- Type: Art Audio File
- Collection: European Art
- Culture/Region: Europe
- Subject Area: Music, Visual Arts
- Grade Level: K-12, College, Adult, Families
From March 18-22, 2013 students from John B. Cary Elementary School with Kid Pan Alley wrote songs inspired by works of art from VMFA’s collection. “Stay Close By My Side” is one of 8 songs they created. Sing along:
(Chorus)
Stay close by my side
I’ll keep you safe
Even when there’s thunder
Even when there’s lightning
I’ll keep you safe
Even when it’s frightening
I’m here with you
I can almost smell the rain
And feel the wind
Blowing through the mane
Let’s gallop through the open fields
To the safety of the woods
Hide under the old oak tree
And write another chapter in our book
(Chorus)
And when the storm is finally through
We’ll see the sun
Shining in the fields of blue
The rainbow lights the sky
Red, violet, green, and gold
Where does it come from?
This I want to know
(Chorus)
Even when it’s frightening
I’m here with you
Even when it’s frightening
I’m here with you
What would your song about Portraits of Granadilla and Skyscraper Colt sound like?
(Written and performed by Paul Reisler, Heather Mae, and Ms. Farrell’s 1st grade students, John B. Cary Elementary, Richmond, VA)
About Kid Pan Alley
Paul Reisler, Founder and Artistic Director of Kid Pan Alley
The initial inspiration for Kid Pan Alley came after a successful songwriting residency in Rappahannock County, Virginia. Since that time, Kid Pan Alley has shared the joys of songwriting with children around the country. The organization’s mission is not only to give children a hands-on opportunity to participate in the creative process, but also to help them develop a broader awareness of the world around them, including exposure to pertinent environmental, social, and political issues.