s what inspired our lyrics. It’s a super sweet song with a message I 100% endorse! The kids came up with all the actions.

4. Power of Words

I wanted to help the kids visualize the Power of Words. So we got every student in the school to write a positive, encouraging message inside of a paper airplane. Everyone made one. Everyone threw one. Everyone got one. Our words don’t always go where we intend, but they always have power.

Making the planes was a fun project for the kids to work on. It was also a great opportunity to think about others and imagine words that could make someone’s day.

On the production side of things, I enlisted 6 camera operators with ipads. With 360 little dudes involved we knew we’d only have one shot at this. We got our cameras in place, and I quickly explained to the assembled masses what we were about to do…then I marched up and down in front of my ‘troops’ like King Theoden or Aragorn in Lord of the Rings, making an epic speech before we counted down and let the planes fly. Then our camera operators ran around asking kids to read what their planes said into the camera.

It was fun, but it was also a powerful statement for everyone to recognize the power of words to make a difference in someone’s life.

We wrote, recorded and filmed everything during the week finishing up with a big assembly presentation on Friday afternoon where families were invited to attend. I did the editing on the weekend and posted the videos so everyone could share them on social media. The five videos were viewed over 10K times and attracted support from local media in the city. Way To Go Ambrose! 

The post Creative Literacy & The Power of Words appeared first on Rik Leaf.

Ambrose School

The Power of Words!

This is a collection of the creative literacy projects produced during the week I spent with the staff and students at Bert Ambrose, an elementary school located in Fort St John, B.C. I worked with approximately 115 students in three separate songwriting classes, 30 slam poets and 55 involved in a multi media production.

1. Be The Best You Can Be!

When I walked into their classroom I saw a poster the kids had written up at the beginning of the year. Their teacher described it as a social contract that the entire class agreed to and signed.

The last line said, ‘So we can be the best we can be’ “What a great idea for a chorus!” I shrieked as I ran to grab my guitar. Small group break out sessions and collective brainstorming provided the rest of the lyrics.

2. The Buddy Bench

The Buddy Bench is a special bench on the playground at Bert Ambrose. If someone is left out and has no one to play with, they can go sit on the bench. It’s the responsibility of the entire school to keep an eye on the bench, and if they see someone on it, to go and invite them to play.

I loved everything about the Buddy Bench as the kids described it to me, and it became the driving inspiration for our song, cause lets face it…the world needs more Buddy Benches!

3. Shine Bright

This is Possibly one of the sweetest songs I’ve ever written with a class.

I walked into the room on Monday morning only knowing that the Grade 2/3 class wanted to write a song around the idea of this little light of mine. The vast majority of the class put their hands up when I asked how many had written songs before…so I knew I was working with seasoned pros.

One little girl was wearing a sparkly, glittery shirt with the words, dream big, sparkle more, shine bright…and that’s what inspired our lyrics. It’s a super sweet song with a message I 100% endorse! The kids came up with all the actions.

4. Power of Words

I wanted to help the kids visualize the Power of Words. So we got every student in the school to write a positive, encouraging message inside of a paper airplane. Everyone made one. Everyone threw one. Everyone got one. Our words don’t always go where we intend, but they always have power.

Making the planes was a fun project for the kids to work on. It was also a great opportunity to think about others and imagine words that could make someone’s day.

On the production side of things, I enlisted 6 camera operators with ipads. With 360 little dudes involved we knew we’d only have one shot at this. We got our cameras in place, and I quickly explained to the assembled masses what we were about to do…then I marched up and down in front of my ‘troops’ like King Theoden or Aragorn in Lord of the Rings, making an epic speech before we counted down and let the planes fly. Then our camera operators ran around asking kids to read what their planes said into the camera.

It was fun, but it was also a powerful statement for everyone to recognize the power of words to make a difference in someone’s life.

We wrote, recorded and filmed everything during the week finishing up with a big assembly presentation on Friday afternoon where families were invited to attend. I did the editing on the weekend and posted the videos so everyone could share them on social media. The five videos were viewed over 10K times and attracted support from local media in the city. Way To Go Ambrose! 

The post Ambrose School appeared first on Rik Leaf.

Power of Words

Songwriting, Slam Poetry and Filmmaking – The Power of Words!

I spent a week in the fall of 2015 producing a number of creative literacy projects in Bert Ambrose, an elementary school located in Fort St John, B.C.

Be The Best You Can Be! – What an inspiring goal and a brilliant line for a chorus!

When I walked into the classroom I saw a poster the kids had written up at the beginning of the year as a social contract. The last line said, ‘So we can be the best we can be’ “What a great idea for a chorus!” I shrieked as I ran to grab my guitar. The rest (as they say) was history.

Then there was the Buddy Bench…a truly epic idea and a really energetic song!

The Buddy Bench is a specific bench on the playground at Bert Ambrose, and if someone is left out and has no one to play with, they can go sit on the bench. It’s the responsibility of the entire school to keep an eye on the bench, and if they see someone on it, to go and invite them to play.

I loved everything about the Buddy Bench as the kids described it to me, and it became the driving inspiration for our song!

