Professor of Music Jim Heiks to share ‘Hand-Me-Down Songs’ at the Goshen College Afternoon Sabbatical on Feb. 13

GOSHEN, Ind. – Everyone has songs from childhood they still remember; a catchy melody is hard to forget. Jim Heiks, Goshen College associate professor of music, will tell some stories about the power that melody has over children, as well as introduce his work with Alice Parker on a new songbook, “Hand-Me-Down Songbook,” as part of the Feb. 13 Afternoon Sabbatical Series in Goshen College Sauder Concert Hall at 1 p.m.

Also in the program, 12 children accompanied by local musician Les Gustafson-Zook on folk instruments, will perform some of the songs in the book and share their adventure in making a recording of the book for GIA Publications.

Heiks began his teaching career as an elementary general music teacher. Early on, he learned the importance of a good melody as he quickly became frustrated with the music textbooks he had to use. “They were full of composed songs which were supposed to turn on
 the contemporary child,” he said. “They did not. I quickly learned that what
 inspires children, and all of us, are quality melodies.”

In response, Heiks created his own songbook, and, he said, “It worked like a charm.”

Having collaborated several times with friend and composer Alice Parker over the years, and having studied composition with her at Westminster Choir College, Heiks proposed that they work together to produce an affordable songbook for children. Parker loved the idea. Over the next several years, the two began selecting which songs and versions of those songs to use. “Her vast knowledge of folk songs is amazing,” said Heiks, “and she
 knows full well that there are multiple versions of every song.”

The songbook, published in 2005 by GIA productions, contains well-known folk songs such as “Camptown Races,” “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” “This Little Light of Mine” and “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain.”

“Young singers need great melodies in their heads,” said Heiks, “This is the 
foundation of all music education. The renowned music educator, Zoltan
 Kodály, emphasized that first and foremost, every child needs to learn
 the folk songs of their culture before any other musical education can 
begin.”

In choosing songs for the book, Heiks said, “Many of the songs in the book were songs I grew up
 learning in elementary school. They were my favorites ... I loved them
 as a kid, and loved them again as a teacher. They never wear out 
because they are powerful melodies.”

Because the level of “Hand-Me-Down Songbook” is intended for children in grades 3-4, Heiks plans to create more songbooks for both younger and older children. Books will be available for purchase at the lecture.

Future lectures in the Afternoon Sabbatical series:

·    March 6, 1 p.m., Sauder Concert Hall, “Imagining the Serengeti: Landscape Memory as History in Tanzania,” with Jan Bender Shetler, associate professor of history

·    April 10, 1 p.m., Sauder Concert Hall, “International Luncheon: Senegal” with Gwen Miller, assistant professor of art and co-leader Suella Lehman Gerber. Cost: $20

·    May 16, Chicago bus trip to see “The Color Purple.” Cost: $110.

Goshen College’s Afternoon Sabbatical program is in its 30th year of offering rich diversity in programs for the community. A committee of area representatives and college personnel look to the wealth of knowledge and talent at Goshen College and among Elkhart County citizens and selects programs that will appeal to a wide variety of interests. Programs have an integral connection to the college, either through subject matter or in ways in which the campus and community are interrelated.

For more information on the Afternoon Sabbatical series call the Goshen College Relations Office at (574) 535-7565 or e-mail edutravel@goshen.edu.

– by Megan Blank

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.