Jacqueline Lawlor
St. George School · Ottawa, Ontario
21 March 2022
The Bumble Squad combined a pollinator project with music, and Jacqueline credited Craig for the tunes.
Song Collab Studio
Everyone has a story worth sharing. Founded by Craig Cardiff, Song Collab Studio brings artists, producers, educators and school communities together to make songs, recordings, animation and digital stories.
Book an interactive performance, a songwriting workshop or a combined concert-and-creation visit. A touring act for schools, camps and educational groups, Song Collab invites participants to help shape the music together.
Watch school workshops and assemblies on Vimeo →
See how a school visit brings a room together through music, stories and participation.
Student stories
An idea becomes a story through writing, illustration and recording. Students contribute their words, artwork and narration while the creative team helps bring the work to life.
Watch student storybooks on Vimeo →
Explore the student-story film, then watch completed classroom projects.
The Story of Rosa Parks — Pleasant Corners Public School
UCDSB Story Collab video collection
Student songs
Participants explore songwriting and co-writing, record their voices, create artwork and learn how a creative project moves through production and release. The work combines hands-on workshops with collaborative digital tools, including Soundtrap.
Watch student songs on Vimeo →
Students can take part through lyrics, rhythm, singing, recording or making the track.
Song Collab Studio releases — Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music
UCDSB Song Collab releases
OCDSB Kids Collab releases
Classroom projects to explore
Collaborations have included the Ottawa-Carleton and Upper Canada district school boards: student-written songs, intergenerational music-making and class-created digital storybooks.
- The Story of Rosa Parks — Pleasant Corners students wrote, illustrated and narrated their story with teacher Stacy Schwendemann, educator Anna Martin and Song Collab Studio.
- Sometimes I Feel Shy — O’Grady and the Half Moon Bay Band, released through OCDSB Kids Collab.
- Gloucester school collaboration songs
- What Makes a Good Neighbour — intergenerational songwriting.
CBC interviews and coverage
Hear and watch the full original CBC recordings linked through Song Collab Studio’s public archive.
- Ottawa students with autism release record of original songs — full CBC video
- CBC Radio interview — listen to the full recording
These links open the broadcaster’s original recordings.
Press and school board coverage
- 2023 · Pleasant Corners / UCDSB — Express, 8 March 2023, page 4 profiles the class-created Rosa Parks storybook. UCDSB’s 2022–23 Director’s Annual Report also includes the project.
- 2021 · Ottawa student songwriting — Soundtrap Education, 8 September 2021 reports on music and student activism; CityNews Ottawa, 5 January 2021 covers songwriting, production and releases.
- 2013 · Churchill Alternative School — ETFO Voice, Spring 2013 shares teacher and student reflections on the November 2012 workshop and “Love Turns I Into We.”
Bring Song Collab to your community
Tell us your school or group, city, age range, proposed dates and project idea. We can discuss a school assembly, concert, workshop series or a visit combining performance and creation.
Erik Heikkila · Booking and tour coordination
erik@partickartists.com
Jenna Clarke · Booking and educational opportunities
yesand@jennaclarke.com
Shared by teachers on Twitter / X
Original classroom posts, newest first. Explore the teachers’ videos, songs and project updates in their own words.
Anna Maria Frangione
OCSB · Ottawa, Ontario
25 January 2022
“I loved the catchy song composition your class did with ‘Soundtrap’”
Anna’s post highlights a music session with Craig and Mrs. Sutton’s students. The post does not identify the participating school.
Erin Riley
St. Isabel School · Ottawa, Ontario
25 January 2022
Grade 4/5 students worked with Noelle Frances and used Soundtrap to make their own song.
Tara Douglas
Guthrie Public School · Oro Station, Ontario
24 January 2022
Grade 4 students co-wrote a song with Noelle Frances about nerves before performing, then added instruments in Soundtrap.
Song Collab Studio on Twitter / X · Song Collab Studio on Facebook
Teacher, student and principal voices
Dated sources appear newest first. Roles and schools reflect the original source. The older undated archive follows below.
