schools
april20
2017
Getting to the Roots of Ryhthm
on the rhythm of delivering lyrics, using
some examples like some Woody Guth-
rie’s ‘talking blues’ and all the different
ways he phrases things and the different
rhythms that he uses. And then the kids
will have a chance to write their own
verse to a Timberbound song.
The culminating event is at the
Vernonia Grange in the evening and
we’ll be inviting the students that we
teach to come at the beginning and per-
form the song they learned with us dur-
ing the day in the workshops. The school
portion is to show the students the music
and then the concert in the evening is to
demonstrate the community coming to-
gether and having music be a part of that
event.”
VV: Your regular musical collabora-
tor for these types of workshops is Ben
Hunter, but this time you have a new
partner, Tina Dietz. Who is Tina?
JS: “This is one of Tina’s first official
gigs with us and she has a lot of expe-
rience with preschool and kindergar-
ten aged students. Ben and I have only
worked minimally with kids that young.
Tina is kind of our expert for the young-
er set, so she’ll take the lead and then
she’ll assist with the older kids. Her
main instrument is her voice and she is
also a fine ukulele player.”
VV: Why is teaching children about
roots music so important to you person-
ally?
JS: “Well, it’s mainly because our soci-
ety has put music consistently in such a
formal context and rarely do people ex-
perience music in a social context – the
closest thing is probably riding in the car
with your friends and singing along to
something, which I’m totally in support
of! But I also want people to understand
that making music around the campfire
or having a party and making songs be
a part of the party and also, just making
music to please yourself, is really impor-
tant. For me, it’s about bringing back
and reviving music in a social setting, so
that students understand that you don’t
have to be on a stage to make music. I’m
very committed to social music mak-
ing. In America a lot of that has been
drowned out or faded away, and that is
not healthy for our society.”
VV: Why do you think music is so impor-
tant to our society?
JS: “Beyond the crucial aspects that it’s
a way to express yourself and a way to
have fun, it’s also a way of bonding.
There’s a bond that is possible when you
sing a song with somebody and there is a
unique kind of kinship that act inspires.
So, while I think that our society is strug-
gling so much being polarized and divid-
ed, music is a place that we can all come
together, regardless of our background,
our political leanings, or our unique cul-
tural contexts.”
VV: You keep popping up here in Verno-
nia for concerts and performances. Why
is Vernonia important to you as an art-
ist?
JS: “Well, it’s for several reasons. Some
of the music that drew me into becoming
a musician was created there – that’s def-
initely important to me. I grew up near
Vernonia, in Rainier, but both places are
very similar. I’m always striving to get
back into those communities around the
old home place where I feel like I can
make a difference or I can make a con-
tribution to the community, even though
I don’t live there anymore. Even though
we’re only doing two days of program-
ing in Vernonia this time, my goal is to
expand that to three or even five days
next year. With the Rhapsody Project,
we have a new initiative to deliver re-
curring programs because we want to
help young students who get interested
in the music have avenues to get deeper
into it. There are a host of festivals and
workshops around the Pacific Northwest
who are looking for more young people
and more diverse audiences. I know
there has to be some young and prom-
ising musicians in Vernonia who could
benefit from going to these events that
have educational elements to them. I’m
working to make this more strategic and
create a pipeline of students in Vernonia
to explore the wider world through the
lens of music and get connected to more
of American culture through the medium
of folk, blues and roots music.”
VV: How does it feel to have finished the
recording of Woody Guthrie’s Columbia
River songs and why was this such an
important project for you?
JS: “It’s both a relief and encourag-
ing to finally come out the other side
of something that was really a slog at
times – something that had a lot of mov-
ing parts and a lot of uncertainty around
it, as far as just getting it completed and
done right. There is also some pride in
being part of a group of musicians that
put together a wonderful set of record-
ings. This project was important be-
cause, quite honestly, it was just silly
that all of those songs had never been
recorded, because so many of them are
such good songs. So it was important
Register Now
for Early Childhood Screening Fair
The Early Childhood Health and Education Screening Fair is
being provided for all 2, 3, 4 and 5 year olds of Columbia County.
