Michael, I sent you some ideas to your e-mail.

But also wanted to say besides finding your project inspiring. I love
that you started the e-mail I am a construction worker. The one thing
that really ticks me off about this whole 'creative class' thing that
Cle papers seem to want to beat into the ground is that the people in
it (the creative class) are highly educated white collar and above
workers.

Of course, I do not know yr education background. But I want to start
a Workers Creative Class. I went to H.S. only, and I can't believe in
2003, someone is using that same crap that my high school teachers
used about "art is for them" I don't like the idea that the book
anyhow seems to make 'the creative class' elite. We are all creative.

Denise



--- In CreativeClevelandCoalition@yahoogroups.com, Michael Durkay
<durkay@s...> wrote:
> Hello People,
>
> I need some help or advice. I am a construction worker from
Cleveland, I am also an artist and musician. I read the different
letters to Creative Cleveland and wonder if anyone could help me out
a bit. I am not sure if it is the type of work anyone would want to
be involved with, but it does contain many of the elements that are
discussed in this News Group. Sure it's a children's project, but
that doesn't mean it lacks an artistic component. Right now I've
been in discussions with a management group from L.A., they are
trying to hook something up between me (and the children's project
I've been working on) and a former head of animation at Disney. One
of their concerns or questions is "Where is your local support?" I
have none is the reply. I am not involved in an artistic world, I
just go to work and come home and take care of my kids, but that
shouldn't mean the project isn't worthy of consideration should it?
>
> The initial idea was to redefine children's music. Then it got more
involved with literature, photography, and more. I do not have the
means to do anymore than I already have, but I have done alot on a
construction workers paycheck, enough to get the attention of the
West Coast. But maybe I should hang it up. If anyone would be kind
enough to tell me what they think of it or offer up any advice, I
would appreciate it. Good or bad, it doesn't matter. I just need to
evaluate whether or not to pursue this endeavor any further. Our site
is www.monsterrockers.com , I would suggest listening to the story
and song for Kaleidoscope first, maybe it can help people to
understand the purpose and motivation of the project.
>
> Below is an overview of what I've done so far. It may be a little
lengthy, but I think it sheds a little light on the whole thing. Any
feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
>
>
> About 4 years ago we started a children's musical project, one
that would "redefine" our idea of what children's music is and what
it can be. At the present time the traditional children's music ends
at about the ages of 5 or 6. It seems the market knows it's
limitations and has no desire to explore beyond that scope. This
raises an important question, "When is a child no longer a child?"
After the age of five or six, children are catapulted into a pre-teen
market market before they have a chance to mature into it. Are
Britney Spears, N-Sync, Eminem, Snoop Dog and others writing songs
for 5, 6,7, and 8 year old children? I don't think so, yet children
under the age of 10 make up a large portion of their fan-base. This
lost age group is just being lumped into one genre or another; there
isn't one that really stands out as being theirs. Yes, there are
attempts being made to find that niche, the "Tweens", and many are
trying to lay claim to the lost age group, yet the music provided
> tends to still cater to the traditional ideologies that make up
children's music rather than creating new ones. We believe we have a
formula that not only works, it can change the face of children's
music for the future providing artists an almost entirely new market.
And keep in mind that change is inevitable as X-genners are becoming
parents and they have an entirely different mindset then the present
market norm. The fact that we respect our audience and their ideas
will surely appeal to children and their younger parents.
>
> The Music: What we have developed is a program in which the music
is adult in sound, but with a lyrical content geared for the more
mature child. the project is called "Monster Rockers" a group of 5
animated characters that deliver reality based stories and music with
a "pop" sound. What do you, as an adult, look for in a song? If you
can relate to the lyrics of a song, how much more does it mean to
you? Children are no different, by applying the method of which
popular music is constructed and keeping the content within the
context of childhood, I created a rather unique presentation. It is
my contention that children love to think, to be stimulated mentally
and emotionally, have many wonderful ideas, and have a need to be
heard and respected. We are not about preaching to kids and telling
them what is right or wrong, quite the contrary. We pose serious
questions, albeit in kid form, through the use of stories and songs
and get responses that are incredibly significant. The music is
> ever changing, we do not have to subscribe to one genre, we can
explore musically like no other project. In fact, I have local
musicians, music students, art students, and teachers, all of who
would like to contribute their talents and expertise to the project.
We are not a "Band", we are a vehicle for talent and expression with
one common goal, "it's for the kids."
>
> On the CD, "Monsters Theme" introduces the 5 characters in the
band. The story and song "Boys and Girls" stresses that girls are on
an equal level with boys. "There's no I in Team" introduces the
concept of working together towards a common goal so that all may
share in the outcome. Making the right choice based on good judgment
is the message of "Peer Pressure". Lastly, "Kaleidoscope" handles the
issue of racism from the perspective of a child, there is no story
for this one, just a statement that, in it's innocence, makes it the
most powerful piece on the compilation. Are any of these issues
relevant in our society? By providing children insight and the
ability to see a much larger picture you are giving them the tools
they need to become better people, students and are reaching them at
