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For some musicians good song writing is elementary. For others it's elementary school. A CD called Kid Pan Alley collects tunes created in classrooms around the country and recorded by top Nashville artists, including Amy Grant.

Lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Colin Meloy is part of the indie pop quartet The Decemberists. The group hails from Portland, Ore. Meloy is known for using "10-dollar words" in his songs, and for "creating character studies that wouldn't sound out of place in a Victorian novel."

Singer-songwriter James McMurtry visits NPR's studios to play from his 12-string guitar and discuss politics, family and his latest album Childish Things.

Though Williams has been showered with acclaim and awards in the past decade, she spent the first 20 years of her career toiling on music's margins. It wasn't until the late '80s that she began to win over tastemakers and develop her reputation as a go-to songwriter and performer.

LCD Soundsystem's new album, called Sound of Silver, broadens the project's sound to make singer-writer-producer James Murphy's rhythms even more accessible.

The Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter crafts emotional, compelling songs on his new CD If the Ocean Gets Rough. Mason got his big break when Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst signed him to his label and released his 2004 debut.

The Puppini Sisters have a new CD out called Betcha Bottom Dollar. Marcella Puppini talks about some of the music on the British trio's new album.

Beach House's sleepy "Saltwater" never feels weary or tiresome. Instead, it floats along in a wispy haze of skittering drumbeats that rise and fall like heartbeats. As Victoria Legrand sings, "Love you all the time / even though you're not mine," her voice sounds powerful and stripped bare.

Igor Stravinsky's exotic, propulsive ballet The Rite of Spring captured conductor Marin Alsop's imagination at an early age. She says the music's "swing and sheer abandon" got her hooked, and the orchestra became her passion.

Combining traditional Irish music with non-traditional instruments such as guitar, banjo and bouzouki, the Celtic-music quintet has helped breathe life into the Irish/Celtic folk scene. The band performs a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.