By Jessica Baron | Executive Director
Dear Supporter,
Thank you for standing by us while we bring this special project together. At this special time of hope and renewal, we are receiving more song suggestions, ideas and new songs written by teachers for inclusion in this important songbook.
Here on the anniversary of the Columbine shootings, and in the wake of school shootings around the country over the past 20 years, the need for songs that can help and heal is particularly poignant. Equipping all the teachers participating in our work- and beyond- with these songs and a handy song resource to be kept at the ready for when something upsetting happens could not be more important.
We now have songs for the book that are ready to share which specifically promote kindness and friendship, reduce students' anxiety over a test, help them settle a fight with a friend, express love, and songs that provide comfort and empower children to comfort others, and songs that express love for someone who has passed. We also have songs to calm students after a fire drill or lockdown drill.
We are still seaching for specifica songs to make it easier for teachers to sensitively and effectively address difficult experiences including changes in family structure (divorce or tragedy), housing insecurity, a parent's military deployment, severe illness and injury, and trauma including trauma resulting from violence. Some of these songs do not exist yet and will need to be written in order to complete the project. To that end, we recently have reached out to 500 teachers in our programs to ask their participation in achieving this goal. We promise to keep you informed about the progress!
In the meantime, we wish to share a very heartfelt historical performance by the Coen Brothers, students at Columbine High School who performed their original composition, "Columbine Friend of Mine" at the L.A. Music Awards many years ago. Please click the attached link to see them and hear their song.
May music be a timeless resource in the lives of all our children as they learn to navigate in a complex world without sacrificing their faith in themselves, in others, or their hopes for humanity. I
Wishing you a beautiful celebration during this Passover and Easter weekend!
Jess
Links:
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