8 March 2023
“This class has been working very hard”
Stacy Schwendemann
Teacher · Pleasant Corners Public School · Vankleek Hill, Ontario
8 March 2023
“This real-world learning opportunity is a unique and special project”
Laura Kirby
Principal · Pleasant Corners Public School · Vankleek Hill, Ontario
29 January 2023
“this workshop allowed students to shine.”
Deirdre Shankar
Teacher · Half Moon Bay Public School · Ottawa, Ontario
21 March 2022
“Thanks to @CraigCardiff for the awesome tunes!”
Jacqueline Lawlor
Teacher at the time of the project · St. George School · Ottawa, Ontario
25 January 2022
“a super fun & creative morning”
Erin Riley
Teacher · St. Isabel School · Ottawa, Ontario
24 January 2022
“SO much fun”
Tara Douglas
Teacher · Guthrie Public School · Oro Station, Ontario
8 September 2021
“a recognition of voices that rarely get heard”
Cam Jones
Experiential Learning Facilitator · OCDSB · Ottawa, Ontario
5 January 2021
“I found [the workshops] worthwhile.”
Hafsa Hussein
Participating student · OCDSB · Ottawa, Ontario
Spring 2013
“In our workshop, every student had their hand up.”
Natalie Shorkey
Teacher · Churchill Alternative School · Ottawa, Ontario
Spring 2013
“a quiet song but with a loud message.”
Sharky Dwyer
Participating student · Churchill Alternative School · Ottawa, Ontario
Spring 2013
“don’t misjudge people”
Colin McGee Woods
Participating student · Churchill Alternative School · Ottawa, Ontario
More voices from the workshop archive
Further teacher, student and school-leader reflections from the workshop archive. Dates are shown where established in the original source; undated statements are labelled.
30 January 2023
“the smiles on their faces”
Kate Saunders
Teacher · Gloucester High School · Ottawa, Ontario
Undated source archive
“I really like how he is very patient.”
Audrey
Grade 3/4 student · Elementary Virtual School
Undated source archive
“the part of making the track.”
Ethan
Grade 3/4 student · Elementary Virtual School
3 February 2023
“kindness and community are key foundations.”
Ann Arden
Vice-principal · OCDSB · Ottawa, Ontario
27 January 2023
“excited and engaged students”
Sean Bradley
Grade 6 teacher · W. Erskine Johnston Public School · Ottawa, Ontario
Undated source archive
“Improved confidence to take on more responsibilities”
Josh
Co-op student
Undated source archive
“I felt really proud after making our songs.”
Workshop student
Participating student · name not recorded
Undated source archive
“building their self-awareness.”
Julie Price-Martel
Vice-principal · West Ferris Secondary School · North Bay, Ontario
Undated source archive
“these kids are seriously engaged by you and by this process”
Emily Macduff
Educator · Elizabeth Wyn Wood Alternative School · Ottawa, Ontario
Undated source archive
“inspired confident student performances”
Meghan Hachkowski
Music director · Widdifield Secondary School · North Bay, Ontario
Undated source archive
“An incredibly valuable resource!”
Brian Overholt
Secondary music teacher · North Bay, Ontario
School collaborations · Behind the songs
Ridgemont High School
8 December 2021 · School account · Ottawa, Ontario
“Amazing experience!”
The school reports that Craig and two co-op students joined its ECL class to present a completed song, following writing and recording with Rachel Raditz.
Inside a mixing session
29 November 2021 · Craig’s project update
Craig’s post documents a Soundtrap mixing session with David Campbell and the music team. It offers a glimpse of production learning alongside songwriting.
What Makes a Good Neighbour?
2021 · OCDSB Kids Collab · Five-song EP
A student music release exploring neighbours and community, including Saying Hello To Neighbours (Featherston).
Eviction Song
29 January 2021 · Adult High School student production
Published by OCDSB, this student-produced video accompanies the Eviction Elimination Ottawa advocacy project. The board notes that the initiative’s views may not reflect OCDSB’s views.
Student voices in the media
11 January 2022 · Public school share
Featherston Drive Public School
OCDSB · Ottawa, Ontario
The school credits Mr. Singer’s ELD class and co-op student Omar Ntibuberwa for Be like erosion, let it slide, created through Craig’s songwriting program and featured on CBC Ottawa Morning.
