Photo by Brad Davis | The Republic The Clifty Creek Rock Band will perform as part of the Battle of the Bands.
Clifty Creek Elementary School’s third annual Battle of the Bands is one day away and students are going to be rocking harder than ever to songs they’ve been writing and recording in music class since November.
The competition is open to the public for the first time this year and will also serve as a school fundraiser.
Battle of the Bands is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday outside at Clifty Creek where five classes will perform their own original song with the chance to be voted the winner. Admission is free and there will be food trucks, face painting, arcade games, bounce houses and a photo booth.
The Clifty Creek Rock Band will open and special guest Flat Earth Rock Band will perform as well.
Students have already begun voting for their favorite song, but at the event attendees can purchase voting tickets for $1 each to dispense into a box representing their choice.
Competing classes are Maestra Kim’s second-grade class, Mrs. Chandler’s third-grade class, Maestra Rodriguez’ fourth-grade class, Mrs. Adams’ fifth-grade class and Mrs. Tertocha’s sixth-grade class. Those interested can check out the 19 track album Clifty students put together on Bandcamp, Soundcloud or by scanning a QR code.
Music Teacher Kaila Lifferth, the originator and organizer of Clifty’s competition, has taught at the school for eight years.
When she began teaching, Lifferth said she was “doing things really traditionally,” but students kept asking her if they could play the guitar rather than instruments like the recorder.
At first, she thought to herself “that’s just not what we do in elementary school,” but requests from students kept on coming.
“Then after enough kids asked me, I just thought, why not? Why aren’t we learning instruments that you actually want to learn how to play?” Lifferth said. “I still do some of the traditional stuff, I still do folk music, but what kid doesn’t want to learn how to play guitar?
Lifferth used her school budget in 2019 to buy 28 guitars “and then the world shut down,” she said for the pandemic.
It was unfortunate timing, but provided an opportunity for inspiration from a particular 2003 film.
“The whole concept of Battle of the Bands started because I was watching School of Rock during COVID,” Lifferth said.
The first two Battle of the Bands were kept within the Clifty community as Lifferth was collecting the requisite equipment to bring the show to a larger audience.
Lifferth, a trained opera singer, had no background playing the guitar and learned herself as her students did, starting three years ago. She teaches things to students iteratively (by repetition), beginning with a different string instrument.
First-grade students start learning the ukulele and then in second grade they begin collaboratively writing songs.
The way the writing process works is Lifferth shows a class pictures and story cards she bought off the internet, often sparking an idea from one of the students for a song.
For example, Maestra’s Kim’s second-grade class was shown a picture of a palm tree, a cat and magic wand.
“Then we brainstormed as a class, what could we make? What story could we make out of this?” Lifferth said. “And then they came up with the idea that a cat gets in contact with a magician and turns into a mermaid, and then we said, well, what bad things might happen? Well, maybe there’s a scientist that comes after the cat.”
Out of this came “Mercat,” an odyssey about a half-mermaid, half-cat creature that runs into some trouble, but still reserves some grace for those who wish them harm.
“It’s a total banger,” Lifferth said.
“He is purr-fect/not what you would expect/kind, smart, and so brave/half a cat and half mermaid,” the song goes over snaps and an upbeat ukulele.
Lifferth transformed her office into a recording studio, complete with a “Clifty Creek Records” neon sign.
“I’ll take volunteers and whichever kids want to sing and lay down vocals, they come in and I hook them up to the mic,” Lifferth said.
Fourth grade is when students begin learning the guitar and by fifth and sixth, the kids can join the Clifty Creek Rock Band.
Fifth-grader Michael Pickett is in Mrs. Adams’ class. He and his fellow students are set to perform “Magic 8 Ball” tomorrow. The song is about a girl who likes a boy named Chris, who doesn’t exactly feel the same way.
“The boy doesn’t really like the girl and she tells the eight-ball, will Chris like me today? And it said yes, definitely,” Pickett explained of the song.
“I tell Chris it’s him I like/he tells me to take a hike,” the song goes.
Pickett said he was excited for a chance to play in front of an audience for the first time, which he will do twice tomorrow night— opening as part of Clifty’s Rock Band and with his classmates.
What will be running through his mind on stage?
“Try not to screw up,” Pickett said.
Preston Butler, also in Mrs. Adams’ class, said it took them some time to learn the ropes of making music, but with practice they all saw their skills come together.
Fifth-grader Brycon Amick had performed karaoke with his grandfather before, but this will also be his first time performing in front of an audience.
Drake Fox, a sixth-grader in Mrs. Tertocha’s class plays bass and helped with the chords on “Book Monster.” He began learning to play this school year in Lifferth’s class.
“I like the simplicity, but it can also be hard sometimes,” Fox said of the instrument.
Daniel Wallace, another sixth-grader in Mrs. Tertocha’s class, plays the guitar and drums and got interested in rock through his dad when he was younger. Both Wallace and Butler told The Republic “the food,” is what they’re looking forward to most during the Battle of the Bands.
The music-making bug has gotten so pervasive that now students are using time during recess to write songs.
Using all they’ve learned has given the students a way to express themselves and have a good time doing it, Lifferth said.
“If you want to learn what fifth and sixth graders are thinking about, you write a song with them and they will tell you exactly what is on their mind,” Lifferth said.