This free screening fair will provide parents and guardians
information about their child’s development as it relates to
current health and education guidelines.
Friday, May 19th
Sunset Park Community Church
174 Sunset Blvd, St. Helens
Parents and guardians are requested to make
appointments by May 12 so materials can be mailed
and completed before attending the screening fair.
Please call the NW Early Learning Hub
for an appointment
(503) 614-1443 or (503) 366-4100
13
continued from front page
from a folkloric background. I wanted
those songs to be out there in a format
other than just notated music, because
songs are there to be sung. That Woody
Guthrie could have made this unique
and special contribution to northwest
culture, and then not have all of them be
available for people to listen to and learn
from, was just absurd. And it was im-
portant to me personally, because again,
it was some of the other music that drew
me into becoming a musician and was
the music for me that reflected the char-
acter and the nature of the northwest. I
wanted all that music to be available to
people.”
VV: What other projects are you work-
ing on now?
JS: “Right now my big project is this
Rhapsody Project initiative to build a
coalition between community members,
like Shannon Romtvedt at the Vernonia
Library, and school administrators, festi-
vals, and schools of music, that are work-
ing with us to draw more young people
into the traditions of American roots
music. That’s my main focus – creating
a pipeline of young people, especially
those from disadvantaged backgrounds
and racial minorities, that can get a foot
in the door and have the same opportu-
nities that more privileged white folks,
like myself, have had for a long time.”
VV: By the way, where does the name,
“Rutabaga” come from?
JS: “That goes back to ‘Dog Salmon
and Rutabagas’ an album of music by
local musicians Hobe Kytr and Dave
Berge who were big musical influences
on me. I always struggled with rhythm
as a musician and then Hobe taught me
to play banjo and studying the banjo re-
ally improved my rhythm tremendously.
I named it ‘Rutabago Rhythm Work-
shop’ because it felt right and because
the rhythmic quality of any region’s folk
music helps define it. So it’s a way I can
get down in the weeds of the cool and
nerdy parts of music that can also be fun
for people once they open themselves up
and let the rhythm of something be a ve-
hicle for self-expression.
On the ‘Dog Salmon and Ruta-
bagas’ album there was a song that in-
cluded a group of locals singing along,
and they were called the ‘Rutabaga Cho-
rus.’ My mom was a member of that
chorus when I was a baby and she was
holding me in her arms while she was
singing; you can hear me crying in the
background of the recording.”
The “Rutabaga Rhythm Workshops”
will take place at the Vernonia Schools
for K-5 students on April 26 and at the
Vernonia Library for homeschool stu-
dents on April 27. Joe Seamons and
Tina Dietz will also perform at the Ver-
nonia Schools on April 27 at 2:00 pm.
On April 27 Seamons and Dietz
will perform with Timberbound at the
Vernonia Grange. Beginning at 6:00 pm,
the event will include an open house and
potluck dinner, a performance by local
students with Timberbound, a slide show
of photographs by Jeanelle Wiggins pre-
sented by Cory Colburn, and a concert
and dance with Timberbound.
Vernonia Students of the Month
March 2017
Marissa Naeve
Grade 3
Marissa’s teacher says she is a conscientious,
kind and responsible student who often thinks
of other students. In her academic work, Marissa
puts forth her best effort and embodies the
expectation of being a learner. Marissa says
her favorite subject is math. She likes to do
Taekwondo and also volunteers to help
community members with yard work.
Clarissa Coburn
Grade 8
Clarissa is known by her teachers as a student
that is on task, organized and puts forth 100%
effort. In class she is polite, willing to volunteer,
and does the right thing. Clarissa says her
favorite subject is band where she plays the
flute. In her free time she likes to draw.
Kailia Jackson
Grade 11
Kailia is an engaged and involved student. She
played volleyball and was a wrestling team
captain and the District Champion at 106 pounds.
She was on the Prom Committee and is running
for Student Body President. Outside of school
she is coaching softball for U10 girls this spring
and is also an intern with Vernonia’s Voice.
Sponsored by Vernonia’s Voice