Isn't it amazing how music can bring out so many different emotions in a person? It can make you happy or sad, scared or peaceful, whether it contains words or not.
When my children were preschoolers, we used to listen and dance to many different kinds of music together. Music has always been a big part of my life, and the right song can make a bad day seem a whole lot better. Especially when you're listening to it with your kids!
That's why, when we have to talk about serious things like bullying and internet safety with our children, it can really help to turn to music. It's exactly what the extremely talented Lyle Cogen did when she created her one-woman musical play, Sticks & Stones.
As a "musical performer & recording artist, writer, and Lincoln Center trained teaching artist," Lyle Cogen is about as well-rounded as they come. I can still remember the way my children reacted to her music when they were preschoolers. There's something magical about it, and her passion just seems to shine through in all that she does.
That's why it didn't surprise me when, as per her web site,
"she was commissioned by Tilles Center For The Performing Arts and funded by the United States Department of Justice to write and create a piece of theater about bullying for adolescents that would inspire self reflection and dialogue to bring about change for the better."
Wow. Just the fact that Lyle was entrusted to work on a project of this magnitude says so much about the person she is. It wasn't until I actually saw Sticks & Stones with my own eyes and ears, though, that I realized just how special this woman really is.
I can't even begin to tell you how captivating this show is. As I sat behind 150 students watching it, I couldn't help but notice that I was not the only was who was completely fascinated by this one-woman show.
Not only did Lyle Cogen sing, but she transformed herself into many different characters and personalities right in front of our eyes. With a few key props and costume changes, and a significant amount of energy, she literally had us all - and I mean ALL - on the edge of our seats.
Was it the music? The acting? The photographic images? The YouTube videos? I'm pretty sure it wasn't any ONE of these things. It was the fact that she pulled so many different resources together to help all ages of people to put themselves in the places of the "bullies, the bystanders, and the bullied." It was emphasized that bullying comes in many different forms, and even cyber-bullying was addressed.
I don't think there was a person in the room who couldn't apply some aspect of the show to his or her own life. That one performance could literally have changed the lives of the children in the room for the better. Who knows, it may even save a life one day.
A theatrical production like this one is a perfect example of the power of integrating many different types of resources. When you think about it, the show combined many different forms of literacy, music, art, technology, and real world connections.
You just don't find many people with so much creativity and vision these days. Most of us have a really hard time making a career out of doing what we love. Lyle Cogen does what she loves every day, and has found a wonderful way to change the world for the better. As an award-winning musician, a writer, a teaching artist, an actress, and a mom, she is a role model for all of us.
For more information about Sticks & Stones, you'll be interested in reading The New York Times' A Play About Bullying That's Taken From Life.
You can find other related resources at these prior posts:
Literacy encompasses so much more that just reading books. It's about the connections we make through written and spoken words, but what about when no words are needed? Music and art come in many forms, and are sometimes enjoyed the most through silence. After all, sometimes it's the words we don't say that matter most.
