a fan for life

I was blown away by a note that I received from a huge fan and a special friend. Lance Churchill from the Bangor, Maine area turned 20 today. I wanted to share his letter with all of you.

"Believe it or not, I am now 20 and I am very proud to say that I still love listening to Rick Charette music :-) You still look the same to me after all of these years, except for the gray hair and moustache of course haha :-) I'm just kidding around. You seem like you still have the same energy at 62 as you did 30 years ago when you started performing, and I wouldn't be surprised to see you still performing 30 years from now. You may be in a wheelchair by then, but I bet that you'll still know how to say "I Love Mud!!!!!!!!".

You were all that I practically listened to from age 3 to probably age 10 or so. My musical tastes have broadened very well since then as you already know (Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, etc...) but every now and then I'll pop in one of the CDs or DVDs and just think back to how young I was when I first listened to those records and how much time and energy that you must have put into making them and putting them out for sale on the market.

I really, really admire all that you have done to help make New England's children live a happier life. It amazed me at age 3, and it still does now just as much. You are one of my idols, and I will cherish every moment that I have spent watching you perform as well as the many one on one chats that we have had over the last few years. Taking a walk with you around the Blue Hill Fairgrounds last fall to get an ice cream was a very, very special moment for me. I always look forward to seeing you perform. You are so gracious, so kind and so patient with the fans. I don't know what your magic touch is, but there is something special, obviously, because a lot of performers are ready to hang it up after 30 years, but thankfully, you're not one of them.

Again, thank you very, very much for entertaining me for the last 20 years. I have loved every minute of it :-)"

"Baxter The Bear" goes to Taiwan

"Learning English is a very important aspect of education for young people in Taiwan, and parents are always searching for ways to encourage their children to take an interest in it. Song is an excellent means." These are the words of Nate Bennett, a native of the State of Maine(from the same town we live in - Windham) who has been teaching English in Taiwan for over 10 years. He and his wife Nini, own and operate a small school there. They teach primarily young children between the ages of 6-13.

He had been teaching some of the familiar children's songs like, "Old MacDonald", "This Old Man", etc. for several years. Then one day he found the "Alligator in the Elevator" CD that he'd brought to Taiwan but never used. At the time he was teaching children who had no English experience, and felt it might be too much, so he put it away. But he brought it out a few years later and began using it in the classroom. The kids LOVED "I Love Mud" and "I've Got a Staple in My Sock". Since then, he has taught "Where Do My Sneakers...", "Alligator in the Elevator", "I Hate My Name", "Baxter the Bear", and others. He told me that the younger children there really like them. English is really an important part of the curriculum in Taiwan, and there seem to be no English-language singers for children there yet. There are plenty of Chinese singers for children. He wonders how my songs would do in Taiwan? This is a question that goes through his head and mine as well.

Check out the videos that feature his students singing a couple of my songs "Baxter The Bear" and "I've Got a Staple In My Sock". The children and Nate are awesome.

Maine Wildlife Park

The Maine Wildlife Park, just outside of Gray, Maine, is quite unique. It has wild animals on exhibit but it’s not a zoo. What I found especially inspiring is that many of the animals were brought here because they were injured or orphaned or because they were human dependent – raised, sometimes illegally, in captivity. I also found out that the Park serves as a home for wildlife that cannot survive in the wild. I saw all kinds of animals here for their protection and healing.

After a recent performance at the Park, Curt Johnson, the MWP director, invited me to visit some of the animals. One of the talented staff, Pam Richardson, gave me the grand tour, and what a tour it was. As you can see, I got a first-hand look and experience with many of the animals – porcupines, a skunk, a furry bobcat, a majestic bald eagle, two moose calves named Annie and Wilbur and lots of colorful turtles. I need to mention that most of the time, people are not allowed inside of the areas where animals are kept. I feel very lucky to have had such a special up-close encounter with the animals. I hope you enjoy some of the photos.

And by the way, if you are in the area sometime, you will definitely want to check them out. For more information, go to http://www.mainewildlifepark.com/

Teacher with a broken leg

You might wonder what's so significant about a teacher with a broken leg. The first time that I met Bryan Benevento, a second grade teacher at the Mary G. Clarkson School in Bay Shore, NY. he was on crutches. He was coming into the room with his class to write a song with me. He told me he had broken his leg. I wished him well and did not see him again until this June, a couple of years later.

I happen to run into him as I was making my way into the teachers' room. He was sitting at a table eating his lunch. Jokingly I asked him "how the leg was doing"? I couldn't believe it. I looked down toward the floor and I coulod not believe what I saw. Sure enough he had a cast on his leg. He had broken his leg again. Although we both got a laugh out of it, here's hoping that he is out of his cast for good. Good luck Bryan. I hope to see you in great shape next June.