“Way to go Flames!”
— Featherston Drive’s school account
8 September 2021 · Soundtrap Education
Songwriting and student activism
Soundtrap’s feature follows Craig and OCDSB facilitator Cam Jones as students write, record and release songs through the ASLE approach. It describes collaboration across age groups, community issues and student roles in music, artwork and production.
“Everyone has a song inside”
— Craig Cardiff, quoted in Soundtrap Education
Read the feature and hear Rockcliffe Park, Eviction Mix and Unicorn Cats →
Schools, workshops & camps — near and far
Craig’s work with young people spans classroom songwriting, story-making, educator workshops, campus mentoring and camp performances. Explore a selection of documented projects below.
Havergal College
Toronto, Ontario · 2018–2025
Havergal’s own publications document repeat Junior School visits. Its December 2025 newsletter announced a whole-school concert and sessions with Grades 1–6 during Music and Integrated Arts classes.
Sovereign Art Foundation — Make It Better
Hong Kong · 2018
Craig’s archived 2018 project materials record the creation of “Little Dreamers” for Make It Better and a performance at the foundation’s gala. This is an artist archive account; the linked foundation page describes the programme.
Schools and creative workshops
Ottawa, Ontario · 2019–2020
CHEO’s school board minutes record an October 2019 songwriting workshop and describe its message as positive. Cashbox’s June 2020 coverage includes responses from teachers at Woodroffe and A.Y. Jackson.
Educator workshops — Little Branches, Rural Roots
Ontario · May 2023
The conference programme lists Craig’s collaborative story and songwriting plenary, with participants invited to use Soundtrap and Canva to create together.
Songwriting beyond the classroom
Toronto, Ontario · February 2021
Toronto Songwriting School’s Art of Song weekend lists Craig alongside Sarah Slean and Sameer Cash for a panel, individual mentoring and professional song feedback.
Camps and outdoor learning
Perth and Carp, Ontario · 2011–2016
Apartment613’s 2016 interview lists a Craig Cardiff camp show at Easter Seals Camp Merrywood. Carp Ridge Learning Centre’s 2011 Forest School launch announcement lists an outdoor performance supporting its new outdoor classroom. These are performance listings.
Small authors. Big adventures.
Explore stories created with school classes through Song Collab Studio: student ideas, collaborative writing, illustration and narration, brought together in Canva.
Meet the classes behind the stories, then explore ideas for reading, writing, science, maths and more.
Created by the Grade 1/2 class at Nationview PS with Corrie Kelly AM.
Bubba The Bear
One yellow leaf—and Bubba is already panicking?
Bubba’s hibernation prep includes Halloween candy, honey and 15 pizzas. His new rat roommate keeps sampling the supplies and strumming a tiny guitar, so the pair must stock up together before winter bedtime.
Explore in class: Seasonal change; observation; emotional vocabulary.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by students at Nationview PS with Corrie Kelly PM.
The Pizza Problem
Can a science-fair celebration survive a pizza-sized problem?
A science-fair hot-chocolate machine wins a truckload of pizzas, just as 485 hungry guests arrive. Counting by ones is taking forever, so the class races through bigger numbers to see if everyone gets a slice.
Explore in class: Problem-solving; cause and effect; collaborative storytelling.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 3 class at Winchester PS with Thomas Wormald.
Bob & Tom’s Rock n’ Roll Shred Off’
Who wins when two guitar players turn up the competition?
A pair of rival musicians prepare for a shred-off when aliens announce a world-domination guitar showdown. One needs the other’s help—and a seriously loud duet—to save the planet.
Explore in class: Music; cooperation; character comparison.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 1 class at Eamer's Corner PS with Mikayla Elliot.
Double G the Giant Germ!
Can a classroom stop a giant germ from making a giant mess?
Lunch is interrupted by a giant germ and a bad-food buddy making a mess outside. A blue visitor from space helps clean up, and even the monsters say sorry.
Explore in class: Hygiene; nutrition; environmental responsibility.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 1/2 class at Eamer's Corner PS with Tara Guindon.
The Magic Butterfly
Who needs a superhero when a magical butterfly is nearby?
