VIDEO PROJECT

"Where We Live"

Notes from John Farrell

The objective of this project is to have students in various classrooms introduce themselves and where they live through the song and a video they create. The song / video you created can be uploaded and posted here on the Bridges of Peace and Hope web site.

You are invited to use the song “Where We Live” to create a music video presentation that shows and tells others about where you live. The simple lyrics of the chorus could be interpreted to describe most places on earth. Those lyrics are;

Where we live The sun rises in the morning The stars shine at night Rain falls from the clouds We work and play We laugh and cry And we love Our friends and families Copyright John Farrell, Hope River Music

We have provided you with an mp3 recording of the song here on the web site. To download and listen to the song click here:

Download "Where We Live" .mp3 file

The version on the recording includes the chorus of the song being sung a total of four times. After the first and second chorus’s there are instrumental sections that are each approximately 50 seconds in length.  You can use these instrumental sections as a background to show photos of your class, school, town, state or country. Or you can use the instrumental section as background and have students (or adults) talk about where you live while showing photos or video that correlate to the narration. As we collect versions of the song from different locations we hope to edit the versions together to show different places in the same video. An example would be to have a video that showed segments including scenes from Africa, Europe and Asia. We need your help to make this happen.

The following list of the sequence and timings of the sections on the recording may be helpful in planning your video;

Chorus	0:00	to	0:31
Instrumental	0:33	to	1:25
Chorus	1:26	to	1:51
Instrumental	1:53	to	2:43
Chorus	2:45	to	3:12
Chorus	3:12	to	3:50

You can use the recording in the background and record your students singing along on your video.

To view a short report and see an example of a “Where We Live,” music video done by Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in the Lakeland School District in New York State click on the link below. The students worked with Bridges Advisor, music teacher Lorraine Cich, and other staff to complete their video in a very short period of time. If they had had more time they would have liked to insert additional photos and video of their school, the local area, and New York State, but they completed this wonderful video in less than two weeks. Our thanks to Lorraine, Thomas Jefferson School, and everyone that helped create this video clip.

SUGGESTED STEPS TO CREATE A “WHERE WE LIVE” VIDEO / ART PROJECT

The following guidelines are only offered as suggestions and they describe the creation of a video that would be similar to a live performance of the piece. If you have older students or teachers with editing skills and equipment we encourage you to create a more produced video that includes lots of photos, video and narration.

The process presented below is one possible approach. Be creative! Think outside the box and have fun!

Tell your class that they will be working on a Bridges of Peace and Hope project about where you live. The project will involve describing the place where you live using words and images. There is an organizing model with suggested steps included on the following pages. Feel free to adapt or change these suggestions to suit your needs. This project will be done by many classrooms around the world and finished pieces will be posted on the Bridges of Peace and Hope web site.

• Start by reading the lyrics to the chorus of the song. You can read them to the students, copy and distribute them, or post them somewhere in your classroom.  The words are;

Where we live the sun rises in the morning The stars shine at night, rain falls from the clouds We work and play, we laugh and cry And we love our friends and families

• Ask students to tell you what place they think these lyrics describe. The answer is that the lyrics could be describing almost any place on earth where people live.

 

Part A: Describe Where You Live

• The Bridges of Peace and Hope “Where We Live” project will ask students around the world to describe various aspects of what it is like where they live. To help you get started with your description, decide what the class wants to call the place where they live. It can be the name of a town, city, country, region, habitat or other classification. The sample verse includes the name of a state in the United States.

We live in New York State

This could have been a city, country, city and country, or something else. Below are other examples;

1. We live in Barcelona 2. We live in Budapest, Hungary 3. We live on an island near Australia 4. We live in the desert in Northern Africa

• After choosing a name for your “place” describe the place using some or all of the the following criteria;

Describe the natural surroundings of where you live Describe what the climate or weather is like where you live Describe what some of the homes look like where you live. What are they made out of? What size are they? Describe your school. How many grades? How many students? How many teachers? Do you wear a uniform? How do most students get to school? Describe where your food comes from. Are there farms near you? What do the farmers grow and or raise? What games do you play where you live? What sports are the most popular? Describe things about where you live that may be of special interest to you and to others. Describe any well know features or famous events or people associated with where you live. How do you celebrate special days? What do families and friends do to mark special occurrences like birthdays, weddings, graduations etc.

You can add or delete items from the suggested list above. The descriptions you choose do not have to rhyme. They can be any length you choose, but it is recommended that the whole piece be less than five minutes long.

Below is a sample verse describing certain aspects of rural New York State.

We live in (New York State) Where hills are green and trees grow tall It snows in winter and In summer it gets really hot The farmers here grow apples, beans and corn Some raise horses, sheep and cows There are mountains, lakes, and rivers In this part of New York Most of us travel in cars a lot Some of us ride a bus to school Most houses are made of wood Some are made of stone We play soccer and baseball, we dance We play video games and watch TV And we have parties with our friends Where we live

This sample verse could be supported with photos, art, and / or video, or it could simply be video of one or more children speaking. There isn’t a prescribed way to approach this. Use your own ideas.

 

Part B: Optional Art Activity for Your Video Project

• After you have written your descriptions for Part A ask students to create artwork that illustrates their words. Show what life is like where you live through drawings, paintings, sculpture or photographs. Ask the art teacher to help you with this part of the project.

 

Part C: Perform and Record Your Video Presentation

• Choose or ask for students to volunteer to read or recite the different parts of the descriptions of where they live. Have students practice their parts as much as possible  before doing the recording.

 

• Practice singing the chorus of the song “Where We Live.” Ask the music teacher, a pianist, or guitarist to accompany your class singing the song. If you are unable to get an accompanist use the song on the CD that accompanies the songbook or listen to the song on the “Bridges of Peace and Hope” web site.

• Make a video of your class singing the song and performing the verses (descriptions) they have written. Ask a teacher, parent, or high school student to do the videotaping so you can be the director. If students need to read their parts write them in large print on poster board and display them near the camera so the student is looking toward the camera as they read.

 

• If you want to make your presentation more artistic and dynamic add the drawings and paintings from Part B, and any additional photographs or video, to the narration.

• Add titles and credits to complete your “Where We Live” project. The class or group that does the project can identify themselves if you choose to.

 

Part D: Share Your Project With the World

If you have permission to post your project on the internet submit it to the Bridges of Peace and Hope web site www.bridgesofpeaceandhope.org Be sure you have parents permission before using any names or students faces on the video.

 

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