E D U C A T I O N

Schools who have participated in CWP

Washington (Sunnyside, WA)

Keene-Riverview (Prosser, WA)

Roosevelt (Granger, WA)

Colville, WA

Wilbur, WA

Hofstetter Schools

Harrington Schools

Toledo, WA Schools

By ROSS COURTNEY

VOICES STAFF WRITER

SUNNYSIDE -- Odes to patriotism, pets, schools and, yes, SpongeBob.

SquarePants come together on several compact discs written and recorded by Sunnyside elementary school students.

During the past two years, roaming musical educators Cowboy Buck and Elizabeth have visited Pioneer, Washington and Outlook elementary schools to help students produce their own music CDs.

Last month, Buck and Elizabeth compiled Pioneer Elementary's second CD.

The two musicians help kick-start the creative process, but all the lyrics come from the children's imaginations.  Then the musicians record the children's voices.

"The kids come up with ideas themselves; he sort of guides them," says Cricket Van Pelt, a fourth-grade teacher at Pioneer.

Buck says the purpose of the songwriting "is to get crazy and wild."  They like silly songs -- such as "SpongeBob Comes to School" and "Yummy Macaroni" -- as well as songs like "I'm an American."

The husband and wife duo, whose real names are Paul and Elizabeth Stierle of Castle Rock, first perform a school assembly.  Then they visit classrooms one at a time and lead students in composing lyrics.

They sing the lyrics back to the students, recording with impromptu melodies.

The next day, they visit the schools again, recording the students singing choruses or sections of the verses.  They splice in as much of the student vocals as they can, then play the songs at one more assembly.

Often, they throw in an evening assembly, too, for parents.

Buck and Elizabeth give one CD to each participating teacher, then charge $3 each after that.  They don't attempt to copyright any of the songs.  Instead, they encourage the school to copy them and sell them for fundraisers.