Timothy Berry

Timothy Berry began singing in his father’s church at age 5 and has played hand drums since age 12.  He has performed with or accompanied many groups including his band, Soul Drums; Grammy Award winner, Larnelle Harris; Leigh Morris Chorale; Minnesota Opera; Paula Mann Dance; and Penumbra Theater.  In 2009 Timothy was a winner in the Essentially Choral Competition for emerging American composers sponsored by VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum.  He has composed and recorded music for dance, churches, and Soul Drums. Timothy holds a B.S. degree in Music Education from Mankato State University and a Master's degree in Music Education with an emphasis in multicultural music from The University of Minnesota. He currently teaches K-6 vocal and classroom music at Meadowbrook Elementary in the Hopkins School District.

Workshop Description
In this workshop students will compose rhythms on percussion and Orff instruments to accompany Dog Dog, one of many Sweet Honey songs that promotes activism and equality. Students will then write their own songs of Activism about a topic that is important to them.

To Prepare Students

• Complete the Diamante poetry writing exercise on page 38 of the WITNESS Teacher’s Guide
• Listen to the song Dog Dog on track 13 of the WITNESS Companion CD and follow along with the music on page 32

Please Note
This workshop works best when there is enough space to accommodate movement and percussion instruments. Schools will need to have access to Orff and percussion instruments.