Meet Our P.O.W. Coordinator!
Hello, POW readers! My name is Caroline Meyer, and I am the Blog Coordinator for POW! I am 17 years old, I am from Nashville, Tennessee, and I have a long history with music. I am primarily a vocalist, but I also play the guitar, piano, ukulele, and alto saxophone. As Blog Coordinator, I work with our fifteen current POW writers to provide musical education resources for readers of all ages through pieces highlighting musical diversity and inclusion. I edit and post pieces weekly, and I work with the rest of the team here at Tunes for Kidz to provide the most abundant and rewarding music educational opportunities possible. My desire to work with Tunes for Kidz stemmed entirely from my upbringing as a lover of music and a literary enthusiast. Here is a little bit about the origins of my passion for music and writing.
As an elementary schooler, sporty and academically driven, I believed creativity to be overrated. A musical theater summer camp for lovers of the arts ages five to twelve was the very last place I, a fourth grade softball whiz, had expected to discover my future calling as a writer.
Sprightly and entirely terrified, I stood in the cabaret aisle of the Franklin Theater as the opening bars of “Freak Flag” from Shrek the Musical flitted through the space. After a week of grueling rehearsals, I was finally making my theatrical debut as Pinocchio, a confrontational puppet hesitant to accept his peculiarity. Jazz squaring my way into position, I heaved a mighty breath and delivered what would become one of the most impactful phrases of my young life: “We may be freaks, but we’re freaks with teeth and claws and magic wands! And together, we can stand up to Farquaad!”
Since that historic day, these words have remained imprinted in my mind. This stanza opened my eyes to the beauty of music and the profound impact that words can have. Thereafter, I hurtled toward every theatrical opportunity that came my way, from a position in the Kenrose Elementary Choir to a featured Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz Junior. I came to adore the arts because I never knew which lyric or excerpt of dialogue would change me the way that that very first solo had.
Soon enough, I began to write my own music—a long-winded ballad or a little ditty in the shower. My songs were often silly or much too dramatic for a tweenager, but I was anxious to make a difference, to change lives, and I felt that I was most equipped to do so through music. As I entered middle school, though, I came to realize that my knack for writing was not only applicable to musical composition. I quickly learned that my adoration of artistic writing expanded into a love of literature. After having eagerly flown through dozens of novels, plays, and albums, I came to a conclusion: through writing, I wanted to impact others in the way that I have been so thoroughly impacted.
During my junior year of high school, the Tunes for Kidz founder, Manavi Bajpai, approached me about taking on a position on the Tunes for Kidz team. I would have the opportunity to combine my passions for music and writing by heading POW, the Tunes for Kidz blog I had explored many times before. I accepted the position with no hesitation, beyond excited to work with the Tunes for Kidz team and the enormously talented group of POW writers.
My experiences as Blog Coordinator have been incredibly rewarding, and I have loved every second I’ve spent as a member of the Tunes for Kidz team. POW is an incredible resource, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful organization. Working with POW allows me to learn something new every week, and our writers are constantly producing new material that educates in an engaging, accessible way. My history with music and writing goes way back, and I am thrilled to further foster those passions through POW.