Laura Koch

Discipline: Music, Writing
Homebase: Langley
Languages: English
Contact Me: (604) 536-9488 , Email , Web

Laura Koch is an award-winning performer, songwriter and musician. Creating her own music from her young years at her family piano, she also took up several instruments as she grew - piano, violin, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, cello, and recently, accordion! She is a lifelong learner and passionate about songwriting as both a creative outlet and an emotional processing tool. She formed a folk-pop band, The Kwerks, in 2015 to begin exploring her performance expression, and released three albums and a single over the next few years. She has a steady solo career as well, and can be found around the Fraser Valley entertaining restaurant and cafe goers with her singer-songwriter tunes. In 2017, as an Artist in Residence at Langley Fine Arts School, she crafted a songwriting program called Snap-Tunes that she now brings into elementary schools throughout the Fraser Valley.

Testimonials

WOW is a word that comes to mind thinking about our class experience with Laura creating our own class song. I teach grade three and we created a song about kindness. We even sang it with Laura at our school assembly! My students loved Laura and connected with her right away. She was positive, encouraging and made each student feel special. She knocked our socks off!! I will definitely be having her return next year! Cori Kay, Grade 3 Teacher at Don Christian Elementary, Surrey

Wow! I can't say how happy I am that the school brought Laura in to work with my son's class this year. The kids were so engaged with the process and the concert was incredible. You could see the pride on their faces as they sung their very own song to us parents in the audience. Not a dry eye in the room! Jami, Parent of Grade 1 Student, Langley Fine Arts School

I had the pleasure of working with Laura to write an original song for our grade one/two show. She was professional, enthusiastic, collaborative, and extremely talented! What a treat to have an expert "Artist in Residence" to work with our young learners and help develop their ideas! Jennifer Cameron, Grade 1 Teacher, Langley Fine Arts School

Project Examples

Songwriting: Curriculum Theme

At Langley Fine Arts in the 18/19 school year, Laura led a program in the grade 1-2 pod, working thematically with the science and social studies curriculum content and writing an original song with each of the four classes. The four songs were unique and each focussed on a different chosen topic under the umbrella theme, "Cycles". Grade 1 classes wrote songs about recycling and the butterfly life cycle, grade 2 classes wrote about the water cycle and the salmon life cycle. Each class then used their song in other arts sessions, creating a caterpillar/butterfly dance, a recycling music video, a water cycle drama piece, and a full pod choir song, all of which were performed at year end for their spring show.

Songwriting: Emotional Processing

In 2018 and 2019, Laura visited the grade 3s at Don Christan Elementary in Surrey to write songs that helped the students dig into emotional themes in the classroom. Starting with in depth discussions and brainstorms, a song of safety and welcome at school, and a song of kindness towards others were born, recorded, and performed at their school assembly. Each class spends roughly 2.5-4 hours with Laura, over three or four sessions. Laura leads the students through folk-style songwriting on her guitar, first exploring mood and emotion in music, playing listening and movement games and engaging students with the ways music affects us, and how it's a tool for communication. Slowly over the sessions she builds in the structure of the song and the story or meaning the song is expressing. When the song is complete, Laura brings in her recording gear and the class records their song live. A fully edited and finished song is made available to the teacher shortly after, for sharing with parents, use in the school, etc.

Songwriting: School/Class Anthem

In early 2020, Laura worked with nine classes at c'usqunela Elementary in Maple Ridge to create anthems and songs of pride for their brand new school. Using the school motto, mascot, name, location, and surrounding landscape, classes wrote songs of welcome, cheer, pride, and humour about their school, classes, and "clans" (class groupings). Songs were celebrated at school assemblies and among the clans, as a positive school culture was being established, the students taking full ownership and pride in their part. Each class spends roughly 2.5-4 hours with Laura, over three or four sessions. Laura leads the students through folk-style songwriting on her guitar, first exploring mood and emotion in music, playing listening and movement games and engaging students with the ways music affects us, and how it's a tool for communication. Slowly over the sessions she builds in the structure of the song and the story or meaning the song is expressing. When the song is complete, Laura brings in her recording gear and the class records their song live. A fully edited and finished song is made available to the teacher shortly after, for sharing with parents, use in the school, etc.

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