By Sara Ballenger

Santa Rita School parent Tami Mulcahy has been following her passion of singing and songwriting and encourages the students of Santa Rita School in Los Altos to do the same.

“I have been a songwriter since I was 15 years old,” Mulcahy said. “I always thought it would be really neat to write songs with kids and see what would happen.”

Mulcahy began exploring the relationship between kids and songwriting with her daughter’s third-grade class at Santa Rita.

“The song ‘Kids Rock’ was the first song that we wrote,” she said. “That was such a hit with the teachers and Mr. (Steve) Peck (the principal), I got more of an open door into the other classrooms.”

Mulcahy has been working with Santa Rita students over the last couple of years. After the sixth song was written, Peck expressed an interest in recording their work.

“She is encouraging and positive with the students so they feel like they are able to contribute and be part of the songwriting process,” Peck said. “As a principal, I realize that having a long-term relationship with an artist helps the students see the creative process as something more continuous.”

Seven songs on Mulcahy’s new compact disc, “Kids Rock,” were co-written by Santa Rita students. Mulcahy rounded out the CD with a few kid-friendly songs of her own, including “The Miracle of Music,” a tribute to Music for Minors.

The PTA paid for the recording of the songs co-written by the students and half of the duplication costs, Mulcahy said. One parent mastered the CD in the recording studio and another provided the cover art.

Many of the songs tie in to the school experience. “The song ‘Take a Page from Your Book’ is about Martin Luther King Jr.,” Peck said, “because of his ideals and visions, which are translated into a common playground experience of connecting with a child who looks different and inviting him into a game or activity.” Another song, “California or Bust,” talks about the California gold rush.

The CD was formally released at the Santa Rita back-to-school picnic Sept. 20.

“The songs were even more meaningful given our need to come together as a community,” said Peck, referring to the events of Sept. 11. “The kids spontaneously got up and sang the songs with Tami.”

Teaching children songwriting skills is one of Mulcahy’s goals. “I teach the kids that songwriting is made up of form, furniture and feelings,” she said. “Furniture is the details and that’s what goes into the songs.”

Peck sees Mulcahy’s work as filling an important gap in music for children.

“She seems to have filled this niche in songwriting for young people,” he said. “We have the sweet songs of early childhood and there is the pop culture the older students enjoy. I think Tami provides meaningful songs for kids in the middle years.”

“Kids Rock” is available for $15 at Linden Tree Children’s Records and Books in Los Altos, online at www.cdbaby.com or www.kidsrock.org, and at the Santa Rita School office.