A magical butterfly takes on a big job: keeping the class safe when friends are in danger. Small wings, serious responsibility.
Explore in class: Safety; helping others; story sequencing.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 2 class at Naismith Memorial PS with Norlynda Owen.
Rosie and Friends; Calm Koala’s do their best
Can Rosie find a quiet corner in a very busy forest?
A koala climbs a eucalyptus tree for a math snack, then gets stuck. A friend, a jammed pulley and even a basketball legend help turn counting into a rescue mission.
Explore in class: Self-regulation; learning strategies; emotional literacy.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 1 class at Eamer's Corner PS with Laura Fusco AM.
Reading Buddies In Outer Space!
What if your spaceship ran on reading instead of rocket fuel?
One hypnotic planet turns reading buddies into no-reading readers and a spaceship full of green sugar goo. When the engine sputters, the younger crew has to power the ride home by opening books.
Explore in class: Reading fluency; collaboration; imaginative problem-solving.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 3/4 class at Pleasant Corners PS (K-8) with Jaimee Mckinley.
Lonely Goblin Learns to Love
Can a lonely goblin learn the secret of making a friend?
The lonely goblin refuses kickball, guards his snacks and heckles the narrator. Can one friendly kid teach him the secret rules of having friends?
Explore in class: Friendship; empathy; character development.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Kindergarten class at South Branch ES with Emily Kehler.
What Does Fall Feel Like?
Can you describe autumn without just saying “cold”?
Fall arrives in crunching leaves, pumpkin seeds, shorter days, puddle-splashing and cozy family cuddles, all gathered in a cheerful seasonal poem.
Explore in class: Seasonal observation; sensory language; poetry.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Kindergarten class at South Crosby PS with Alyssa Hudson.
Laura Lee The Superhero
A monster is eating library books—who do you call?
A monster is eating the library books. The class has to find a better snack for its stomach before their favourite reading spot goes under.
Explore in class: Libraries; reading; community problem-solving.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by students at Pleasant Corners PS with Lindsley Cowan.
The Ratastic Bake Off
Can the class rescue a bake-off before everything crumbles?
A contestant who treats measuring cups like arch-enemies makes it to a TV bake-off. Friends send a tiny robot rat into the chef’s hat to coach a chocolate cake before the timer runs out.
Explore in class: Procedural writing; measurement; cooperation.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by students at Nationview PS with Megan McConnell/Stacey Derks.
Open Syllablia
Why can a pilot enter this magical land, but a dentist cannot?
A raven guards a land where only open-syllable words belong, until a magical arrow makes her fall for a pancake who can’t cross the gate. Cupid has a frozen fix.
Explore in class: Open syllables; phonics; word classification.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 5/6 class at Glen Tay PS with Merdina Price.
The Gingerbread Multiverse
Too much royal icing—or a doorway into another universe?
One competitive baker builds a giant gingerbread castle and traps everyone inside when the door cracks shut. Mold is spreading, so the class must bake an escape—and remember nobody has to be the best to belong.
Explore in class: Design and building; cooperation; fantasy writing.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 2 - 4 class at Longue Sault PS with Penny Latour 2.
The Geckos in Outer Space
Can desert geckos handle an out-of-this-world surprise?
A jazz band of geckos lands in the Sahara just in time for a desert music festival. When rival rockers steal the magic guitar and kick up a sandstorm, the aliens’ own music saves the crowd.
Explore in class: Habitats; adaptations; science-fiction storytelling.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 5/6 class at South Crosby PS with Peggy Edwards.
Inventors of South Crosby
Could a classroom invent the next renewable resource?
A class tries running shoes and a perpetual-motion toaster before finding a renewable energy source: fart power. Their diaper-like converter could change the world, one pizza party at a time.
Explore in class: Renewable resources; invention; persuasive communication.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 3/4 class at Iroquois PS with Katherine Corden.
Night At The Kid’s Hotel
A hotel without grown-ups—dream holiday or total chaos?
When a hotel loses its adults after midnight, kids turn the lobby into dodgeball, the restaurant into a pillow fort and the pool into glitter central. By four, they’re homesick—and the cleanup race before dawn is no joke.
