On Tuesday, November 13, I attended the Statewide Homeless Awareness Conference in Honolulu. It was all made possible by our first music video, Singing to the World. A writer from The Huffington Post became aware of our songs and asked if we could write and perform a song about homelessness. The students and I were honored to take on this project. It was because of the article published on The Huffington Post about Dream What Could Be Done, that Holly Holowach, the woman in charge of the entire conference on homelessness, invited me to speak and share our video.
It was a huge honor to be able to share our message with so many others dedicated to the same cause--I could really feel the emotion in the room as people were watching the video. I also shared some of what the students from the Lanaʻi Class of 2020 had to say on homelessness, and here are some of my favorite quotes:
"In the future I will stand up and talk to one city, two cities, three cities, or four cities. I don't care how many cities I go to. I only care about changing the world." --Mika Badillo
"I think everyone should have a home and a family. People in other parts of the world are hungry and eat from garbage cans, and drink dirty, polluted water. These people deserve fresh water and good food. They deserve it from the second they were homeless and hungry. It's not their fault.”
--Lauren Campbell
"What I know about some homeless people is that they talk to themselves sometimes, and that is because they don't have people to talk to." --Kishia Sigrah
I also had a table in the lobby where I sold CDs and DVDs, and I'm happy to report that I sold out of both--and was able to donate 25% of the proceeds back to Partners in Care, one of the organizations at the conference.
Which brings me to this announcement: Our DVDs have finally been finished! Included on the DVD are all ten music videos by the Lanaʻi Class of 2020 and several other bonus features. Thanks to Travis Turqueza (parent from the Class of 2020) for the front cover design, and helping to creatively put the students artwork together for the back cover.
Because of the recent accomplishments of the Lanaʻi Class of 2020, we have also been featured in several Lanai Today issues. Thanks to author Alberta De Jetley for the continuing support. Featured below are the different articles (click on the image to enlarge if you would like to see the text at a larger size):
"One World" is a new music video and song about the past, present and future of the beautiful island
of Lana'i, and the hopeful realization of Larry Ellison's vision for a
sustainable future there. The creation of the song and video was a total team effort by the Lanaʻi Class of 2020, the parents of the students, and the community.
The inspiration and concept for "One World" began with an unfortunate occurrence on the Lanai High and Elementary School campus. Early in the school year, the tennis courts where the students have recess were vandalized with graffiti. With all of the new construction and renovations going on around Lana'i City, we wanted to send a positive message to the community to take care and appreciate what we have.
Thanks to Ian Hanlon, the new 5th grade language arts teacher, Sandy Patterson, who taught the Class of 2020 in fourth grade, was able to switch places to 5th grade for the day. Much like our other songs, she helped foster the creative process, and the students brainstormed ideas for lyrics. After several drafts and re-writes, "One World" was finally finished.
I took a new approach when recording "One World," and tried to feature as many different voices as possible. I was surprised to find out how much everyoneʻs singing had improved, and how the overall sound of the group was much stronger--practice must have payed off! I also was able to feature live drums (Brian Stephens--who recorded them in Florida and sent over the files electronically), and guitar (Bobby Zarsoza, a local resident) for the first time. Jerry Brocklehurst, who also mixed our "Songs For a Better World" album, did a great job as usual with the mix.
We finished the recording just on time to perform it live during our Maui field trip in September. It was great for the class to have a new song they were excited about to perform along with "Every Day is Earth Day."
The plan was always to create a music video for the song, but we were spurred on by the Eia 'o Lānaʻi Film and Video Contest, where the object was to create a video about why Lanaʻi is the best place to visit.
Assisting me in filming, creating, and conceptualizing the video was my brother, Adam Glickstein, and Travis Turqueza, a parent of one of the students in the class. They helped so much in creating the final product, and Iʻm very grateful for all their hard work, expertise, and hours spent on the project.
We had a window of only two weeks to film, edit, and finalize the video in order to meet the deadline of the contest. I quickly organized a group filming date on a Saturday, as well as a few other week days to film a few individual kids singing.
Turnout for the group filming was incredible--and we had great parent support as well. We filmed at many different locations--the Lanaʻi Heritage and Culture Center, Dole Park, Lanai High and Elementary, the Catʻs Meow, the community swimming pool, the recycling center, and Bennieʻs Farm. This was all in the span of a few hours, and all done on foot--except for Bennieʻs Farm (located right next to the airport). Many parents walked along with us, and also provided rides to anyone who wanted to travel with us to the farm. Amazingly, everyone still had a smile on their face at the end of the filming, so a big thank you to all who came and supported us.
