Roger Day — From First Idea to Finished Song: a Songwriting Workshop for Rockstar Teachers

LOCATION: In person, TBD
DATE/TIME: April 18, 4-5:30pm
COST: FREE, but advance registration is required
MORE INFO: chenauskyc@appstate.edu

Educator Workshop Series

Let the Educator Series inspire and rekindle your love of learning with and through the arts. This year, we are focused on providing high-quality arts education experiences for K-12 audiences at no cost. We add to that quality professional development experiences for educators that will enliven a passion for learning and spark an element of excitement and fun for all educators.

Please be in touch with Christy Chenausky (chenauskyc@appstate.edu) ahead of any educator series event to request a certificate of completion.

ABOUT ROGER DAY

Award-winning children’s musician Roger Day has devoted his life to making sure future generations sing loud, jump high, and — most importantly — DREAM BIG! His signature “wit, whimsy, and wordplay” have helped put smiles on the faces of kids from one to 92. From songs like “Mosquito Burrito” to “It’s a No-No to Kiss a Rhino” to “Parachute Girl,” Roger’s music shows the great respect he has for the intelligence and imagination of even our youngest friends.

What does a former camp counselor who studied German and spent 10 years playing college coffeehouses do with his life? Write and sing award-winning children’s music, of course! Roger Day takes inspiration from The Beatles, Tom Petty and even U2. A four-time Parents’ Choice® Gold Award winner, he’s worked with artists such as the Indigo Girls, Nanci Griffith and The Crickets (Buddy Holly’s legendary band). Roger wrote his first children’s song one Christmas when cash was short and the family gift list was long. The reaction from nieces and nephews was an enthusiastic “More please!” Encouraged, he kept writing. Soon he had enough songs for an entire show…he just wasn’t sure where to play them.

Then Roger got an idea. Whenever a college booked him for a coffeehouse show, he would volunteer to show up early, meet with a group of students and put on a community service concert for the local Head Start program. These made such an impact that the National Association of Campus Activities recognized Roger with The Harry Chapin Award for Contributions to Humanity, its highest public service award. By this time, Roger had two children of his own, with one on the way. He loved playing for colleges but felt writing and performing for kids was his true calling. So in a leap of faith, with no clear idea of where it would lead, he retired from the college circuit, became a full-time stay-at-home dad, and started writing exclusively for kids.

That leap of faith paid off. Roger now had enough songs for an entire CD. He released Rock ‘n’ Roll Rodeo in 1998 followed by Ready to Fly in 2001. The Indigo Girls sang with him. Nanci Griffith, too. Roger won his first Parent’s Choice® Award. Word spread. In 2003, he filmed a family concert DVD, Roger Day LIVE!  Dream Big! came next in 2007. Radio Disney played the title song; “I Like Yaks” went to #1 on XM’s KidsPlace Live; and he won his first Parent’s Choice® Gold Award. He won his second Parent’s Choice© Gold Award with the 2010 release Why Does Gray Matter? Described as “Schoolhouse Rock for the 21st Century,” it made innovative use of the brain as a theme for every song. In 2009, he was invited by Georgia Sea Grant to visit the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, GA. Roger’s job? Shadow the scientists, help them with their research, then write songs about what he learned. Roger created the album Marsh Mud Madness, which tells the story of the fascinating plants and animals that live in and around the saltwater marshes on Atlantic Coast barrier islands. Roger wrote songs about sea turtles, alligators, dolphins, ghost crabs and, of course, regurgitating vultures!

Roger’s newest album, Invincible!, is superhero-themed…with a twist. See, Roger believes kids already have all the superpowers they will ever need…right now!…to “Solve the Problem and SAVE THE DAY!” His favorite line of the album is when he sings “Life is full of problems. But it’s full of answers, too!” That’s the message he would love kids to take away from all his shows. The next project in the pipeline — with a song and video that have already gone viral — is Zookeeper’s in the House. It’s an outgrowth of the residency Roger did in 2017 with The Birmingham Zoo in Alabama. In addition to fun songs about the animals who live there and how best to care for them, Roger highlights the many STEM jobs it takes to run the zoo.

Roger was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. A 1985 magna cum laude graduate of Washington & Lee University in Virginia, Roger currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife Jodie, a Speech Language Pathologist. Roger and Jodie have three children; Thomas, a pediatric resident at Boston Children’s Hospital; Marjory, a logistics guru for WalMart; and Jacob, starting his first job as an accountant in MD. An Eagle Scout — and proud Dad of two Eagle Scouts and a Silver Award Scout — Roger still volunteers for Troop 137 in Franklin whenever his busy schedule allows.

Every season, affordable music, dance, film, and theatre events are offered to students and their teachers from K-12 classrooms across the region. Students experience everything from high-energy acrobatics and Appalachian music to international dance and literary classics brought to life through theatrical productions. LEARN MORE >>