Kids'CD/songbook from Teaching Tolerance

Subject: Kids'CD/songbook from Teaching Tolerance
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 01:38 AM

I Will Be Your Friend--Songs and Activities for Young Peacemakers is a new songbook/workbook/CD for elementary schools, produced by Teaching Tolerance, an ongoing project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. It's available for free to teachers and schools. The project organizers, led by Minneapolis singer/songwriter/teacher Larry Long, collected over 3000 songs and chose 26, by people like Woody Guthrie (a song performed by Arlo), Pete Seeger, Malvina Reynolds, Bob Blue, and Sally Rogers, along with classroom activities helping kids learn about tolerance and diversity. It's a very impressive project. Click here for more info, clips, and how to order.

Oh...and here's the really cool part. One of my songs is in there, too!

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Kids'CD/songbook from Teaching Tolerance
From: open mike
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 02:14 AM

and if there ever was a time when we need to learn tolerance-
it is now...i remember one class project a teacher did--I
think it ws in Iowa-to teach her children what prejudice was
like--she had kids with certain eye color treated differently
discriminated against and then the class discussed it...
powerful teaching...good that these songs are here, and
congrats mark for beinig included! Laurel

Subject: RE: Kids'CD/songbook from Teaching Tolerance
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 04:27 PM

I have this, and it's a great collection! It includes the notation and chords for most of the songs, including one by the ever-modest Mark Cohen himself, and suggested activities for use in classrooms or other groups. I may not use the activities, but I sure will use the songs- it's a wonderful resource!

Subject: RE: Kids'CD/songbook from Teaching Tolerance
From: Jim Colbert
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 04:44 PM

I just passed this info along to my wife, it should be right up her alley. She's especially into using drama to reach troubled youth, with a secondary emphasis on music, but the two often overlap. (She's a pretty amazing woman... kind of makes me feel like I've always had jobs that really don't make much difference toward bettering the world. But heck, somebody's gotta be the art directors of the planet!) thanks for sharing and cool that you were included, Mark!

Jim

Subject: RE: Kids'CD/songbook from Teaching Tolerance
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 10:33 PM

Just to set the record straight (You remember records, right? Like CD's, only bigger, and black), the version of my song "Walkin' On My Wheels" that was used on this CD was recorded by Grammy nominees Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer on their CD "Nobody Else Like Me" -- although it's sung by a young lady named Meghan McNeily. I'd also like to acknowledge Bob Reid of Santa Cruz, CA, who "tweaked" the song musically when he recorded it back in the late 80s, and improved it tremendously over my more pedestrian version. Bob's rendition is the one Cathy and Marcy used.   

Aloha,
Mark

PS There's also an interesting discussion of the song, including some thoughtful criticism, on this recent thread.

Subject: RE: Kids'CD/songbook from Teaching Tolerance
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 20 Mar 03 - 07:29 PM

(thread drift alert...) Speaking of records, today I was sitting on the floor with a group of kindergarteners, when one of them pointed to something behind me and asked, "What's that thing that goes round and round?" It was a record player! I still keep some vinyls around, so I pulled one out and talked about the old days. You shoulda heard them "Wow! That's big! Can we hear it???"
The times have certainly changed!