S.L.Y.M.I. (Sing Like You Mean It!)

Music is powerful. Just last night, walking into a restaurant, I heard the classic 1976 Stevie Wonder song "Sir Duke" playing. That's the song with these lyrics (which has always meant more to me than the song title itself):

Music is a world within itself
With a language we all understand
With an equal opportunity
For all to sing, dance and clap their hands
But just because a record has a groove
Don't make it in the groove
But you can tell right away at letter A
When the people start to move
They can feel it all over

They can feel it all over people
They can feel it all over
They can feel it all over people

Hearing this song took me back instantly to my grandparents' house when I was probably 8 years old. I was staying there while my folks were on vacation for the week. Being a self-entertaining-unit, I played that song over and over again during that week, trying to work up some kind of dance routine--because that's what 8 year olds do!

Walking into dinner last night, I was transported to 8-year-old-me.

That is the power of music!

And that is the power of Music Education. Our kids need it as music is an enhancer, a connector, a brain activator, an enlightener, an energizer, and it can make learning more fun.

Luckily, there's an agent out there who is working to bring music to our classrooms. Her name is Linda Richards.

Linda has come to Kickstarter with a new to music education program: S.L.Y.M.I. (Sing Like You Mean It!). Her goal--to connect learning through song to capture concepts. 

I've seen Linda in action--she's a powerhouse full of amazing!! For 6 years while I was teaching at Eagle Cove School in Pasadena, Maryland, she was a touchstone & annual tradition to our Earth Week. Visiting each class, Linda could get a group of kids (whether 1st or 5th graders) to whip up & perfect an eco-parody song in a half hour. The production at the end of the week was a magical, musical experience where students' self esteem soared while they performed their songs for the school community.

S.L.Y.M.S's Kickstarter funding deadline ends October 25th, meaning there is still time to jump on Linda's "music bandwagon" and be one of her backers. You can go there to donate to her cause, as well as to learn more and see her perform her program's philosophy in song.

Other places you can find Linda Richards:

* LindaRichardsAdventures.com
* SLYMI on Facebook

You can also find her in my Green Team Gazette Archives:

• Green Team Gazette: Earth Day!! The Eagle Cove Way!!
• Green Team Gazette: A Very Full Earth Day-Bay Week
• Green Team Gazette: Eco-Songs: Terrapins, Terrapins
• Green Team Gazette: Happy Earth Day 2015
• Garbage, Garbage, Garbage, Garbage... GARBAGE
• Green Team Gazette: Earth Week Excitement

What SLYMI offers:

• assemblies & class visits, 
• opportunities to collaborate, create, write songs, & perform music, 
• concept building, raising social awareness, integrating curricular areas, connection making, & weaving in the wonderment of music.

"Children + Music = The Agent of Change...When I look into the future, I see this program growing thoughtful, spirited, socially aware, participatory musicians. Your support in this Kickstarter campaign will set those songs in motion sooner rather than later. The time for those songs is right now."          ~ Linda Richards, from her S.L.Y.M.I. Kickstarter Campaign

Crowd image of Linda Richards from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/911444452/slymi-sing-like-you-mean-it/posts/1353788 and a screenshot of her singing her video on http://thecrowdfundingcentre.com/videos/play?id=8BD3FF

Stevie Wonder lyrics from https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tjjg23qx75gdnvo6kgiuxmmtu3u?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics

"You Can't Touch Music" quote from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/0c/f4/e6/0cf4e628ea4f1615e5874c573091f7b3.jpg