Collaborating with a Beatle

Kids play McCartney to Fab 4’s Lennon

By Nadine Osborne | Manor Ink

Livingston Manor, NY – During a year so harrowing and devoid of human connection, the John Lennon Real Love Project sought to reignite the spark of collaboration and creativity usually found within Livingston Manor Central School students.

On June 7, seven total classrooms made up of 4th, 5th and 6th graders attended a Zoom meeting in famed Beatles member John Lennon’s honor. They learned about his life mission of spreading peace, love and harmony, and the ways in which his songwriting embodied these ideals. During the following week, the 6th grade class participated in an interactive workshop which taught them the professional songwriting techniques that Lennon used to write the titular song “Real Love,” giving the program its name.

Recorded during 1977, “Real Love” spent 19 years in production limbo before its eventual 1996 release. It serves as a time capsule of sorts, a celebration of Lennon’s life and a commemoration of his untimely death. In it, Lennon writes, “Don’t need to be afraid / No need to be afraid / It’s real love, it’s real / Yes it’s real love, it’s real.”

Learning to write lyrics

Beth and Scott Bierko, co-founders of New York City-based workshop Theatre Within and the creators of the project’s curriculum, led the kids through a discussion about how to write lines like Lennon’s that fit cohesively with the overall flow of the piece. The students delved deep into the technical aspects of lyricism, and learned how to write lines with the same meter and number of syllables as Lennon’s words.

What resulted was some truly amazing lyrics, which the kids then memorized and recorded in collaboration with LMCS music teachers Dan Smith and Jordana Maraj. Once the recording process had been completed, the kids submitted their verses to the Bierkos, who edited them into the original song alongside Lennon’s voice, creating a unique rendition of the piece.

“I am extremely proud of the students for the work that they did, and am pleased with the level of collaboration that they were able to achieve via Zoom,” reflected Smith. “[The workshop] came as an opportunity during a time when kids needed to experience something different. It was just something really special during a year that was really tricky.”

From NYC to Manor and Liberty

The John Lennon Real Love Project was originally green-lighted by the Lennon estate, promoted on the official John Lennon Facebook page and then launched in 2014, at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx. It was meant to provide outreach for those who had either lost a loved one to cancer, or suffered from it themselves. It offered children a way to cope with illness and grief by channeling their emotions into a creative outlet.

Following the success of the project at LMCS, the program was initiated in Liberty Central School in early October. The first assembly of the school year for 6th, 7th and 8th graders was dedicated to the introductory film about Lennon’s life and his dreams for peace and love. It is thanks to Gary Siegel, a former music teacher at Liberty Central School, that students from both schools had access to such an amazing opportunity.

Siegel has dedicated himself to music education for 29 years, mentoring thousands of young people in the process. In 2016, he co-founded the Siegel Family Music and Arts Endowment Fund, which seeks to provide local students with musical and artistic opportunities. An avid attendee of the John Lennon memorial concerts that take place at Manhattan’s Symphony Space performing arts center, Siegel managed to connect with Theatre Within, the organization behind the Real Love project. Together they formed a partnership that brought the program to LMCS and Liberty students.

The LMCS rendition of “Real Love” has earned a spot on the homepage of Theatre Within’s official website. Siegel and his wife Judy hope to extend this opportunity to even more schools in the years ahead.

John Lennon’s local connection

This program is not only widely recognized throughout New York and promoted by reputable sources, but bears a deep and personal connection to Lennon himself, one that lives on within the Manor. He and his wife Yoko Ono purchased a house on DeBruce Road during the early 1970s, taking a liking to the area’s beautiful scenery and calming atmosphere. It proved the perfect relief from the glaring spotlight that was constantly on Lennon, attention that would ultimately put him in harm’s way and cost him his life. On Dec. 8, 1980, Lennon was shot and killed under the archway of his residence, the Dakota apartment complex in Manhattan.

While the world mourned his loss, Lennon himself likely would not have wanted them to grieve, as he openly expressed during his lifetime that he did not dread his own passing. “I’m not afraid of death, because I don’t believe in it,” he once said. “It’s just getting out of one car, and into another.” If he were still alive, there is no doubt that he would feel greatly honored to witness how his message resonates with local kids, and greatly impressed with the talent of LMCS students.

Those who participated in the program, as well as any other aspiring songwriters, should heed his words of wisdom. “Make your own dream,” Lennon advised. “That’s the Beatles’ story, isn’t it?”