ARTICLES
Frederick County students Step Up! and sing
out.
Read the article here.
Chords of Courage is proud to announce that its
song “Marching Feet Can Make It Right” was a winner in the Great American Song Contest.
Congratulations to songwriter and Chords of Courage CEO, Caron Dale. You can
hear the award winning song here.
Chords of Courage Awards Concert lets Frederick
County students ‘Step Up’
“I’ve never really written a song before,” said Vivian Renkey, the 12-year-old
seventh-grader at Monocracy Valley Montessori Public Charter School. Still, that didn’t stop her
from becoming one of four finalists in the Step Up! Frederick Student Songwriting Contest.
Music with Social Consciousness
Few things are as heart-warming or inspiring as listening to children sing. A
nonprofit group, Chords of Courage, is elevating that experience to include children writing their
own songs. Called the Step Up! Frederick Student Songwriting Contest, the winning music by local
high school and middle school students will be performed in concert at Frederick Community College’s
Jack B.
Kudos for a Brave Performance
Ms. Benedick and Ms. Carpel brought non-profit Chords of Courage to work with a group of sixth grade
students. In the Social Studies curriculum, students are learning about Civil Rights Era. The group
researched Civil Rights leaders, and decided to write their song about Odetta, who is considered the
voice of the Civil Rights Era. Their song, “Singing with Odetta,” tells the story of discrimination
she faced as a teenager and her response to it. They performed it for the whole sixth grade, to
robust applause. Working with songwriters, students were inspired by the project to start an
anti-discrimination and anti-bullying campaign at MEHMS.
Chords of Courage to present student songwriting
contest
Chords of Courage will present the inaugural STEP UP Frederick! Student Songwriting
Contest in Frederick County. Using songwriting as a catalyst for social change, the contest encourages
middle- and high-school-aged students to write compelling songs about people of particular courage.
INTERVIEWS
FindUsFridays: Student Songwriting
Contest
Blog Talk Radio Interview with Caron
Dale
Marching Feet featured on WPFW radio on Dr
Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday
This song written by Chords of Courage songwriter and founder Caron Dale
about Congressman John Lewis and the March on Selma, was featured on WPFW radio in
Washington DC on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
Chords of Courage Debuts New Song at Norwegian Embassy
Chords of Courage was honored to debut their song, “We Are Malala” at the Norwegian Embassy in
Washington, DC. The Ambassador’s wife, Cecilie Jorgensen Strommen introduced the performance by
informing the audience that the Norwegian word fo “to vote” is the same as “to have a voice.”
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenage girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban while on
her school bus, has used her voice for years to advocate in support of schools for girls. “We
Are Malala” is a powerful song about her tribulations and incredible courage. Chords of
Courage’s Caron Dale performed the song she and Laura Baron wrote at the Embassy’s event marking
the 100th anniversary of Norway becoming the first country to provide women’s right to vote.