With a visit from White Memorial (and their amazing live animals!), kids will explore winter wildlife, learn the fundamentals of songwriting, and create music inspired by the season!

The Songs of Nature Songwriting Program is a signature program designed by Julia Ford that combines music education, environmental awareness, and creative exploration.

Offered seasonally in partnership with local wildlife conservation centers, this program includes an hour-long presentation featuring live ambassador animals that teach children about their local ecosystems and the interconnectedness of nature. The group then uses what they’ve learned from the presentation as inspiration for their collaboratively written nature themed song.

Each Songs of Nature program focuses on a unique ecological theme:

• Winter: Holiday-themed program exploring how local plants and animals have evolved to survive the cold and find balance in harsh conditions.

• Spring: Earth Day–themed program exploring climate change, sustainability, and our responsibility to protect the planet.

• Fall: Halloween-themed program exploring “nature’s tricksters” (animal mimicry and camouflage)

• Summer: A multi-day songwriting camp exploring “nature’s musicians” (what music/sounds that can be heard in nature and who makes them)

Through guided journaling, musical exploration, collaborative songwriting and a lesson given by a local wildlife conservation center, participants learn the fundamentals of musical composition while deepening their creative connection to the natural world.