I also must say a big thank you to Alberta De Jetley, community member, and author of the Lanaʻi Today. She was kind enough to invite students, parents, and I to her farm (Bennie's farm) and give us a personalized tour. She also agreed to participate in the filming of our video, and we are so glad she could be a part of it. Also, a big mahalo goes out to Ron McComber, who graciously donated his time, and spoke to the students about his electric car. It was great to have Ron be involved in our project as well!
We finished just on time to make the deadline for the Eia 'o Lānaʻi Film and Video Contest, which was put on by the High Maka Maka Film Society and Four Seasons Resorts Lanai. We were also invited to perform a couple of songs before the viewing of the video entries and contest, which was held at the Lodge at Ko'ele. We had another great turnout of students, parents, and families--at least thirty students, which is most of the class. It was very neat being able to perform our songs at the Lodge, and even cooler when we were selected as the winner of the contest!
Since the video was produced by my brother, Adam, class parent, Travis Turqueza, and myself, the video was entered into the adult category, with the prize being dinner for two at the Lodge. Alice Bouman, the Resort Manager (pictured next to me), was kind enough to offer a prize to all of the students. On the following Friday, she came and delivered this amazing surprise:
Needless to say, everyone was completely thrilled and it was a great way to celebrate the completion of "One World," and the accomplishments of the Class of 2020. Thanks so much to Alice and the Four Seasons for their generosity and support.
We hope that "One World" will make a difference in the community here on Lana'i, and be a model for other communities around the world.
Friday, September 21, 2012 was a great day. The entire Lana'i Class of 2020, teachers, parents, and I took a field trip to Maui. We met at the school bright and early at 7 AM, and didn't wind up getting back to school until after 7 PM. This blog entry will take you through our exciting day from start to finish.
Before I go into our trip, I have to say a little about how it was able to come together. Last year the students and I were lucky enough to be in Sandy Patterson's 4th grade classroom, where her passion for creativity sparked our interest to write song lyrics, and a lot of what we have been able to accomplish is due to Mrs. Patterson's support and guidance. In addition to everything she has already done for us, Sandy made a personal donation of $900 to cover all transportation costs for the trip. A huge thank you to her, and I know that investment will pay off for many years to come.
Another thank you to Maui County Councilmember Riki Hokama and his staff for helping to set up our day by providing free MEO bus service throughout the day, free lunch, and the opportunity to perform. We are extremely grateful, and know our cost for the trip would have been much higher without the help. Castle and Cooke also provided free shuttle service to and from the boat harbor here on Lana'i, so mahalo to them as well.
Now, here are the events of our fun-filled day:
6:45 A.M. To our suprise, Kerri and I arrive at school to find six students already there waiting for us (they didn't have to be there until 7), and apparently a few were there since 6 A.M!
8 A.M. We leave Lana'i on the Expeditions ferry bound for Lahaina, Maui under smooth conditions. Only a few kids get a little seasick, and by the time we arrive on Maui, everyone has recovered and is ready to go.
9:15-10:00 A.M. Travel by MEO bus (provided by Councilmember Hokama) to our first stop, the Council Chambers. On the way, we have an unexpectedly quiet ride thanks to a few very helpful and vocal chaperones, Shelly Barfield and Duane Ozoa. If we ever have another field trip, we sure hope they can come again!
10:00 A.M. Upon arriving at the Council building, we are met and escorted by John Min, who works with Councilmember Hokama. We are loaded into two elevators, and after three or four trips up and down, everyone has made it to the 8th floor. We are instructed to wait quietly for about ten minutes while a speaker finishes their testimony.
10:15-10:45 A.M. My favorite part of the trip. We are called into the Councilchambers, and introduced as the Lana'i Class of 2020.
The council honors us with a resolution, and shows two of our music videos, "Every Day is Earth Day," and "Singing to the World" while the class sings along. Every one of the students' names is read, and it's the most inspiring, cool part of the entire day. I hope to be able to view and post the entire ceremony on Youtube or put it on a DVD for the students (it was filmed by a local public access station, Akaku TV).
