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THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, MAY 3, 1977
Songwriter teaching ‘in the joint’
By RUSTY CAWLEY
Singer and songwriter Don San
ders is using his talents in a new job.
He’s teaching songwriting to boys in
the state reformatory in Gatesville.
Sanders has performed profes
sionally since 1966. He has pro
duced two albums, one single, a
host of critically-acclaimed concerts
and a small but dedicated following
through southeast Texas.
“Yes, sir. Donny Joe’s in the
joint,” Sanders told a Basement cof-
fehouse audience at Texas A&M
University Friday night.
“I’m gonna come out singing
about how rough it is. Me and
Johnny Cash.”
But in private, Sanders talks se
riously about his work at the reform
school. He teaches 120 students
once a week. Out of those, 30 see
him twice a week. They range from
13 to 17 years in age and from petty
theft to murder in the crimes they
have been convicted for.
Sanders is paid through a grant
from the National Endowments for
the Performing Arts. The program
will end June 30.
Though his job is to encourage
creativity from his students, he
spends much of his time giving be
ginner guitar lessons. The school
has no other music program.
“It really slows down the process
of teaching songwriting, but it has to
be done,” Sanders says. “I just
teach them basics. No baby chords
using one finger, but basics like
three-chord blues progressions.
“I think it’s better to teach them
that than to say ‘Hum a tune and I’ll
take it down.’ They’d learn nothing
that way.”
Since this is the first music pro
gram at the reformatory and since
Sanders has no formal training as a
teacher, he has nothing to model
the program after.
So, he says, he literally plays it by
“I use a different language when I
talk to the kids,” Sanders says. “I
avoid technical words like
‘metaphor.’
“I also substitute ‘make up songs’
for ‘songwriting.’ Songwriting
makes it sound like too much work.”
Sanders says he tries to simplify
composition as much as he can for
his students. He gives them a
phrase such as: “I used to be. . .
but now I am. . . .”
The students complete the
phrase, then sing it to a standard
blues progression. The first line is
sung twice and the second line
completes the thought.
“Some of the kids have been
through a lot and don’t like to ex
press themselves like that,” Sanders
says. “But some of them can get
very symbolic.
“One said, T used to be a ’68
Dodge, but now I’m parked in my
garage.’ Very heavy.”
There are times when personality
differences between he and the stu
dents cause problems. But he says
he doesn’t bother trying to be a dis
ciplinarian.
“I just say ‘I’m bored and I’m
tired of doing this. I go and you do
what you want to do.’
“That usually works.”
In the month Sanders has taught,
only one student has dropped the
“He was wanting to get out of
working. But he learned songwrit
ing is work, too. So he quit.”
Sanders spends Monday through
Thursday in Gatesville and the
weekend on the road fulfilling con
cert bookings.
He says he loses track of where he
“One of the problems with the
job was that they gave me so little
time to make the adjustment,” San
ders says. “I’ve got bookings to
make, so I have to travel from
Gatesville to wherever and back.”
After his final concert at the
Basement Saturday, Sanders was
scheduled to drive to Houston for a
Sunday concert at Rice University
and to drive back to Gatesville im
mediately afterwards.
“All I know is is I’m in a Hotel 6
or a Holiday Inn. I can tell by
whether or not there’s a key in the
TV.”
The traveling and the teaching
combined to rob him of time once
used for his own writing, he said.
Sanders, small and lanky with a
lightning smile, is known for
humor-ridden, laugh-a-minute per
formances. He is half singer, half
comedian.
But he says his image is a barrier
to his becoming recognized as a se
rious composer.
“I get tired of requests for ‘Open
My Third Eye Momma’ or ‘Head
Full of Reds.’ Especially when I feel
they haven’t really listened j
more serious songs.
“I don’t want to write:
drug experience anymore, lij
not interested.
“I want to create images. |i
to express gentleness, tendei
Sanders says his audienet
expect a change in his style ]
will be gradual.
“I won’t ever lose my sei
humor. I’m sure. But my
ance will take a more serious
I’m not sure how it will chan#
it will.
