“Music Island” is back! My full-length musical comedy for all ages will be staged by the Youth Choir of the First Parish of Bedford, MA on June 10 and 11, 2016, directed by Janet Welby. I invite everyone to sample the delight of Music Island. The show opens on an…
This is the second in a series of posts about learning through play. I had the opportunity to attend the Massachusetts Music Educators’ Annual conference for the first time this past weekend. This is my first year “officially” to be a music teacher for elementary school students, and I…
Educator Bev Bos, who recently passed on, famously said, “If it hasn’t been in the hand, the body and the heart, it can’t be in the brain.” The Roseville Community Preschool, which she founded in Northern California, is dedicated to experiential learning. Children are constantly moving, exploring the world through…
Massachusetts state officials are currently considering whether to lift the “cap” on the number of public charter schools in the Commonwealth. Governor Charles Baker has proposed lifting the cap to allow creation of more public charters, and a 2016 ballot measure could put the question to voters. I’m in favor…
“He loves music!” As a children’s musician, that’s a common refrain I hear from parents. It’s just a fact: most kids’ happiness meter jumps several notches when the singing and dancing starts. I’ve written a fair bit about the connections between music instruction and early literacy skill development as well…
In my songwriting life, I’ve become a little obsessed with characters in threes. My initial “Three Piggy Opera” was so much fun that on my next album, Once Upon a Tune, I included my own songs about the Three Bears, Three Billy Goats Gruff and Three Little Kittens. You can…
There is a great body of research showing the importance of music in children’s lives. But even if there were no research at all, it’s simply a fact that most kids love music and it’s good for them. For those reasons alone, music should be an essential component of preschool…
Here are Ten Favorite Moments in my Music/Literacy Life, 2014. But actually, I couldn’t stop at 10, so there are 12! 1. The Condon School Grade 1 concert in June. At an annual concert at this large elementary school in South Boston, we share the songs the students write with…
2014 was another super year for my work singing with kids and focusing on early literacy learning. Among the highlights were my new songs for learning about rhyming words: Animal Rhymes and Halloween Rhymes. I hope these songs will soon become part of the music/literacy recordings that I sell through…
I’m writing today to ask you to consider contributing to an organization that’s making a difference every day in the lives of children. It’s probably made a difference in the lives of children you know. I’m talking about The Children’s Music Network. This year, I completed seven years of service…