I am asked to give a few remarks (which I found out just the day before). We also have two student representatives, Brooke Belista and Elijah Gima-Maltezo, each give a short speech. They both do great--my favorite line is when Elijah says, "We used to be known as the naughty class, but now we're the awesome class!"
After the ceremony is over, we have the chance to take a group picture with the Councilmembers, and get a few really nice shots:
11 A.M. We hurry down eight flights of stairs: Maui's first public electric charge station is being dedicated, and we are the closing performance. We arrive just on time to hear Alan Arakawa, the Mayor of Maui County, give us a Proclamation and introduce our group.
Here's the video of our Proclamation, and performance of "Every Day is Earth Day:"
11:30-12:30 Thanks to Councilmember Hokama, we are taken to the awesome Hui Aloha playground and provided free Bento lunches.
The kids were very well behaved and quiet throughout the morning, so having lunch at the playground is a perfect way to get their energy out. 1 PM We arrive at Maalaea and visit the "Story of Hawaii" museum. Thanks to one of our chaperones, Travis Turqueza, we are all given complimentary admission and given a free tour. It's a great educational experience, plus we all get to cool down in the airconditioning.
2 PM We perform "Every Day is Earth Day" and "One World" (a new song/video we are working on) at the Retail Plaza at the Maui Ocean Center.
2:15-4 PM Groups tour the aquarium with their chaperones. Thankfully, we are able to have two adults per every five to six students--great parent and teacher support! The highlight is the underwater tunnel and watching the divers feed the sharks and big fish.
4-4:30 PM On the bus ride back to Lahaina, most of the kids fall asleep. The three girls in front of us: Kishia, Samantha, and Mika, all have the same idea. One of the parents also reminds us maybe we should be more prepared for the boat ride back (see picture) than we were on the way over.
4:30-5:30 PM I pick up hamburgers and cheeseburgers for the students, parents, and chaperones as they wait under the Banyan tree.
5:45-6:30 PM On the boat ride back to Lana'i, most of the students are upstairs on the outside, while Kerri and I fall asleep downstairs.
7:15 PM We finally arrive back at school, where parents pick up the students.
It's been quite an amazing past few months, and I haven't been able to keep up on this blog as much as I would've liked. After the success we had with music videos Singing to the World and Every Day is Earth Day, we got an unexpected request.
During my effort to promote the music video Singing to the World, I discovered Christine Schanes, a blogger for The Huffington Post who is the director for The Center For Justice and Social Compassion (CJSC) and Children Helping Poor and Homeless People (CHPHP). She had written a blog about the Dalai Lama, who was making a visit to San Diego (his next stop after Hawai'i), so I thought it would be appropriate to share our music video with her. She loved it, and responded by asking us to create a song and music video about homelessness, promising to feature whatever we came up with in an article for The Huffington Post. I knew this would not be an easy subject to write about, made more difficult by the fact that Lana'i City has very few, if any, homeless people. Despite its challenges, the students were enthusiastic, and wanted to take on the challenge.
I talked over the project with the language arts teacher, Sandy Patterson, and we decided to have the students start the process by writing an essay on homelessness--much like how our peace song was created. Brooke Belista, a student in the class who had a big part in writing the lyrics for our first two songs, was inspired to take the assignment home, and came up with what wound up being the entire first verse, and a large portion of the chorus. I was very impressed with the depth in her writing, and it motivated me to dig deeper with the music. The rest of the lyrics were a collaboration between many different students--they even had a part in altering the melodies I came up with. In the end, it was a true team effort by the class, and we wound up with a very moving song that we hope can make a difference in the fight against homelessness. Currently, we are in the process of putting together a music video that can best capture the sentiments of the song.
Brooke was just getting started--she began writing song after song--it seemed as though each day she came up with a great original idea and had lyrics ready for me. The first one she gave to me was Being Green, a natural follow up to Every Day is Earth Day. She took a very simple idea and gave the lyrics a fun, unique twist--I hope the music captures the spirit of the words.
In the meantime, Brooke had several other ideas for songs, including Smile, We're Better Than a Class, and Happy Mother's Day. I enjoy working multiple projects at once, so I was happy to be so busy writing songs. In the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to create a full album of songs with the Lana'i Class of 2020. I expected it take at least a year, as it usually takes a while to develop songs when collaborating. Luckily for me, I had the full support of the classroom teachers I was working for: Jerod Savage and Sandy Patterson, and was allowed to use class time to work on the songs with the students. Thanks to them, we were able to finish a lot of writing during the school day.