“One thing is for certain,
afraid to change.
“I’m not afraid of mysejf
more.”
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More than 2,600 students are ex
pected to receive degrees at Texas
A&M University in commencement
exercises Friday and Saturday.
Commencement speaker for both
programs will be Dr. Kenneth H.
Ashworth, Texas commissioner of
higher education. Last year
Ashworth was appointed to the top
administrative post for the Coor
dinating Board, Texas College and
University System, after serving in
executive positions within the Uni
versity of Texas System. He was
vice chancellor for academic affairs
from 1969 until 1973. That year he
was named executive vice-president
of the University of Texas at San An
tonio, the position which he held
prior to his current appointment.
Exercises will be conducted at
7:30 p.m. Friday for all students re
ceiving graduate degrees and for
undergraduate degree candidates
from the Colleges of Architecture
and Environmental Design, Educa
tion, Geosciences, Liberal Arts,
Science and Veterinary Medicine.
Ceremonies beginning at 9 a.m.
Saturday will be for undergraduate
degree candidates from the Col
leges of Agriculture, Business Ad
ministration, Engineering and
Marine Sciences and Maritime Re
sources.
Approximately 110 of the new
graduates will receive military
commissions at 1:30 p.m. cere
monies. Gen. David C. Jones, Air
Force chief of staff, will be the
commissioning speaker.
All three ceremonies will he held
in G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Dean Edwin H. Cooper said that
tickets will not he required for ad
mission. He added that closed-
circuit television viewing will he
provided in Rudder Auditorium for
any overflow crowd.
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ASHWORTH
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campus activities
TUESDAY
Dead Week.
University Symphonic Band Concert,
Rudder Auditorium, 8 p.m.
Plant Sciences, Seminar: Dr. C. A.
Beasley, University of California, River
side, “In Vitro Ovule Culture Methods as
a Means for Assessing the Influence of
Environmental, Hormonal and Nutri
tional Factors on Auxin-Regulated Ovule
and Fiber Development in Cotton,” Plant
Sciences 112-113, 3:30 p.m.
Biochemistry/Biophysics Society,
Election of officers. Rudder 308, 7:30 p.m.
French With a Smile, Conversation
Hour, MSC Cafeteria, 12 noon.
Registration, Eighth Annual City of
Bryan Tennis Tournament, 8a.m. -5p.m.
Entry forms available at Bryan Recreation
& Parks Department, Sears Tri State,
A&M Sporting Goods and Hoover Tennis
Service.
gram. Rudder Auditorium, 3:30 p.m.
Seminar, Dr. Andrew R. McFarls
Departments of Agricultural and C»
Engineering, “Air Quality Studiti
Senates 214, 2 p.m.
Student Chapter Amtriti
Meteorological Society, Solar Em ’ . .
Films: “Sun Power for Farms," “flu S0Cla u
lenge of the Future," and "Energy-1! (Dimes
American Experience,” continuoussl» |d lets
ings of the films from 11 a.m. to Ipa
Oceanography-Meteorology 12101!
from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Oceanogupt :r cam
Meteorology 1213 (free admission),
FRIDAY
Dead Week.
Spring Semester Classes End.
Commencement, Dr. Kenneth
Ashworth, G. Rollie White Coliseum,li
p.m.
WEDNESDAY
El Paso Hometown Club, Election of
officers, MSC 141, 7:30 p.m.
Dance Arts Society, Modern, G. Rollie
White 266, 7:30 p.m.
Student Senate, Harrington 204, 7:30
p. m.
Dead Week.
SATURDAY
Commencement, Dr. Kenneth
Ashworth, G. Rollie White Coliseum
THURSDAY
Dead Week.
Faculty Achievement Awards Pro-
Commissioning, Gen. David C. Join
G. Rollie White Coliseum, 1:30 p.m.
Final Review, Main Drill Field,)
p. m.
Boot Dance, MSC 201, 8 p.m
vtng.
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SUNDAY
Mother’s Day.
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11 —Cl
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