SCSD Student Musicians Partner with Emmy-Winning Song Writer

“Jivana sundara cha.”
 
Henninger sophomore Babisha Gurung spoke her native language, Nepali, into a microphone in her school’s chorus classroom.
 
Life is beautiful.
 
Babisha and her fellow chorus members – including students in the PSLA at Fowler chorus – were participating in a recording session with Emmy Award-winning song writer Hughie Stone Fish. Mr. Stone Fish, producing a project called ‘Sounds of Unity,’ worked with local artists of different languages, backgrounds, and sounds to create a first of its kind music festival. He explained to students that he had already recorded musicians on the fiddle, performing jazz, rap, a Native American flute player, and more.
 
“Life is beautiful, yeah… every day is another day in some kind of magic paradise…”
 
The chorus sang various lines for several different pieces on the album. For most, it was their first time participating in a recording session.
 
“It was fun,” Henninger sophomore Jason McAuley shared. “If I want to become a future Beyonce, I have to get used to this! It was challenging to pick up on the timing – especially on the quicker parts. But I hope to work in the music industry one day – maybe as a backup singer or performing R&B or soul. This will be great to add to my resume and show my experience. Mr. Stone Fish was really energetic. Very nice, and easy to work with. I never expected when I came to school on a random Wednesday that I’d be singing on an album!”
 
PSLA at Fowler junior Naome Kato sang ‘life is beautiful’ in Swahili, her native language.
 
“I came to Syracuse from Uganda when I was eight,” she shared. “My language is my culture. The fact that I get to show my culture is so important to me. The people in my village will be so proud of me. It’s inspiring that people can hear us sing in different languages. I try my best not to forget my language – it’s part of me and it means a lot to me to be able to share it.”
 
In addition to inviting students to participate in the recording of an album, Mr. Stone Fish also hosted a Music Creation Festival at the CNY Arts Atrium, inviting anyone in the community to record a small part for the album and watch the record creation process in real time. All proceeds from the album and festival will benefit Mr. Stone Fish’s non-profit, The Arts Project Syracuse. We’re so proud of our students for sharing their #SCSDArts talents in this way! To learn more about The Arts Project Syracuse, please visit https://tapsny.com/.