Tom Hunter & The Song Growing Co. October Newsletter

[Tom Hunter - The Song Growing Co.]

GREETINGS FOR OCTOBER as fall settles around us with its shorter days, big moon, increasing election noise (and little wisdom), huge hubbard squash in the garden, and hundreds of dew-drenched spider webs glistening in the dawn. It sometimes seems strange to me how when nature starts slowing down toward winter, many of us speed up. We really want to move some things off our shelves and into your CD and tape players so we have some amazing deals for you this month – check the end of this letter and the web site.

TO CHEW ON: Ron Walton, Principal of Nipomo (CA) Elementary School, emailed me saying their test scores are up and up a lot. That school has a significant commitment to music, arts and play, and though he’s not sure it can be proved, he believes there’s a connection between that commitment and their improved academic achievement. He also says, "the constant increase over time highlights the fact that not only are these experiences (of music, arts, and play) essential for our students, these experiences do not need to be forfeited from what we do in school in the name of state standards and tests." In a time when recesses are being cut or shortened (in 62% of elementary schools across the country), arts are being cut, and "instructional time" increased, his is a wonderful reminder about the "essential" nature of music, arts, and play in the lives of children and how they do not have to be sacrificed for learning to happen. In fact, they may (and I think definitely do) increase learning…. Thanks to you who responded about including more about my favorite books here. I will, next time, with favorite music too.

RECENT EVENT: Great start this week to the project of mentoring primary teachers at Northern Heights Elementary School here in Bellingham in the use of songs in the classroom. We played with three songs, talked about the value of songs and how to increase participation (as distinct from performance), and figured next time would be even more productive if we had food. Next time is later this month. It’s fun for me to be working with teachers in an ongoing way so they (and not the "expert") can become more confident using their own voices and more confident watching how songs work to enliven learning and community … I had a good time earlier this month being keynote presenter for the Cypress School District (LA area) opening day staff event. Using songs and stories to "nourish the heart of our teaching" seems a good way to start the year. Let us know if anyone wants something similar for the start of next year.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Dates are still available this year for conferences, teacher workshops, schools assemblies, parent events, and family concerts. Call or email us.  (Click here for more dates.)
10/7-10/9 – Pocatello, ID – early childhood conference, keynotes and workshops
10/14-10/15 – Gearhart, OR – staff retreat, Bethlehem Church Pre-School (Lake Oswego, OR)
10/18 – College Station, TX – evening class at Texas A&M – info: Nancy Self, 979-845-8365
10/19 – Houston, TX – daytime with children, evening with parents to celebrate birthday of St. Lukes Day School – info: 713-871-0694
10/26 – Bellingham, 2nd workshop with primary teachers of Northern Hts. Elementary
10/29 – Spokane, WA – workshops at statewide WA AEYC conference and open family concert 6-7pm, Spokane Center (with Dennis Westphall and Lorraine Bayes)
Coming in Nov.: 11/5-11/6 Roseville, CA workshops with Bev Bos; 11/11-11/13 Anaheim for NAEYC conference; 11/18 Sacramento, conference for people working with migrant children; 11/1 Warden, WA, conference for teachers of infants and children; 12/6-12/10 BER (Manchester, Boston, Hartford, Long Island, Syracuse)

HYPE: So here’s the deal this month. It does us no good to have things sitting on our shelves, and it doesn’t do you much good either. All this month our CD of Christmas music "When the Silent Night Starts to Sing" is available for $10 each or 3 for $25. Many people have it and when they say they like it, we believe they are being completely honest. For some families, it’s a constant part of their December listening. It’s a wonderful gift, so get several and give them away. The cassette tape version is available for $5. Not only that, we also have quite a few copies of the cassette tape "Connections" and we’ll sell you that for $5 too. Produced with the Beach Center for Families and Disabilities at the Univ. of Kansas, it’s a collection of songs for families and professionals dealing with issues of disabilities, and we’ve been hearing again recently that in some families and centers, it’s among the most played music they have…. Our other CD’s make good gifts too, and we just received a brand new shipment of "In the Air," the collection of mostly familiar, mostly common folk songs. Interesting how something that familiar and common can sell that well!… (Click here to go to our "Stuff to Buy" page for more info.) So hurry – better this stuff is in your homes, cars, and classrooms than on our shelves… Cheers ‘til next month… 



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THE SONG GROWING CO.
1225 E. Sunset Dr., #518
Bellingham, WA  98226
(360) 738-0340
fax: (360) 734-0295
songgrow at tomhunter.com 
www.tomhunter.com 
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