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Cowboy poet rides into Langdon Elementary
Artist in residence helps students learn through writing

By AMY FREIER

Republican Staff Writer

Photos by MARLO MILLER

Republican Editor

Reprinted with permission of the Cavalier County Republican, Langdon, N.D.

Forty different countries listen to the music of T.J. Casey. His current album is number one on the Western Music Charts, and he has already

authored one book of poetry. Last week, T.J. Casey spent time here in Langdon entertaining and challenging the minds of the third- through

 sixth-graders at Langdon Area Elementary School.

Casey was the artist in residence this year. Casey's visit was sponsored by the Northern Lights Arts Council and North Dakota Council on the

 Arts. He spent the week teaching students to explore poetry by listening to his poetry and writing their own.

LAES has been having artists in residence as long as forth-grade teacher Jayne Parker can remember. Each artist, Casey being no exception,

allows students to experience different aspects of art and culture, according to Parker. Casey's culture is cowboy.

Casey is a resident of Montana. He started playing guitar at age five, writing poetry at age 14 and at age 18, putting his poems with music.

In 1982 he became published and two years later, recorded a cassette. After a few years off, Casey came back to the music and his art and

as he says, "the rest is history."

Because he loves what he does and does it well, students are happy and excited to go and learn about a subject that some may find boring.

"He is fun to learn from," fourth-grader Jaime Lundequist said.

"Poetry is fun because T.J. is fun to listen to and he can play his guitar really good," said Marc Economy, fifth grade.

Their teacher, Mrs. Parker, could not be happier over what her students are learning through Casey. "It is so fun to see the kids get involved

with the arts," Parker said.

Besides the benefit of seeing different art cultures, each student is learning about themselves and what they can do. Casey works to have each

student use his or her imagination to write their own piece of poetry.

"My number one goal is to have every child in every class that I work with to have successfully written a poem and to show them different ways

to do this," Casey said.

His goal was accomplished. Each student wrote a personal poem on Monday and on Tuesday, Casey showed them how to write a collaborated

poem. Using collaborated poetry, Casey teaches students how work together and to listen to each other's ideas all under the guise of writing a poem.

"I like that students are working together and are accepting each other's ideas. This will be carried back into the classroom," Parker said.

Why does Casey spend so much time away from his home and family? The answer is two fold. The first, Casey is a cowboy and through his

work with students, he is passing along his heritage to them.

Cowboys have always been poets.

'Writing poetry is part of cowboys' history. It is what we do," Casey said.

By sharing his poetry most of which is based on his experiences as a cowboy or others experiences as a cowboy, Casey can share experiences

most of these students will never have. It is a way to preserve a lifestyle that is quietly fading from America.

"I believe in our roots and heritage," Casey wrote on his website. "I got a story to tell. We all need to stand up and protect the traditions and

legacies we've inherited. I want to be an image for kids to look up to, and hopefully instill in them this same love of country and customs I

know and respect. Without our heritage, our children lose focus. Without our children's focus, we lose our world."

Besides remembering our heritage, Casey helps students find a talent they may not have thought they had.

"Good Lord has given me this talent. He gives us all talents to different things," Casey said.

Casey hopes to help our students discover their own talents.
 

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