Lydia Ellingwood, 9, sings “Cool to be Kind” as her third-grade classmates perform behind a screen Monday during a Sticks and Stones rehearsal at Acadia Academy in Lewiston. Musicians Skip Brunette and Jeff Erwin of Sticks and Stones are spending five days teaching students to use words in a positive manner through music. Students will present their final two performances Tuesday, one for students during the day and one for parents and family at 6:30 p.m. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

Cohen Pelky, 8, gets a fist bump Monday from Jeff Erwin of Sticks and Stones as Beckham Ritz, 8, celebrates a well-done performance at Acadia Academy in Lewiston. Also shown: Connor Morissette, lower left, and Madison Doucette. Erwin and Skip Brunette are spending five days teaching students to use words in a positive manner through music. Students will present their final two performances Tuesday, one for students during the day and one for parents and family at 6:30 p.m. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

Two musicians and a variety of “repurposed” instruments make up Sticks and Stones, a performance-based, artist-in-residence program that teaches students to deal with bullying, teasing and other behavior by emphasizing kindness and mutual respect. This bass drum was once the inside of a clothes dryer. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)