Operation Respect

Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary, goes on tour again, this time to promote his newest children's book. "Day is Done" is his third children's book and No. 1 on the Publishers Weekly Children's Picture Book Bestsellers list.

Yarrow, 71, will give readings, perform children's music and promote the importance of music education for all children. In 1999, he founded Operation Respect, an organization "working to assure each child and youth a respectful, safe and compassionate climate of learning" through music in the classroom. In an interview with LoHud.com, Yarrow stresses the importance of passing music from generation to generation, creating a safe, loving environment in which children may grow up to be compassionate people and good citizens.



I'm a little boy with glasses
The one they call a geek
A little girl who never smiles
'Cause I have braces on my teeth
And I know how it feels to cry myself to sleep
I'm that kid on every playground
Who's always chosen last
A single teenage mother
Tryin' to overcome my past
You don't have to be my friend
But is it too much to ask

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm the beggar on the corner
You've passed me on the street
And I wouldn't be out here beggin'
If I had enough to eat
And don't think I don't notice
That our eyes never meet

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm fat, I'm thin, I'm short, I'm tall
I'm deaf, I'm blind, hey, aren't we all

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

Not Special Needs, But Special Skills

An MSNBC report today described a global "quiet movement" towards embracing the things people with disabilities can do rather than focusing on the things they can't.

According to the report, certain companies actively seek potential employees with certain disabilities, such as Asperger's Syndrome, an Autism spectrum disorder.  Often times, the symptoms of a disorder that make social interaction difficult can actually prove useful in the workplace.

Sing a song of celebration today to remind you and your child of all the things he or she can do! 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34047713/ns/health-mental_health/

"60 Minutes" Segment Spotlights Music and Art Education

On Sunday night, "60 Minutes" ran a segment about the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academies, a successful charter school in New York City. According to Marty Lipp, communications director of Promise Academies, every student takes music and art. In public school systems across the country, budget cuts and the pressure to perform better on standardized tests continue to force music and art out of the curriculum. The Promise Academies also provide "vital one-on-one instruction" after school. Whether your child receives arts enrichment at school or not, you can only help him or her by incorporating music into your one-on-one learning and playing time at home!