Island of Vinalhaven Songwriting Artists-in-Residence

Let me begin by telling you what Michelle Wiley, the Vinalhaven School's music teacher extraordinaire had to say about children, education and music: "Connecting children to their community is an important aspect of their education and a life-long gift. I couldn’t think of a better way to nurture that connection than to have the K-5 students visit special Vinalhaven places and write a song about it. And there is no one better, in my opinion, to help children bring out the music inside of them than the Maine singer/songwriter, Rick Charette. "

And so the exciting adventure began. On a surprisingly warm day in late March, my friend and keyboardist Roy Clark and I boarded the ferry – an hour and a half ferry ride out in Penobscot Bay - bound for the island of Vinalhaven. We were excited about the 3 day songwriting residency we were set to begin with the children from Kindergarten through Grades 5.

Before our visit, their music teacher, Michelle Wiley, took each grade to a local non-profit ( The Land Trust, The Historical Society, Eldercare, Vinalhaven Library and the Island Medical Center) to learn about the organization and to collect words and ideas for their songs. As you can probably imagine, on the day that we arrived, the students were mighty excited about writing their songs.

We worked with each class for 45-55 minutes writing the song. We wrote line by line with the lyrics first followed by the melody. We added guitar and keyboard accompaniment as the writing progressed. At the end of the session, we made a demo of their song with everyone singing along. The students returned to their classrooms and practiced. On the following day, they returned to do their final recording. Along with the writing sessions, Roy worked with the Middle School Garage Band students and they joined us on the final recording sessions.

All of the songs that the students wrote will be available on CD. The high school art students will work with graphic artist Carl Haas on the cover design. The grand finale will come near the end of the school year when the students present their songs and their own original CD arrives.

I’ve included the lyrics to the songs. What I find significant is the positive impact the children have had on their community as well as the impression people in the community have had upon them. BRAVO! We all had so much fun.

The Vinalhaven School Songs

“Let’s Go To The Library”
Kindergarten with Mrs. Cheri Doughty & Mrs Jean Thompson

Refrain: Let’s go to the library. Let’s go on the bus.
Let’s go to the library. Go on the bus with us.

Vs 1: Lots of books you can read, movies you can watch.
There’s a globe you can touch. When you touch it, it lights up!

Vs 2: Story Time is lots of fun, puzzles we can make.
Dr. Seuss, Animal Books. Wow! Our library’s great!
“I Like It Here”
Grade 1 with Mrs. Ann Osgood

Refrain: I like it here. I like it here. Ivan Calderwood Homestead.
I like it here. Let’s give three cheers for Ivan Calderwood Homestead.

Vs 1: I just turned 94. Yesterday was my birthday!
I ate chocolate cake. We had so much fun!

Vs 2: I am 7 years old. I like to visit Bert.
I’ll bring chicken-carrot soup. I’ll sing them a song.

“The Love Rug”
for The Island Village ChildCare Center
Grade 5 with Mrs. Gloria Delsandro

The kids play on the Love Rug. It’s playing time.
They all love the Love Rug all the time.

Red Block, Knock-Knock, Hide & Seek, don’t peek,
Itty Bitty hands and feet.
Up down, round and round, Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

The kids sleep on the Love Rug. It’s napping time.
They all love the Love Rug all the time.

Yawning, stretching, whining, crying.
Babies rub their eyes.
Sleeping, dreaming, snoring, drooling,
Hush now don’t you cry. (Shhh )

The kids sit on the Love Rug at story time.
They all love the Love Rug all the time.

The Love Rug was a gift to the ChildCare Center. It is a copy of Robert Indiana’s Love Stamp using Arabic Letters.

“Vinalhaven Historical Society”
Grade 2 with Ms. Samantha Carter

REFRAIN: There’s a place here on the island with things that are old I see.
It’s the Vinalhaven Historical Society.

Vs 1: There’s a dress that someone played in,
But I don’t know her name.
There’s a wooden yo-yo,
books and blocks and games.
Vs 2: There’s a school desk someone wrote on,
A chalkboard made of slate.
Someone used to ride on
a pair of roller skates.
Vs 3: There’s a woodstove someone cooked on,
it used to keep them warm.
They would crank the foghorn,
when there was a great big storm.
“Help Us With the Land Trust”
Grade 3 with Mrs. Heather White

REFRAIN: Come along, come and help. Help us with the Land Trust
Come along, come and help. Let’s go along the trail.

Vs 1: We’re hiking on the Fox Rocks Trail,
A tree has fallen down.
We can’t get through … what will we do?
You can help us get around.
Vs 2: The Watershed Trail is really wet.
Let’s go to Otter Pond.
Come and help us build a bridge.
We’d appreciate it a lot.

“Nagila to the Rescue”
Grade 4 with Mrs. Stormy Dyer

REFRAIN: Nagila, the dog, is on her way to help people out and save the day.
Nagila, the dog, is on her way. She’s a super-duper doctor dog.

VS 1: If you/ fall off your bike and scrape your knees
She’ll/ stitch it all up at the I.C.M.C.
If you get the flu, she’ll come to you.
Nagila to the rescue!
Vs 2: If you get a shot she’ll calm you down.
If you have a frown
She’ll turn it around.
You/don’t need an ambulance, she’s on her way.
Nagila to the rescue!
This song was inspired by Dr. Rich Entel’s faithful dog, Nagila. She is with him wherever he goes offering comfort and calm to those who may be nervous or anxious about their visit to the doctor. I.C.M.C. stands for Island Community Medical Center.