Make literacy learning easy with songs and activities
Contact: Jill Davis
ALA Editions
800-545-2433 ext. 5418
NEWS
For Immediate Release
July 28, 2009
CHICAGO –
ALA Editions, the publishing imprint of the American Library Association, just released
“Tune Up to Literacy: Original Songs and Activities for Kids” by Dr. Al Balkin. The ASCAP award-winning composer and children’s educator shares his original songs and demonstrates how music encourages literacy. The book introduces and reinforces such crucial literacy concepts as the alphabet, vowels, consonants, nouns, verbs, adjectives, sentence construction, punctuation, sequence, rhyming and more, with:
- Twenty original songs to encourage children's development of literacy.
- Rhyme-a-ton rhyming dictionary of commonly used one-syllable words.
- Activities related to each song-- from inventing new verses to telling stories to playing flash-card games.
Balkin has taught music at every level, from nursery school to graduate school, and is a dedicated advocate of multi-disciplinary learning and creativity through the arts. His songs appeared frequently on the “Captain Kangaroo” CBS television show, and he has performed on the NBC Today Show. His song "The Midnight Ride of Prescott and Dawes" was the feature on Charles Osgood's CBS morning radio show, “Newsbreak.” A professor emeritus from Western Michigan University and a music graduate of Indiana University with an M.A. in musicology, he received his doctorate degree from Columbia University Teachers College in music and music education. His articles have appeared nationally in
Principal and Music Educators Journal.
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