The world needs more Buddy Benches!

Shine Bright – Possibly one of the sweetest songs I’ve ever written with little kids.

I walked into the room on Monday morning only knowing that the Grade 2&3 class wanted to write a song around the idea of shine on this little light of mine. The vast majority of the class put their hands up when I asked how many had written songs before…so I knew I was working with seasoned pros.

One little girl was wearing a sparkly, glittery shirt with the words, dream big, sparkle more, shine bright…and that’s what inspired our lyrics. It’s a super sweet song with a message I 100% endorse!

When I dashed into their room on Friday morning for our last rehearsal they surprised me with the actions they had come up with. (I may have gotten something in my eye as we sang)

 

I wanted to help the kids visualize the Power of Words. So every student in the school wrote a positive, encouraging message inside of a paper airplane. Everyone made one. Everyone threw one. Everyone got one. Our words don’t always go where we intend, but they always have power.

Making the planes was a fun project for the kids to work on. It was also a great opportunity to think about others and imagine words that could make someone’s day.

On the production side of things, I enlisted 6 camera operators with ipads. With 360 little kids involved we knew we’d only have one shot at this. We got our cameras in place, and I quickly explained to the assembled masses what we were about to do…then I marched up and down in front of my ‘troops’ like King Theoden or Aragorn making an epic speech before we counted down and let the planes fly. Then our camera operators ran around asking kids to read what their planes said into the camera.

It was fun, but it was also a powerful statement for everyone to recognize the power of words to make a difference in someone’s life.

The post Power of Words appeared first on Rik Leaf.

Risks & Rewards of Slam Poetry

Haida Gwaii Literacy Coucil Invests in High School Slam Poets

The Literacy Council of Haida Gwaii brought me to the community for a week of creative literacy projects, hosting slam poetry and songwriting workshops and presentations. It’s been rewarding, though not without a tremendous amount of creative effort. I’m very thankful for the relationships in this tight-knit community that provided the offer to stay in this super cute little house on the water while the owner is away. 

There were some magical moments today in the slam poetry workshops. No matter where I go, it is an amazing thing when artists of any age take the risk to share their creativity with others. Cause lets face it…it’s scary!

Sometimes the environment is safe and supportive and other times it’s just…not. Today we had both…but real courage was shown and the moment owned by some Haida Gwaii slam poets with bold souls who honoured their gifts by sharing their words with those around them.

Which brings me to the point of this post. If any those young poets happen to find their way to this space, you are welcome to contact me any time at info@rikleaf.com or join the Tribe of One Facebook Page or Youtube Channel if you’re looking to share ideas and inspiration.

Go boldly where you have never gone before!

High School Slam Poets

Haida Gwaii Literacy Coucil Invests in High School Slam Poets

The Literacy Council of Haida Gwaii brought me to the community for a week of creative literacy projects, hosting slam poetry and songwriting workshops and presentations. It’s been rewarding, though not without a tremendous amount of creative effort. I’m very thankful for the relationships in this tight-knit community that provided the offer to stay in this super cute little house on the water while the owner is away. 

There were some magical moments today in the slam poetry workshops. No matter where I go, it is an amazing thing when artists of any age take the risk to share their creativity with others. Cause lets face it…it’s scary!

Sometimes the environment is safe and supportive and other times it’s just…not. Today we had both…but real courage was shown and the moment owned by some Haida Gwaii slam poets with bold souls who honoured their gifts by sharing their words with those around them.

Which brings me to the point of this post. If any those young poets happen to find their way to this space, you are welcome to contact me any time at info@rikleaf.com or join the Tribe of One Facebook Page or Youtube Channel if you’re looking to share ideas and inspiration.

Go boldly where you have never gone before!

Rik Leaf is a world traveler, Slam Poet, Songwriter, Storyteller and Author of Four Homeless Millionaires – How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind.

 

The post High School Slam Poets appeared first on Rik Leaf.

Haida Gwaii

Haida Gwaii Creative Literacy

The Literacy Council of Haida Gwaii brought me to the community for a week of creative literacy projects, hosting slam poetry and songwriting workshops and presentations. It’s been rewarding, though not without a tremendous amount of creative effort. I’m very thankful for the relationships in this tight-knit community that provided the offer to stay in this super cute little house on the water while the owner is away.

There were some magical moments today in the slam poetry workshops. No matter where I go, it is an amazing thing when artists of any age take the risk to share their creativity with others. Cause lets face it…it’s scary!

Sometimes the environment is safe and supportive and other times it’s just…not. Today we had both…but real courage was shown and the moment owned by some Haida Gwaii slam poets with bold souls who honoured their gifts by sharing their words with those around them.

Which brings me to the point of this post. If any those young poets happen to find their way to this space, you are welcome to contact me any time at info@rikleaf.com or join the Tribe of One Facebook Page or Youtube Channel if you’re looking to share ideas and inspiration.

Go boldly where you have never gone before!

Rik Leaf is a world traveler, Slam Poet, Songwriter, Storyteller and Author of Four Homeless Millionaires – How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind.

