Fowler brings different approach to local history

Aaron Fowler helps students to understand the process of putting what they’ve learned into musical verse during his week-long residency at Scott City Middle School.

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By Rod Haxton, editor

It’s not every day that learning about history will bring laughter from students.

Then again, it’s not every class that has Aaron Fowler giving history a musical beat.

Scott City Middle School seventh graders are gaining a different perspective on history with the assistance of Fowler and several local residents who have shared their memories and stories as part of a week-long “Stories to Songs” oral history project.

Fowler is in the Scott County district through a grant from the Finnup Foundation in Finney County.

On Monday, different classes conducted interviews with local seniors Jean Hardy, Larry Hoeme, Earl Kendrick, Thelma Miller and Doris Riner. Each class is then responsible for composing a song about the individual they interviewed in a process called “collective songwriting.” Fowler assists the students by helping them understand the songwriting process, developing lyrics and documenting local history through song.

The five songs will be performed by each class during an assembly on Friday afternoon.

The residency, says Fowler, addresses several core curriculum guidelines such as language arts skills of retelling stories and composition. Students learn to identify the parts of a story and are given real life experiences in which they can identify conflict and resolution.

But the Wichita musician hopes that students gain much more.

“One of the things I hope comes out of this is better communication between generations,” Fowler notes. “It feels pretty good when kids finish their interview and say ‘That’s pretty cool.’ And I hope that it gives elders a renewed impression of young people.”

Fowler also feels that students gain a greater understanding of their local history and how their grandparents and great-grandparents lived.

“History is more than just memorizing dates and events,” says Fowler. “This makes it more personal.”

This is Fowler’s first Stories to Songs residency in Scott City. Last September he was invited by the Scott County Arts Council to work with the elementary students (K-3) in a one-day residency focusing on literacy skills through music. The current residency focuses on the language arts skills of retelling and composition. The Finnup Foundation in Garden City, which has a mission to fulfill interests in families, youth, education and conservation, is funding the residency.

Fowler, who was a music teacher for 11 years, has been conducting residency programs throughout the state for about 10 years. Stories to Songs got its start in 2004 in Glasco and has since been expanded to include several communities. More than 60 songs have been written to record the history of these small towns and the lives of their community elders.

Scott City Middle School is one of four schools in Kansas who are participating in the program this year.

The public can attend the closing celebration at SCMS on Friday at 2:30 p.m.