A song is a story waiting to be heard.
For the kids at Gilda’s Club Quad Cities, they’re learning to write stories through the Sing Me A Story Foundation, whose mission is to bring the voices of children in need to the world through music, according to their website’s mission statement. About a dozen kids within the Gilda’s family learned everything from brainstorming story ideas, to following a story line.
Those songs will eventually be given to recording artists who will turn the stories into songs.
For five-year-old Maddie, her imagination translated into a story about a pink bunny named “Bun.” After digging into a box of colored pencils, Maddie would scribble down her thoughts, one thought per page.
Her story was then handed to recording artist, Ellis Kell of River Music Experience in Davenport. Ellis, who’s an accomplished Quad City musician, gave Maddie’s story some beat and rhythm. Once Ellis recorded the song, he gave a copy to Maddie and her family, but instead of only providing a hard copy of Maddie’s work, he performed it for her and her family live at Gilda’s.
It’s an experience both Maddie and Ellis will likely remember for a long time.