May 25, 2016
Vol. 1, Issue 15
Seventh Grader Writes Lyrics to Song for West Junior High Choir to Perform The art of songwriting is something that many people attempt, but only a talented few can really master. For Shakopee West Junior High seventh grader Nicole Sly, songwriting is a relatively new hobby, but one she can already claim success in. Challenged by her music teachers – Mrs. Katie Irvin and Mr. Gary Butler – Sly wrote lyrics to a song titled “Music is the Key”. Within a matter of months, the lyrics were not only set to music by a senior college student, but the song was then performed by the West Junior High Seventh Grade Choir on May 23rd. “During first semester I chose an elective class called Drop the Beat. We had an assignment to write a rap song and I was one of the first people to finish the song,” Sly said. “Mrs. Irvin told me that there was an opportunity to showcase my work if I was interested in writing a song for the choir. I told her I would give it a try. I wrote the first draft and then Mr. Butler and I worked on revising it.” Butler used his connections at St. Olaf College in Northfield to arrange for a senior composition major named Philip Biedenbender to put Sly’s song to music. “I’ve wanted to do this project for years, but I had never found the right student,” Butler said. “I explained the project to Philip and he was very excited to have this kind of experience where he could get experience writing for this age level.” Sly and Butler did some work on the song before Winter Break and then came back in January and put
Story Continued on Page 2
Top: Nicole Sly and Mr. Gary Butler. Bottom: Sly outside of West Junior High.