{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"Middle Schoolers Turn Nutrition Lessons Into Music Through Real Food Songwriting Program","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":699,"description":"On a recent morning, a group of middle schoolers delivered a lesson on nutrition not through a worksheet or a lecture, but through a hook.“Don’t skip meals. Don’t skip meals. You’ll get cranky…”The song, written and performed by students at Liberty Middle School, is part of The STEAM Fund’s Real Food Songwriting Program — an arts-based initiative that invites students to write original music about nutrition, wellness, and making healthier food choices. The program has just wrapped up its latest run, and now the songs are reaching a wider audience, with a new student-created music video released every Monday.“The Real Food Songwriting Program is just one of the vehicles we use to deliver our mission,” said Gary Siegel, co-founder of The STEAM Fund, speaking alongside his wife and partner Judy Siegel via Zoom. “Our actual mission is to support musicians, artists, and the venues where they share their gift.”Using Music to Teach Real-World SkillsAt its core, the program blends songwriting fundamentals — rhyme, rhythm, and collaboration — with lessons about real food versus processed food.“It’s a songwriting program where we incorporate music to present the concepts of real food versus processed food,” Gary said. “And then help the students that are participating make good, healthy choices.”The idea grew out of an earlier collaboration with the organization A Single Bite, which resulted in a song called Real Food Rules.In early versions of the program, students worked together to write new verses to that song. Teaching artists guided brainstorming sessions, helping students turn nutrition concepts into lyrics that rhyme and fit a melody. The current version takes things a step further.“The new program that we’re doing now is sort of a hybrid,” he said. “The kids write their own original song about a topic that has to do with real food versus processed food and making good, healthy choices.”From Lennon Tributes to Local ClassroomsFor the Siegels, the move into arts...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}