Kidlit TV asked me to talk about my Lucy McGee series and answer one very interesting question. Find out about my books and what I’d do if I found a whale in my bathtub.
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. About a week before the workshop, McGinn emailed me a draft of a collaborative song, I wrote comments, made suggested edits, and emailed it back. She shared that with the students and together they re-wrote one of the verses and talked through why I had made the suggestions I had made.
During the workshop, we set those lyrics to music and practiced it. After that, we wrote an entire new song together. The focus for this workshop was on a trio of elements that are often employed in songwriting: rhythm, repetition, and rhyme. As we wrote, we tested each lyric line to a beat to make sure the rhythm of the words sounded right. Sometimes, we had to make a change, such as substituting a one syllable word for a longer word if the line sounded awkward.
When it was time to write our new song, I taught how I often start by writing down a lot of possible ideas, rather than just one idea for each line. For example, in the first four-line verse, when it came time to write the last line, I asked them for lots of ideas. I wrote them all down so we could pick the one we liked best.
If I built a wall,
I’d build three more
It would be a small house
With a door
(or one of these instead)
With four doors
With sixteen doors
With a floor
With a floor and a door
We ended up liking the humor and the symbolism of sixteen doors.
Next, we worked on the idea of establishing and repeating a pattern. In this case, the pattern for each verse was four lines with the second and fourth line repeating. We also worked on the idea that the chorus of a song can be simple and make use of repetition.
Here’s the whole song:
If I built a wall,
I’d build three more
It would be a small house
With sixteen doors
If I built a window
I’d look outside
I’d say, “Hello World”
To the bright blue sky.
CHORUS:
So many people can come inside.
So many people can come inside.
Come inside!
If I built a roof
I’d make it warm
It would keep us safe
From the big dark storm.
If I built a floor
I’d use it for my band.
Everybody come
And jump and dance.
CHORUS:
So many people can come inside.
So many people can come inside.
Come inside!
Come inside!
Thanks to Carpe Diem Arts, Inc., the non-profit arts organization that organized and funded the experience, to Busy Graham, CDA’s founder, Ms. McGinn, and all her students.
Free Skype-an-Author with Mary Amato
April 25, 2019
Every year, I offer on free Skype day for teachers and students. During the year, I take reservations for time slots for free 15-minute Q-and A on a first-come, first-served basis.
To schedule your free Q&A session, please email me info (at) maryamato (dot) com from your school/library email address with all of the following info listed in one message:
- Preferred time (listing your time zone, please)
- Your name and your skype name.
- Name of school, snail mail address, and phone number of school or library
- Grade level(s), size of audience, and book(s) on which you’d like the Q/A to focus.
If your session is approved, you will receive guidelines via email and your school name will be added to this schedule.
Looking for a longer Skype workshop? See more info.
Rave Reviews
- “The skype visit with Mary Amato was great and inspiring!” –Mary Litwinczuk, Weaver Lake Elementary, MN
- “We had a very successful Skype experience with Mary Amato. We did the two-part character creation workshop. We would like to schedule for the same time next February!” –Hope Preston, Gill St. Bernard’s School, NJ
- “This afternoon was incredible! All 70 sixth graders were riveted to the screen while you were talking. I can’t thank you enough for all the wonderful things you shared with us about your writing process. What a truly inspiring discussion. One really neat coincidence was that I had just shared my writing notebook earlier in the morning and then you shared yours. The connections were flying like wild fire…You have made a wonderful lasting memory for so many students today.” –Franklin, WI 6th grade teacher
- “My students loved her and I loved the way she subtly got across the message of ‘grit.’ She told students how important it is to revise written work… and how mistakes can be a fabulous opportunity for learning.” Patricia London, Media Specialist Avon Middle-High School, MA
From Students:
- “I don’t like writing, but when Mary said that she did not like writing as a kid and now she is a author it encouraged me to want to learn how to write now. She let me know that I could be a great author some day.” – R.J.
- “The thing that really was a life lesson and really inspiring was the quote she said – ‘The only way you fail is by not trying.’ – Laykin
- “The Skype with Mary Amato taught me that if you jot something down you are more likely to remember it.” – Ava
- “It was a great experience to meet Mary Amato, and talk to her about her writing process! Skyping is a very fun activity. I would love to do it again. It is fun to see different ways authors, like Mary Amato, create amazing books. So all in all I loved Skyping with Mary Amato.” – Bailey
We are Singing
Here is a quickie demo of my new song to hear all the parts.
I’ve had requests from my friends who sing in groups and choruses to provide sheet music for melody and harmonies for my song.
Here are links to find sheet music you can print out.
Key of C…if you’re playing uke or guitar…chords are C, F, G. Please share and enjoy!
Rock Creek Valley Residency
Thanks to the PTA, staff, and students of Rock Creek Valley for bringing me in for a residency in fiction writing. Every student wrote and revised a story. We focused on details, dialogue, and drama. Listen to Josie’s story to hear one great example of the work. The recording was a group effort using an the voice recorder on a smart phone.
