A collaboration between local music teacher Bob Gossett and Mary Mellinger’s first-grade class created the new “Sonoma, California,U.S.A.”
submitted photo
Locals who can still recall the words to “Mill Valley,” the 1970 ditty recorded by a fourth-grade class in Marin that became a nationwide hit, should perhaps start memorizing “Sonoma, California U.S.A.”
A collaboration between local music teacher Bob Gossett and Mary Mellinger’s class of first-graders at Prestwood Elementary School, the Sonoma song is a paean to life in our little valley, including references to Mary’s, Traintown and the Sonoma Market.
Gossett and the students recorded their song recently at KSVY 91.3 Sonoma. “Sonoma, California, U.S.A.” will make its broadcast debut on Mornings in Sonoma Thursday, June 14,
The song has an unusual provenance. Gossett, after 20 years of classroom teaching, took a year-long sabbatical to review his career options before returning to the school district for the 2005-2006 school year as an itinerant music instructor. He teaches kindergarten and first grade music classes and fifth grade chorus at all five district elementary schools (while other teachers handle the rest of the classes).
Mellinger, aware of Gossett’s talents, encouraged him to participate in an “Earn While You Learn” project she was involved in, which led to her first-graders walking around Sonoma taking pictures and creating a slide show. According to Gossett, Mellinger suggested the show be accompanied by a song about Sonoma.
“I asked about their favorite places to eat and play and so forth,” said Gossett, who has been writing songs of all kinds since he was 15. “Then I went out of the room and five minutes later I had written the chorus.
“Then Mary gave me the information from the kids and I added that” to the song.
By the time Gossett returned to the classroom the following week, he said, “The entire class was singing the song like they had known it all their lives.
“The kids really felt like they wrote it. There was a real connection and it was a neat thing to do.”
Earlier this month, the class – all 20 or so of them – crowded into the tiny KSVY studio to cut the CD and also performed “Sonoma California U.S.A.” at the Education Foundation awards banquet, with resounding success.
If this keeps up, 37 years from now, maybe people will be carrying Gossett’s tune around in their heads instead of the words to “Mill Valley.”
Tune into
Mornings In
Sonoma,
on KSVY 91.3
Sonoma, from
8-10 am
Thursday, June 14
to hear the
broadcast debut
of “Sonoma,
California, U.S.A.”
