Category: What’s New
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STEM plus Songwriting equals STEAM SONGS
What is a STE(A)M Song? Imagine the love song of an invertebrate…or a glacier…or a drone. In my new STE(A)M Song series, I’m using STEM-related concepts as metaphors for songs about love and life. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and when you add (A)rt, such as songwriting to STEM, you get STE(A)M.…
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New Jersey School Visits
Big thanks to Christine Kelly at Sussex Avenue Elementary School in Morristown, Mary DeNunzio at South End Elementary School in Cedar Grove, and Linda Leddy at North End Elementary School in Cedar Grove for hosting me. I had fun sharing my childhood diaries and all my tips for writing stories and songs. Students and staff…
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Songwriting Workshop at Stedwick Elementary School
How spirit-lifting it was to walk into Mary Ruth McGinn’s classroom at Stedwick Elementary School and see a circle of third graders with their ukuleles, ready to write songs. Before my arrival, the teacher and I had already begun to give the students the experience of critique and revision—an essential part of the songwriting process.…
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Rock Creek Valley Writing Residency
Thanks to the PTA, especially Rachel Schiffenbauer, the fourth-grade teachers, staff, and students for another fun and productive writing residency at Rock Creek Valley Elementary School. We focused on creating character. Each student chose an animal and, through a writing exercise, developed that character’s personality and motivation. We wrote monologues and also worked on how…
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Winning the Maryland Author Award
Dear Members of the Maryland Library Association, I’m so thrilled to be the recipient of the MLA’s William G. Wilson Maryland Author Award for 2019. I’m already working on the talk I’ll be giving at this year’s conference in Cambridge, MD, and I look forward to connecting with you all there. I’ve been a fan…
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Introducing Lucy McGee
The Lucy McGee Book Series is a collection of books (best for ages 7-10) that feature a girl named Lucy and her friends and family. Lucy is a budding young songwriter and a ukulele player. Each book contains 3-4 songs along with lots of fun extras, such as mp3s, lyric/chord booklets, instructional videos, and more…
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Workshops, Classes, and Events
Learn with me For more info about any of these events, please email info (at) maryamato (dot) com. Mary Amato’s Singing and Songwriting with/for Baby Three Wednesday nights 6:15-7:15 pm September 5, 12, 19 at College Park Arts Exchange in College Park, MD. Note: This class will be offered again at the same time on November 28,…
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Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery
Even Ghosts Need the Chance to Speak the Truth, Don’t They? “Sam finally allows himself to look up. He and Lacy lock eyes, and a joyous warmth rushes through him.” Meet Lacy and Sam. She is a sixteen-year-old wannabe slam poet who wakes up in an historic cemetery–confused. He is a 17-year-old Civil War soldier…