ELLA 'CHILDREN
JENKINS
GET
ON
BOARD'
by Kathleen Hinkel
“You’ll sing a song and I’ll sing a song. And we’ll sing a song together.” So go the lyrics of Ella Jenkins’ signature composition. In a new documentary film about Ella entitled “We’ll Sing a Song Together,” music educator Thomas Moore offers this analysis, “You’ll sing a song. I’ll sing a song. And we’ll sing a song together. And that togetherness will save us.” For over 60 years Chicago’s Ella Jenkins has been making music together with her audiences. Her music explores themes instrumental to survival. Togetherness. Mindfulness. Communication. The practice of creativity. The spirit of participation. “You’ll sing a song and I’ll sing a song,” from her 1966 album, is an illustration of the philosophy behind Ella’s approach to making music for children. When we sing together, we apply values of human connection. We listen to each other, learn from each other and we work together. In the uncertain space we find ourselves living in at the end of 2020, stories of individuals like Ella can provide a hopeful path forward. Ella has introduced thousands of children to the magical world of making music and 39-year-old local filmmaker Tim Ferrin was once one of those children. For the past few years he has been working to bring her story to the screen. Tim was introduced to Ella’s music many years ago by his elementary school music teacher and mentor Fred Koch. In 2014, Tim had a chance run-in with his teacher who planted the idea of making a documentary film about Ella. Tim was intrigued by the idea and shortly after, he bumped into Ella herself at Old Town School of Folk Music. He took it as a sign and has been working on the project ever since. Tim has interviewed over 40 people on a quest to justly capture the influence of Ella, who is widely regarded as the 20th century's most prolific children’s musician. With no formal music training, Ella pioneered a genre: children’s music. Through her career she has amassed a discography of 40 albums on the Smithsonian Folkways label and earned herself the nickname the “First Lady of Children’s Music.” This year, StreetWise recognized Ella as one of the 20 most inspiring Chicagoans, which is the latest in a career of accolades, including a 2004 Grammy Award for Lifetime
Achievement and being named a 2017 Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. “One of the big takeaways is that she has lived her life both personally and professionally with great integrity. She’s a great example of how to live within a community,” Tim says when discussing why Ella’s story is important to tell. “Positivity and change starts at a very local level and that’s something Ella embodies. We learn from one another and we do it together.” For all her achievements, very little has been produced, written or filmed about Ella herself. “The more I dug the less I found, other than her extensive catalogue,” says Tim. “It’s not always the people that make the biggest contribution that get the most notoriety,” says early childhood education expert Barbara Bowman in one clip from the film. Tim began conducting the first of many interviews with Ella in 2014. A month after he began filming his oldest daughter was born. A couple of years into the project he had another child. Having young children himself and seeing Ella interact with them has broadened Tim’s understanding of Ella’s gift. “It’s been amazing to connect with Ella on an adult level but to really see how she connects with children. It’s been a family affair.” “The way she communicates has maximum impact.” says Tim. “She’s a facilitator. She’s someone who can come into a place and get everybody cooperating and that is a very special skill.”
