History

From my earliest of days, oh, say, from nearly the middle of the last century, singing has been a part of my life. In the car, at home, at church, in school, for me, music was everywhere. Then came a variety of music lessons on the accordion, the organ, the trumpet, even a year of french horn. The one that stuck, that, forgive me, really struck a chord was the guitar. I'd already discovered the magic of The Beatles, and being able to sing while strumming was absolutely the best.

Fast forward through school choirs, state competitions, some musicals and garage bands to vacation church school in New Castle, Delaware. The director, Sue, was an in-home family child care provider. One day, after I'd finished teaching Bible songs to the kids, she asked if I'd ever played at a daycare. "Nope," I said, "But I'm sure it can't be that hard!" That was the beginning of my journey into the world of early childhood education and development, and, with a few blips along the way, I've never looked back. Little did I know how much work, determination and luck it would take to make a career of entertaining young children ...

Every day, 3 Times a Day

...I played for the children at Sue's daycare the following week. Zowie! I loved it. And so, as I recall, did the kids. Word spread to other providers and soon I was performing several times a week! Not long after that the day came that truly set me on my path.

The Delaware Association of Child Care Professionals (DACCP), a grassroots organization established by in-home providers to assist in educating and empowering other providers, invited me to be a vendor at their annual conference. How could I go!? I didn't own a car, had no Mr. Skip literature, and certainly not the $25 for the entry fee!

There are moments in our lives when the generosity of others and the grace of God shine above all. A friend was going out of town the weekend of that conference - she lent me her car. The wife of another friend had access to paper and a copier - she made me thousands of copies of my hastily put together brochure. My mom set me up with a tablecloth, a vase full of silk flowers and the $25 for the fee. The vendors at the table next to me knew everyone and, learning of my newness in the child care world, sent everyone to my table to check me out. Serendipity? No, just the kindness of others and a nod that I was doing the right thing. Six weeks later I was playing from 9 -12, M - F, for as many as 15 groups of children a week, and just making enough to survive as a professional.

Workshops & Conferences

Another break occurred when the president of the DACCP insisted I do a workshop for their next annual conference. "You know what to do [in a child care environment ]. Take this and learn the terminology, " and she handed me her college textbook on early childhood development. Reading the text I realized that she was right. Instinctively, I knew how to use music as an educational and developmental tool with young children. That first workshop for 100+ child care professionals was a joy. And it was a rousing success.

Many workshops and keynotes later, I still love sharing my knowledge with providers, teachers and administrators on how and why music is an essential element of early childhood development.

Wherever Young Children are Gathered

Since that time over 20 years ago, I've had the privilege of performing at child care centers, preschools, libraries, elementary schools, festivals, fairs, and concert stages from New York to North Carolina. A sampling of some of these will be listed here shortly.