As more and more songs started coming together, I made the decision to go ahead and record an album with the Lana'i Class of 2020 before the end of the school year. I knew that I would need a lot of help, especially with the recording process. My wife was kind enough to offer us the use of her office to record our first song, Singing to the World. However, I knew it would be difficult coordinating more recording sessions where the band wasn't playing. I found out that on campus there is an actual recording studio, which high school English teacher Karen de Brum uses for one of her media classes. I spoke with Karen about our project, and she generously allowed us to use the studio as much as we would like--even while she was having class (the studio is sound-proof and in a separate room, which is located in her classroom).
Somehow, after many, many hours spent recording during school (and some after), we were able to record an entire album of nine songs. This never would have been possible without the use of the studio, so a big thank you goes out to the school and Karen de Brum for giving us access.
I decided on the title of Songs For a Better World for the album: all of the songs have a message and a goal to make the world a better place. It aligns perfectly with my goals as a songwriter, and is exactly what I had in mind when I started this website and blog.
The album will be released Saturday, June 30th, at the Pineapple Festival in Lana'i City, where the Lana'i Class of 2020 will be performing selections from their CD.
Thanks goes out to Jerry Brocklehurst, who mixed and mastered the entire CD on short notice--I couldn't have done it without him. Also a big thank you to my brother, Adam Glickstein for helping to creatively put together students' artwork into a very nice design for the CD. Next, thanks to Travis Turqueza, for his photography work and helping to put artwork together for the album (cover, inserts, and back cover). Lastly, thanks to my wife Kerri, for putting up with all of the long hours and late nights spent working.
Coming up right behind the CD will be a DVD of all of our music videos, so please watch for that sometime in the near future.
We hope that these songs will inspire everyone to do something (even if it is small) to help make the world a better place.
The Lana'i High and Elementary 4th graders are a special group of kids--since the completion of our song "Singing to the World," they have been inspired to create more great art and music. Brooke Belista, who had some of her poetry featured in "Singing to the World," brought new song lyrics into school soon after "Singing to the World" had been completed. In collaboration with myself and another student, Dian Ozoa, "Every Day is Earth Day" was created.
I was so impressed with the students' writing and motivation and it drove me to create the best song I possibly could. Coincidentally, we had a field trip coming up where we would go down to Mauna Lei beach and pick up trash. Our class was entered in a contest called "Debris From Our Sea," where the goal is to create artwork out of the plastic debris collected from the beach. I decided that I must get the song recorded as quickly as possible in order to go through the same process as "Singing to the World," and also shoot a music video. I was very lucky, and had the support of both 4th grade teachers, the school administration, and even a high school teacher, who lent me her recording studio for several school days.
We also had a lot of help setting up the field trip--Castle and Cooke generously donated two of their shuttle buses to transport us down the other side of the island. Luckily, we were able to finish our recording of the song before the field trip, and had the class do a live performance down at the beach. Other than Mrs. Patterson hurting her ankle, the field trip was a complete success. We had seven truckloads of trash, and there's still a lot more down there--Mrs. Patterson hopes to make this at least a yearly event.
After returning to school with all of the debris, the students were asked to make artwork out of it. Here are some of the creative designs they came up with:
We sent our completed music video, along with pictures of our artwork, into the "Debris From Our Sea" contest, which is being sponsored by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. We got a very positive response immediately, and although the contest winner hasn't been announced, they've featured our video in their blog as a special sneak peak into the "Debris From Our Sea" contest.
My brother happens to work at Sea Life Park on O'ahu, and they're holding a big Earth Day event on April 22nd. He's been helping me with several things on this project, including creating the great design for our iTunes cover and possible T-shirt:
We've been invited to perform our song live and show our music video at Sea Life Park for their Earth Day event, and have gotten a lot of help from a lot of people to make it happen. The Lanai High and Elementary School Foundation has been working with the Class of 2020, and generously partnered with Island Air, donating plane tickets and transportation for six students and two adults to attend the event!
I feel extremely blessed to have gotten so much help, and worked with so many good people. We hope to make the most of our opportunity, and share our song and message with the world. Pasted below is the music video, and the lyrics to the song:
Every Day is Earth Day
Lyrics by Brooke Belista, Dian Ozoa, and Matt Glickstein
