Thursday, October 4, 2035 "Writing a Song with Guest Lecturer Susan Cracker"

Thursday, October 4, 2035 
Learning Target: Write a song together 
Prompt: Provided by guest lecturer/singer/songwriter and veterinarian Dr Susan Cracker. 
    Today who works as a Dr of Veterinary Medicine  who works at the VA hospital treating the service dogs.  
    Ms Stalter introduced her as Dr Susan Cracker, a veterinarian who was also a songwriter. She has found a very helpful way to combine the two." 

Ms Cracker said: 
    "I never would have made it through college if I wasn't also a songwriter. For two reasons, I paid my college bills with money I made as a singer, and I used poetry and songwriting as a method to memorize all the data I needed for my tests. 
    Then Dr Cracker strapped her guitar around her back and said, "How are you all doing today?" 
    About five people said "good." 
    She then said, "Sounds like a few of you are good. I bet the rest of you are awesome and were just too modest to admit it. I'm going to repeat the question and then I want all of you who are good to say "Good!" And all of you who are awesome to say "Awesome!"  
    "Here goes. How are you all doing today?" 
    We all said "Awesome" 
    Then Ms Cracker started playing this catchy blues riff. She said, "Raise your hand if you can tell me what kind of song I am playing." 
    She pointed to Jolene who said, "It's a blues song." 
    Then Ms Cracker said, "What is the name of this song?" 
    Barry raised his hand and said, "That same blues riff they use for any other blues song." 
    So she sang: 
    "I'm playing the blues, that same blues riff they use for any other blues song" 

    Ms Cracker then said, "Everyone repeat after me:" 
"I'm singing the blues to 
That same old blues riff they use for any other blues song/" 

    A few of us sang along. So she said, "These cliché twelve bar blues songs can be very repetitive, which makes them easy to learn quickly. So this time everyone can sing along." 

    She then said that it is repetitive this song could get very boring fast, So we need to write a few more lines. Raise your hand if you know why people sing the blues." 
    I raised my hand and said, "Because they are poor." 
    Maria said, "Because they are lonely." 
    Amar said, "Because they have been driven from their homes by war." 

    She then started singing again,  
"I'm singing, because I'm lonely and poor, and I lost my home in the war. (now you all do it)" 
Then a bunch of us sang along with her. 
"I'm singing the blues because I am lonely and poor and I lost my home in the war."

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