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Professor composes song for Erie elementary school By Loretta Brandon
Dr. Daniel Barnard (right), lecturer in music and director of the Logan Music Series at Penn State Erie, composed the song Diehl Stands for Children for the students of Diehl Elementary School. They expressed their gratitude to Barnard for their new school song during a “Hoorah for Heroes” program.	Thanks to Dr. Daniel Barnard, lecturer in music and director of the Logan Music Series at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, students of Diehl Elementary School have a school song that reflects the diversity and pride of the student body. Titled Diehl Stands for Children, the song is the result of several brainstorming sessions that Barnard spent with students and teachers at Diehl, which has been Penn State Behrend’s Adopt-a-School partner for 12 years.   “There were several people involved in getting this project under way,” Barnard said. “Kay Logan, founder of Penn State Behrend’s Logan Music Series, asked me if I would do a project with Diehl. I consulted with Diehl’s former principal, Kathy Kingston, with Diehl’s music teacher, Lois Sandberg, and talked with groups of Diehl students.”   Barnard said he started by developing lyrics that reflected how the students felt about their school. Once the lyrics were in place, he wrote a spirited tune that can be sung by grades K-6 in a variety of ways.   In addition to writing the song, Barnard created arrangements of the song for each of the Logan Music Series groups that performed at the school last spring.   “That way, each ensemble has a song that connects directly to the children,” Barnard said. “Being able to sing a song with the world-class Logan Music Series performers gives the students a very effective learning experience.” He created a CD with Diehl Stands for Children performed by each of the Logan Music Series groups and the Diehl students.   Students expressed their gratitude to Barnard at a Diehl School “Hoorah for Heroes” program, an all-school program that honored several people in the Erie community.   “He is one of our heroes,” Sandberg said. “He helped our school not only by writing the song, but also by bringing wonderful music to our school through the Logan Music Series.”   Barnard also has composed music for other groups, including Fantasie en Rose for the Penn State Erie Concert Band’s 2001 performance at the American Cathedral in Paris.   He holds a doctorate in musical arts from the University of Kansas, where he studied composition and theory. Prior to coming to Penn State Erie in 1999, he taught at Western Nebraska Community College. Barnard currently serves as conductor of the Erie Philharmonic Chorus.