EDU.SONG

Arkadia Records announces innovative new releases

EDU.SONG IS NOVEL WAY TO LEARN "THE CLASSICS"

Arkadia Edu.Song is an exciting series which brings great books to life through music. Each Edu.Song distills the plot, characters and themes of a classic work of literature into a short musical format that is both entertaining and enriching, with the aim of helping us see the timeless beauty and eternal relevance present in great books.

The Idea

Arkadia Records founder Bob Karcy met Mr Kweller through a mutual friend in the music business and, on hearing a demo of one song, knew right away that the approach was special. Says Mr Karcy, "I saw Edu.Song as a unique, non-intimidating way to reach students through something that is an integral part of their lives: music. Especially for those in less privileged areas and those lacking family support, we wanted to let students understand that these truly timeless stories — full of feeling — have meaning for their lives today."

And the connection seems to have been made, according to what Mr Kweller and other teachers are doing. "Their experiences showed that the songs peaked the interest of students to look at classic literature with fresh eyes," notes Mr Karcy.

The Titles

The initial four releases from Edu.Song are:

"Ain’t Nothing Odd About the Odyssey"
based on Homer’s Odyssey;

"A Shadow Too Long"
based on Cyrano de Bergerac;

"The Storm Within"
based on Hamlet; and

"Fear Is the Devil’s Fire"
based on Richard Wright’s Native Son.

The Music

Each carefully prepared Edu.Song release includes a cassette recording of a stylized, catchy song and a creatively thought-provoking study guide. Musical styles range from reggae/Caribbean-mood to country music to the blues to urban contemporary sounds.

The Edu.Song songs are the creations of Lee Kweller, a high school teacher and professional songwriter who lives in White Plains, New York. Mr Kweller’s compositions appear on several recent recordings. He has had many school choral compositions published and has written the book, lyrics and music for a children’s musical "The Crystal Voice" which has been performed in regional theaters.

The Study Guides

The Edu.Song study dual study guides were authored by John Esposito, who has a BA English and MS English/Education and has been junior high and high school educator for over 25 years, and by Joshua Brown, Harvard University graduate in history and literature and scholar of the classics.

More on the way

Future planned Edu.Song products include interpretations of Macbeth, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Grapes of Wrath and Romeo and Juliet.