The National Children’s Music Project (NCMP) was started as a forum for the educational component of the music that Kathy Jo, Terry and I had been performing for many years. Over time I came to believe that there was an entire body of music that needed to be written and discovered to help children learn what our schools were trying to teach with only partial success. Reading, math, self-esteem, all of these subjects were perfect to learn through music because songs contain three enormously important elements: Repetition, group participation and fun!
Because the nature of large institutions is to break down the educational process into small testable pieces, there will inevitably be students who don’t fit into those compartments. The smaller the pieces become, the greater the chance of any student disengaging from the process.
In my experience, the very nature of folk music is “outwardly mobile.” The process of learning through singing is a combination of expressing yourself individually and feeling part of a group at the same time. It’s a feeling of being part of something larger than “I don’t know this and they do”, or equally “I know this and they don’t”.
The journey I see for us is to share that experience with performances, recordings, and guidance for parents, educators and administrators. Working directly in classrooms has helped me to pinpoint the places in a child’s school day in which music can play an integral part. Counting, reading, history as well as building community through singing together are just a few of the benefits music bestows if done with thoughtfulness and a spirit of discovery.
Though I’ve have spent many years singing and writing for children, it’s very exciting to begin to build a repertoire of songs that children need to make music more than a break from the day, but a part of their lives.
Stay tuned, keep in touch, and Keep Singing! - David Grover
About NCMP
The National Children’s Music Project (NCMP) was started as a forum for the educational component of the music that Kathy Jo, Terry and I had been performing for many years. Over time I came to believe that there was an entire body of music that needed to be written and discovered to help children learn what our schools were trying to teach with only partial success. Reading, math, self-esteem, all of these subjects were perfect to learn through music because songs contain three enormously important elements: Repetition, group participation and fun!
Because the nature of large institutions is to break down the educational process into small testable pieces, there will inevitably be students who don’t fit into those compartments. The smaller the pieces become, the greater the chance of any student disengaging from the process.
In my experience, the very nature of folk music is “outwardly mobile.” The process of learning through singing is a combination of expressing yourself individually and feeling part of a group at the same time. It’s a feeling of being part of something larger than “I don’t know this and they do”, or equally “I know this and they don’t”.
The journey I see for us is to share that experience with performances, recordings, and guidance for parents, educators and administrators. Working directly in classrooms has helped me to pinpoint the places in a child’s school day in which music can play an integral part. Counting, reading, history as well as building community through singing together are just a few of the benefits music bestows if done with thoughtfulness and a spirit of discovery.
Though I’ve have spent many years singing and writing for children, it’s very exciting to begin to build a repertoire of songs that children need to make music more than a break from the day, but a part of their lives.
Stay tuned, keep in touch, and Keep Singing!
- David Grover
Please see David Grover’s site for more information. Thank you.