HISTORY TRACKS Part One:

“Wilderness Road” “Some of these tales are well-known; some not-so… some feature real-life characters who were born or lived in Vermont or made their mark as they passed through; others are stand-ins for a race, a trade, an infantry division or a community. The stories caught my ear in much the same way that old ballads have and seemed to be asking for musical release from their dusty library shelves. For me, a life-long Vermonter, they deepen my love for the place I am so lucky to call home, and strengthen my belief in the power of history to share so many of the truest lessons we’ll ever need to hear. It’s an honor to have enlisted some of my local heroes to sing my work on this project. Whether you are a ‘woodchuck’, a recent transplant, a ‘flatlander’ or visitor I hope the songs bring an excitement for the intensely colorful history of this little corner of the world.”

HISTORY TRACKS Part Two: “Farmland”

“....And here are some of my personal favorites from the songs I’ve made up with young Vermonters over a dozen years’ work. It’s always been a gift to me to sit with the kids, to listen and tell stories to each other, and to discover what words they’d choose to re-tell them. Our continuing touchstone is the traditional ballad, and my classroom writing style is ‘a la collage’: I include as many perspectives as I can, and in the finished lyrics you still get to hear a lot of words and phrases just as they rolled from young brain to paper. Ranging from 1st grade to 8th and from rural to suburban, these folks have been my research team, staff writers, editors, focus groups and friends. A truckload of gratitude to them, to these fine young collaborators and their always gung-ho teachers AND to the fine young singers who lent their voices to the choruses… I remember them all proudly and fondly when I sing our work.”