MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Oct. 9, 2026) — Kid Pan Alley led songwriting workshops for fourth- and fifth-grade students at Sanville Elementary School Oct. 6-9 as part of Piedmont Arts’ educational outreach program.
Professional teaching artists Cheryl and Paul Reisler guided students through the process of writing original songs as a team, while sparking creativity, building community, and fostering respect for diverse perspectives. Students collaborated to choose a song topic, write an original melody and lyrics, and record the song once it was complete.
Song topics ranged from animals having a wild party in the jungle to finding hope in hard times and spreading love and kindness wherever you go.
The program culminated in students performing the completed songs live for their teachers and classmates.
Since its founding in 1999, Kid Pan Alley has inspired a creative tidal wave of more than 2,700 original songs written and performed with over 65,000 children. The group's award-winning studio albums feature many songs written with students, performed by artists such as Amy Grant, Sissy Spacek, Delbert McClinton, Kix Brooks, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, and many others.
The program was supported, in part, by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly.
Piedmont Arts’ educational outreach programs are presented free of charge to students and schools. The museum reaches more than 5,000 students per year with its programming. To donate to the museum’s Kay Smith Education Fund, click here.
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