a very crucial age. This is only our first installment of an ongoing
series.
>
> The Stories: The stories consist of situations of everyday life
that many, if not all, children are sometimes faced with. I utilize
the "short story" format and it is written in script form like a
radio play. This is in by no means to undermine the importance of
quality literature, this just ensures that a young reader will be
able to read and understand the underlying meaning of the piece
quickly, so they can immediately start developing their own ideas.
With Character Education being a key feature of the "No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001" The NCLB would like to see put into practice
instruction about citizenship, justice, respect, responsibility,
trustworthiness, and giving. This is according to the US Department
of Education. The "Monster Rockers" provide all this and more, in a
seamless delivery, no issue is forced or forward, it all kind of just
happens. The stories are never condescending to our audience, as they
are all based in a child's reality. This is why we use
> photographs instead of illustrations, this is a result of my own
research. I found that when presenting certain situations, children
relate far more passionately to photographs of other children like
themselves than they do to illustrations. But if this is true, why
the Monsters?
>
> The Characters: This is simple, it is a necessary hook. If we
presented the music as adults, children would be intimidated.
Remember the age group we are dealing with here, to a young child
parents, teachers, and adults in general are authority figures,
children tend to not be as open, and are reluctant to share their
ideas. The cartoon characters are not authority figures, they are on
an equal level with the children plus they have a certain look that
allows them to be musicians that can jam, and kids really approve of
the style. But how do we do live shows? In costume of course, then we
are still not adults, the characters simply become 3D. It becomes a
combination of musical theater, storytelling and a rock concert and
the shows are interactive to boot. Each character represents
different character traits that we all have; humor, confidence,
kindness, courage, intelligence and a little bit of confusion. The
characters aren't always perfect examples of these traits, they each
just
> lean towards one that makes them who they are. Ian to
intelligence, Buddy to humor, Sidney to kindness, Delilah to
confidence and Derek is always a bit confused. Many children are
drawn to different characters based on these differences. They also
love their comic book look, and that's probably why so many art
students want to contribute.These Monsters have mainstream appeal,
some of my friends that are in bands raging from Punk to Blues have
our stickers on their equipment.
>
> When we were doing live performances, we did not use the stories
in the book as part of the presentation. The characters put
themselves in the place of needing guidance from the kids. Derek is
usually the one making the mistakes, so he is the primary story
teller. The shows worked because the children were kept part of it
the whole time as a group and sometimes as individuals. I'll give you
an example as the ability to take the "show on the road" is also
important. The fact that we do not use the stories from within the
book is extremely important for the success of live shows.
>
> The Show: I'll just use the "Boys and Girls" piece as an example.
After playing "Monsters Theme" and the kids have settled down, Derek
takes center stage and says, "This question is just for the
boys....who's better, boys or girls?" The boys respond with "BOYS!!!"
Delilah steps up to the microphone, "Girls, is this true?" The girls
respond with an even louder "NO!!!!!!!" ( the choice of words is
extremely important, "is this true?" as opposed to "who do you think
is better?" gets the proper response instead of a confrontation) Back
to Derek, "Ya know, I use to think that girls weren't as good as
boys, as a matter of fact my sister would have never been in this
band if I had my way" (the inflection in his voice gets the proper
response from the kids, as this is also musical theater) and the kids
start booing him at this point. He goes on to say how that when
putting together the band he knew he wanted a sax player and he was
having try outs. From the beginning Delilah wanted to try
> out, but Derek wouldn't let her because he didn't think a girl
could be good enough. He mentions the potential male saxophone
players that tried out (we give examples of what there musical
stylings were), they were all decent but there was always that little
something missing. After many failed try outs, Ian tells Derek to
stop being a jerk and let his sister have a chance, Derek reluctantly
agrees (as it goes against his chauvinistic ideologies). Then Delilah
takes center stage and wails on the Sax to the 4/4 clapping of the
kids, it's just amazing. After she's done and the kids stop cheering,
all is quiet. Derek says, "That was pretty good", Delilah just puts
her hands on her hips and stares at him, the kids begin to boo him
again, and then he admits, "That was VERY GOOD" and the kids laugh
(again getting the desired response), then he asks, "What do you
think I learned from this?" We used a remote microphone to go around
and let the kids respond. They were not afraid or timid,
> every hand was up and they all wanted to share their thoughts. The
program works!!!!! We did shows in conjunction with Cleveland's "Kops
and Kids" program in the inner city as well as the suburbs..
>
> So what we have here is a project that promotes literacy, provides
new music, encourages expression, can be used as a teaching tool for
character education, peer mediation, problem solving, creative
writing and even simple computer applications; the website is to
support the materials in the book, the community page, or "Monster
Clan" serves as a "thought exchange" so kids can read how others
perceive the same situation. All the areas we encompass are areas of
importance to parents, educators, and of course children. Thanks
again for your time.
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Michael Durkay
>
>
> Mike Durkay
> (216) 267- 4065
> email durkay@s...
> website www.monsterrockers.com
>
> M Durkay/ Monster Rockers Inc.
> 16186 Hummel Road
> Brookpark, OH 44142