Description
Imagine a Circle: the GVP Songbook, featuring over 50 songs written by, with, and for GVP students.
Global Village Project in Decatur, GA is a tuition free middle school for refugee girls coming to the U.S with interrupted education. Students hail from Afghanistan, Congo, Syria, Burma, Chad, Eritrea, Tanzania, and from wherever refugees are newly arriving. The Arts, and particularly Singing and Songwriting, are among the pillars of the school’s foundation.
“Sometimes a concept that is hard for students to grasp becomes easy when we write a song about it,” says Elise Witt, Director of Music Programs at GVP since its inception. “We have written songs about Punctuation, the Oceans, and the Secrets of Math. We also have a song about the 5 Freedoms in the UN Rights of the Child, and songs about Malala Yousafzai and Wangari Maathai.”
“If you walk on my bridge, I will never leave you,” a student written line from the “Bridges” song, became the theme of this year’s Welcome Walk, connecting the towns of Clarkston (where most of the students’ families live) with Decatur (where the school is housed).
Witt also uses a technique she calls Polyrhythmic Multi-lingual Musical Collage – “I See You With My Heart,” layers the word for “Welcome” in each of the 9 languages spoken at GVP, creating linguistic and musical harmony.
Containing over 50 songs written by, for, and with GVP students, Imagine A Circle is also a guidebook for using singing and songwriting to teach English Language Learners (ELL) around the globe. Designed by artist Jessica Lily, the book includes song lyrics, music notation, stories about the songs, teaching tips, and striking student artwork.