Songs from their hearts

Luis Sempe didn’t know what ideas would make it onto paper when he tried writing a song for the first time at school. But after being instructed to mine his own experiences for material, Sempe, 19, was surprised how quickly his song, “Daniel,” came together. It was about becoming a father when he was 17 and was named after his son.

“The song is about how he made me feel before and after he was born,” said Sempe, who recently graduated from North Hollywood High School.

Sempe was one of 15 teens chosen from more than 1,000 Los Angeles Unified School District high school students to collaborate with prominent songwriters and composers in a program sponsored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the Reprise Theatre Company.

The idea was to educate students about the craft of songwriting as a means of personal expression, and on Wednesday, the group gathered to watch as Broadway veteran Tituss Burgess performed “Am I,” written by 19-year-old Xavier Gomez, in a rehearsal space at the Madilyn Clark Studios in Burbank.

Students got to hear the finished versions of their songs for the first time and meet songwriters during the rehearsal Wednesday.

A medley of the songs will be performed tonight at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood in a program titled “Free Style,” directed by Reprise Theatre Company’s Matt Gould and featuring Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Paul Anthony Stewart. Dancers from the Groovaloos will accompany the show.

ASCAP President Marilyn Bergman, who was on hand to discuss copyright issues, said Wednesday that continuing arts initiatives for young people is critical in her mind.

“The concept of self-expression -- that’s the opportunity that is drying up in schools,” she said.

Sempe was paired with L.A.-based classical composer and conductor Eric Whitacre, who wrote and scored songs for the musical “Paradise Lost.” Whitacre said he was particularly impressed by the insightful and mature lyrics Luis penned for “Daniel,” which Stewart will perform tonight.

“It just spoke to me so deeply,” Whitacre said.

Songwriter Stephen Bray, who has written songs for Madonna including “Into the Groove” and “Express Yourself,” had a similar reaction when he heard 17-year-old Nemesis Tagalag’s song, “You’re the One” -- he was struck by the originality of the lyrics: “I wish I was your tear / Born in your eye.”

“A good lyric has pictures in it,” Bray said.

Though Nemesis, a student at San Pedro Narbonne High School, said he was just playing with words when he wrote “You’re the One,” he did enjoy the creativity it spurred in him.

“It’s pretty fun expressing emotion on a piece of paper.”

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nicole.loomis@latimes.com