Children’s entertainer Norman Foote was back at Port Moody’s Mountain Meadows elementary this week to teach students about songwriting and performance.
Last October, the Juno-award winning musician worked with the school choir for his Halloween Howl show at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam, which also featured the Heritage Mountain elementary ensemble.
This year, parents and music teacher Carla Read asked Foote to return for a three-day residency.
“I was really happy to come here and be with Carla and the kids again,” he told The Tri-City News on Thursday before the students sang the school song they had penned with him, at an assembly.
On a large piece of paper in her music room, Read jotted down themes from Foote’s choral and songwriting instruction. And among the key messages were the importance of melody and rhyming; Foote also compared writing a song to painting a picture, using colour and texture.
Principal Kate McMeiken said the students benefitted from Foote’s presence. “He has been such a joy to have around,” she said. “They’ve had quite a spring to their step this week.”
• Norman Foote will appear at The Act in Maple Ridge on Oct. 30. His Halloween Howl show will include choirs from Webster’s Corner and David Jones elementary schools. Visit theactmapleridge.org for tickets.
jwarren@tricitynews.com
