by Marylin Butorac (WVCN Community Correspondant)
  On Saturday, May 22, the Chickasha Public Library will be hosting Sing a New Song: Changing Lives Through Music. Designed for adults and teens and presented by Peter Markes, the goal of this workshop is to develop techniques for songwriting lyrics through a process called sensory writing. The free, one-hour program will begin at 10 a.m., and registration is required due to limited seating.
 Peter Markes (pronounced Marcus) is an award-winning music educator and performer based out of Oklahoma City. Audiences are mesmerized by his one-man band live-looping performances where he takes his 5-string electric violin to create and build pop hits from scratch! Also a guitarist and singer-songwriter, Peter has written and released numerous songs in the folk-pop genre, and his debut
solo album, I Have A Dream, can be heard digitally worldwide. He is also a member of the band Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road and has performed and taught in over thirty countries.
 Workshop attendees will learn about the process of lyric writing and how that can be used to create songs. The information will be accessible to everyone, regardless of the amount of previous musical experience.
 “Music is an essential part of the human experience,” said Michelle Skinner, a Chickasha Public Library employee. “It is a universal language that connects us all together, as well as a powerful means of communication and self-expression.”
 Learning musical skills has many mental and physical health benefits as well.  
 According to researchers from Johns Hopkins University, listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.
 Learning and creating new music, such as songwriting, keeps the brain active, helps to preserve memory function, and helps with language and verbal literacy. By engaging the brain in a variety of ways, music enhances both emotional and cognitive functioning.
 This workshop is a great way to learn about and explore new forms of self-expression while also having fun and developing new forms of creativity.
 This program is funded through the Oklahoma Department of Libraries with a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
  The program will be in person at the Chickasha Public Library, located at 527 W. Iowa. Registration is required due to limited seating. For more information and to register for Sing a New Song: Changing Lives Through Music, visit or call the Chickasha Public Library at 405-222-6075.