[Previous entry: "County Hires New Code Enforcement Officer"] [Next entry: "Land Bank Seeks Input On Cady Mountain"]

06/01/2005: "Young Songwriters Record Their First CD"

From right to left: Tom Doenges, Debbie Nash-Strasser, The singers: Zack Milkis, Alexa Jobe, Ammah Joy Billington, and Emily Schultz; and two songwriters not present:Miranda McPadden and Katie Lanphere. Recording star Kenny Edwards in back

A year ago, The Executive Director of San Juan Community Theater Link, Merritt Olsen, asked Tom Doenges if he would help put together a workshop for young people that the Theatre would then incorporate into a grant, which would also provide a means to attract Karla Bonoff for a performance.

After several meetings and discussions, a group was formed to create a song writing workshop. Under Merritts direction, Kirk Furhmeister, Debbie Nash Strausser and Tom Doenges discussed the basic structure and idea of the class, and then put the ideas into a design and reality phase.

Kirk and Debbie were largely responsible for the classes and the material presented, and Tom was put in charge of the production of CD recordings of songs the students had written and sang.

The goal was to give the students a tangible product that they could take with them at the culmination of the class. As Kenny Edwards About Kenny and the audience listened to the CDs the students had recorded, it was obvious these young people had talent, and that the workshop was a success. Information provided by Tom Doenges