 

The post Haida Gwaii appeared first on Rik Leaf.

Haida Gwaii Poets

Haida Gwaii Poets

Wow…rolling back into my borrowed digs here tonight I admit I’m pretty exhausted. The Literacy Council of Haida Gwaii brought me to the community for a week of slam poetry workshops and presentations in schools. It’s been rewarding, though not without a tremendous amount of creative effort. I’m very thankful for the relationships in this tight-knit community that provided the offer to stay in this super cute little house on the water while the owner is away.

There were some magical moments today in the slam poetry workshops. No matter where I go, it is an amazing thing when artists of any age take the risk to share their creativity with others. Cause lets face it…it’s scary!

Sometimes the environment is safe and supportive and other times, it’s just…not. Today we had both…but real courage was shown and the moment owned by some Haida Gwaii slam poets with bold souls who honoured their gifts by being humble enough to have a humble beginning and share that with those around them.

Which brings me to the point of this post. If any those young poets happen to find their way to this space, you are welcome to contact me any time at info@rikleaf.com or join the Tribe of One Facebook Page or Youtube Channel if you’re looking to share ideas and inspiration.

Go boldly where you have never gone before!

Rik Leaf is a world traveler, Slam Poet, Songwriter, Storyteller and Author of Four Homeless Millionaires – How One Family Found Riches By Leaving Everything Behind.

 

The post Haida Gwaii Poets appeared first on Rik Leaf.

Change Your Words Change the World

Change Your Words You Can Change The World!

I spent four days in École Central Elementary School working with all 360 students to produce this multi media creative literacy project called, Change The World/Change le Monde. Since posting this video online, it has been viewed 9.9K times and was featured on CJDC TV news. 

Words like ‘madhouse’ ‘bedlam’ and ‘creative chaos’ were used on several occasions and some of the more ‘senior staff’ were captured on video covering their ears in a desperate attempt to muffle the deafening cheers. (Though smiles tugged suspiciously at the corners of their mouths at the same time)

The Plan…produce a digital media project that celebrated the community life of the school, highlighting themes like social responsibility and leadership and really set the tone for the school year. When I arrived Monday morning, I was given a schedule that looked like a piece of homework that maybe the dog actually should have eaten. Teacher’s names were scribbled and scrawled…some were crossed out and redirected with curved double-ended arrows indicating a reshuffling of exotic ingredients in some madcap creative recipe. I’m kidding! It actually showed me that the staff were engaged and excited to make this plan work for everyone. Cooperation is key to success!

Day One…I dashed from room to room interviewing all the students. What words did they use to describe their school, their class, teacher and friends? I asked them for personal stories of how someone had made their life better. I wrote everything down.

I compiled word banks and created a cache of stories from these interviews. A big colourful sign in the hallway that said, ‘Change Your Words, Change Your Mindset’ really caught my eye. (and imagination) At the end of Day One I sat down and channeled the day’s inspiration and wrote a song called, Change the World.

Day Two…bright and early I was once again scampering through the hallways, drifting in and out of classrooms like a wandering minstrel, teaching the new song to each class. In between rehearsals we worked out visual components of our project. Ecole Central is a French Immersion school, so language is a big part of their identity. ARTS posters are pinned on every wall spelling out the school’s community values. Acceptance/Accepter, Respect/Respecter, Together/Tous, Security/Sécurité.

Plans emerged for each classroom make giant, colourful posters that spelled out these words. It was a tactile way for the kids to engage with the words that express the values that create a safe, encouraging environment that foster their hopes and dreams.

We covered a huge area in one hallway with paper, creating a ‘School Wall’ where students could write personal iMessages like, ‘I feel safe here’ ‘I respect my friends.’ In the brilliant words of one little dude, ‘this is the most awesomeist graffiti ever!’

I explored the wild side of the playground with my camera, capturing the kid’s energy and enthusiasm in their natural habitat. When you’re in elementary school, the playground is where the real work of respect, acceptance and togetherness is done.

Day Three…flew by in a blur of filming, drawing, colouring and rehearsing as I raced from the highest room in the tallest tower to the deep dark recesses of Central’s WWII era basement. I’m not going to lie, 360 kids keep you hopping. One of things I love about being a facilitator is the energy builds exponentially because everyone is able to be involved in a way that plays to their strengths. I’m not the horse or the wagon…I’m just the wild guy with the guitar having the time of his life playing a melody that lets us sing together at ear-bleeding levels.

Day Four…the momentum continued to build through the day, coming to a deafening ‘world changing’ crescendo at the assembly in the gym, where the mood was electric and the kids sang so loud it felt like an AC/DC concert. I set up my portable recording gear and we proceeded to record and film the song three different times.

I bring 18 years of experience as a professional writer, performer and producer in the music, TV and film industry to each school to help students discover their talents, gifts and abilities so they can tell their story in ways they haven’t before. If this is something that would interest your school or community please contact me! info@rikleaf.com

It is a privilege to be able to invest in the lives of others.

Merci Beaucoup…Change le Monde!

 

 

 

The post Change Your Words Change the World appeared first on Rik Leaf.