Writing Workshops for Adults
Wednesdays (January 11, 18, 25, Feb 1)
Noon to 1 pm
Robert Harper Books
6216 Rhode Island Avenue, Riverdale Park, MD 20737
Each workshop will involve:
- Brief lecture-discussion on a different theme
- An in-class writing exercise
The themes will be applicable to fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, play writing, and songwriting.
- January 11: Concrete Writing: Exploring the Show-Don’t-Tell Rule
- January 18: Point of View: Exploring the Unusual Persona
- January 25: Between the Lines: Exploring Subtext
- February 1: Withholding: Exploring When/How to Withhold Information from the Reader
Bring a notebook or fully-charged laptop to each session. Feel free to bring your lunch if you’re coming from work on your lunch hour.
Questions about the workshops? info@maryamato.com
Questions about Robert Harper Books? robertharperbooks@gmail.com
Class size is limited.
$15.00 per workshop if you register for all four in the series; $20.00 per workshop if you register for individual workshops. Registration is required and payment must be received in advance. To do so, email Mary Amato:info (at) maryamato (dot) com.
Mary Amato writes for both the adult and the children’s market. She has published sixteen works of fiction for young adults and children and has a new YA and a new series coming out. For adults, she has written numerous essays, articles, poetry, plays, and songs. She has a master’s in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University and has taught locally at Johns Hopkins and The Writer’s Center as well as for numerous institutions and organizations around the country.
Book Club for Kids Radio Show about Our Teacher is a Vampire
Kids are the most fun book reviewers and have great voices for radio. I had a blast appearing on the Book Club for Kids radio show. The students had prepared by reading my book Our Teacher is a Vampire and Other (Not) True Stories. They chatted about the book and then asked me questions. Enjoy the episode and more from Book Club for Kids. Thanks to host Kitty Felde and her sub for the day, Mindy.
Private Lessons
Join me to explore:
- Writing (Fiction, Poetry, Plays, Essays)
- Songwriting
- Performance
- Ukulele
- Beginning Guitar
Kids, teens, and adults. In person or via Skype.
I love to tailor experiences to help you reach your goal whether it’s to craft a poem, sing at an open mic, jam on the uke, or write your own songs. Learn ways to overcome writer’s block and/or stage fright. Learn to love your notebook and/or a microphone. Learn to embrace your own voice and find the joy in expressing yourself.
Contact me for more information.
info (at) maryamato.com
ILA 2016
I am looking forward to seeing fellow educators, authors, and lit lovers at the 2016 International Literacy Association Conference.
I will be on an engaging panel moderated by kidlit rock star Judy Freeman with authors Erica Perl and Tom Greenwald to show and tell how we use theater techniques in our middle grade fiction. Entertainment and education on one stage, plus lots of resources for educators to bring into the classroom.
Here’s my schedule. Come by and say hello!
- Book Signing: Get Happy with Lerner Publishing Group, Saturday 2-3 pm, Booth #2123.
- Panel Session: Five-Six-Seven-WRITE! Middle Grade Authors on Using Theater Techniques to Shape Narrative Writing with authors Erica Perl, Tom Greenwald, Mary Amato, Moderated by Judy Freeman, Saturday 4-5 pm; Event #1759. HANDOUT.
- Book Signing: Our Teacher is a Vampire and Other (Not) True Stories, with Holiday House at Publishers Spotlight, Sunday 10-11 am, Booth #2022.
Voice in Poetry at Burning Tree
Writing a poem from the point of view of someone—or something—can be a thrilling way to experiment with and learn about voice. In a three-day residency at Burning Tree Elementary School in Bethesda, I watched fourth-grade poets turn into dogs, alligators, snakes, unicorns, and more. Thanks to the students for their eager participation and to the staff for making it happen–especially Mary Kunst, team leader, and PTA parent Stacie Gould.
Overall, we explored:
· Word Choice
· Tense
· First-Person POV
· Authenticity
· Line Breaks
· Diction and Slang
· Rhythm and Emphasis
First, I took students through the process of “becoming” a character. We did character interviews and imagined our lives and personalities from the inside out. We wrote rough drafts of a poem from the POV of the character. I asked students to let the character’s personality and identity emerge through showing, not telling, an important literary concept. I shared my own rough draft and revision, and we discussed the importance of having a great attitude about revising, seeing it as an opportunity to shine. Instead of focusing on traditional forms (like haiku or sonnet) or rhyme, I asked students to focus on voice and point of view. Each student read his or her work aloud to me for feedback. During the final session we explored the importance of performing, of reading work with a unique voice. To add some fun, we collaborated in layering in a few sound effects.
We created one recording in each class as an example. Each student created a unique voice.
I encourage students to experiment with making their own voice recordings at home. Smart phones typically have excellent, easy-to-use voice recorders (often called Voice Memos and found in the pre-loaded Utilities app on the phone.
To do this at home:
1.Write a poem or a prose piece that has a lot of voice.
2.Rehearse reading the piece with expression. Mean what you’re saying. Speak clearly with energy.
3.Record the piece.
4.Name the recording.
5.Share by emailing it to yourself, family members, etc.
A note about recording types: Some phone automatically create files labeled with the extension m4a. If you’d like an mp3 of the recording, you can either find free software for formatting the file or you can set your “import as” setting on your computer’s media player (such as itunes) to “import as mp3.”