Explore in class: Responsibility; independence; rhyming narrative.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 1/2 class at Vanier PS with Erica LaHay.
Magic Map; The Continents
A flying map just hit Jack—where in the world will it take him?
Two class tour guides map out the continents, but one is dressed for everywhere except Antarctica. Their polar stop may be the shortest part of the trip.
Explore in class: Continents; geography; travel vocabulary.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Kindergarten class at R. Tait McKenzie PS with Kellie Graves.
The Amazing Transformation of Bob
How much can one tree change before winter comes back?
A sour sorcerer turns a hopeful tree into a haunted one. A class uses a little French, snow, lights, popcorn chains and presents to make him the Christmas tree he always wanted to be.
Explore in class: Plant life cycles; seasons; descriptive writing.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 2 class at Cambridge PS with Jennifer Ellwood.
Queen Ellwood, The Dragon & the Big Beach Cleanup
Can a class teach a messy dragon to reduce, reuse and recycle?
A beach walk reveals a dragon-sized litter problem, and sea animals are eating the trash. The class tackles cleanup and teaches the dragon to reuse and recycle.
Explore in class: Waste reduction; habitats; environmental stewardship.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 3/4 class at Cambridge PS with James Weeks.
Timothy the Shark & the Fixer Foxes
Can Timothy the shark find friends in an underwater village?
An underwater town’s shark president calls magical fixers to stop bullying and fights. Their first attempts mostly make things sillier, until everyone learns what it feels like to be laughed at.
Explore in class: Belonging; bullying prevention; empathy.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Kindergarten class at Thousand Islands ES with Colin Sacco.
Sprout’s Story!
How does a tiny seed become the star of its own story?
Meet a chatty seed growing without soil: an air-fed school garden delivers nutrients by mist and recycles the water. Tour the setup, then imagine fresh salad in space.
Explore in class: Plant growth; life cycles; first-person narration.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by students at their school with Lindsay Taylor Project 1.
The Super Friends & The Magic E
Who can fix the words when the Magic E disappears?
A wizard’s Magic E turns nonsense into word puzzles: a treat becomes a bite, a watery mess becomes tape, and a bear cub becomes a cube. Can the Super Friends solve them all?
Explore in class: Silent-e patterns; decoding; word puzzles.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 2/3 class at Naismith Memorial PS with Melissa Benham.
Mrs. Benham’s Math Time Machine
What if your maths teacher secretly owned a time machine?
Addition opens a time machine, sending the class to a broken medieval castle and a candy-colored future. After fixing a bridge with subtraction, they use math to get home—and earn a royal thank-you.
Explore in class: Addition; subtraction; mathematical storytelling.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Created by the Grade 7/8 class at Lombardy PS with Anna Basten.
Leviathan legacy
Can the last week of school become a larger-than-life adventure?
Explore this class-created story through its original Canva presentation.
Explore in class: Character emotions; fantasy writing; collaborative authorship.
Read / watch the story on Canva →Song Collab Studio
Image from Soundtrap Education’s feature on the Ottawa songwriting project
Everyone has a story worth sharing. Founded by Craig Cardiff, Song Collab Studio brings artists, producers, educators, and school communities together to make songs, recordings, animation, and digital stories.
From an idea to a finished project
Participants explore songwriting and co-writing, record their voices, create artwork, and learn how a creative project moves through production and release. The work combines hands-on workshops with collaborative digital tools, including Soundtrap.
Learning through music
Collaborations have included the Ottawa-Carleton and Upper Canada district school boards. Projects range from student-written songs about climate change to intergenerational music-making and The Story of Rosa Parks, a digital storybook created with Pleasant Corners Public School.
A touring act for schools, camps and educational groups
Book an interactive performance, a songwriting workshop, or a combined concert-and-creation visit. Sessions invite the group to shape songs together, with room for participation, recording and creative exploration.
Bring Song Collab to your community
For workshops, school partnerships, and creative collaborations, contact Craig with your location, age group, and project idea.
Listen, watch and read
Official project links and student work · UCDSB Story Collab video projects · Artist discographies and streaming links
Soundtrap Education: Songwriting Workshops in Ottawa Schools Inspire Student Activism