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MEDIA

2023

“Reading Skills: Here’s a Head Start”
Letter to the Editor, Star Tribune, Dec. 27, 2023

“Singing: A Missing Link to Literacy”
Podcast Interview by Australia’s Crescendo Music Education

Literacy
Letter to the Editor, Star Tribune, Jan. 2, 2023

2022

“A Missing Link: How to Enable Brains for Reading with Neuroscientific-Based Activities”
Literacy Today, International Literacy Association

“Singing Our Way into Fluency”
Dr. Sam Bommarito’s blog

“Effects of early singing and music making
Power to the Parents KMOJ Radio program, Don Samuels

“How to Train Baby’s Brain for Reading”
Minnesota Parent Journal

2021

“A New Look at Brain Research (Part 2)
Dr. Sam Bommarito’s blog and video interview

2020
“A New Look at Brain Research: The Impact of Music on Reading Fluency/Prosody
Dr. Sam Bommariot’s blog and video interview

2018
Wahpeton Daily News Media (2018)
Saint Cloud Times (2018)

2016
”Give them Hope”
Tesfa Wondemanagnehu, Sing to Inspire podcasts on MN Public Radio

”Rock ‘n’ Read Program and Tune into Reading video
Luther Automotive Group

2014
Rock ‘n’ Read: New Program Improves Reading through Singing”
Twin Cities Daily Planet

Rock ‘n’ Read Rolls Out in Minneapolis video
MN 2020

Rock ‘n’ Read Bus video
Fox 9 News

Minnetonka Couple Launch Rock ‘n’ Read Project
Sun Sailor

The Kids on the Bus Learn Song by Song
MPR News

Old Buses Keep on Truckin’ After Leaving Metro Transit
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Old Buses Get New Life
MetroTransit

Life After Service: Former Transit Buses Take on New Roles
MetroTransitMN

Minneapolis Star Tribune 12/27/23

READING SKILLS

Here's a head start

The outstanding Dec. 23 commentary "Minnesota can, must rise in reading ranks," called for grass-roots community innovation with low-cost/no-cost strategies to help prepare all children's brains to be able to read before they start school. Here's a fun, fast strategy that costs nothing and is based on the latest brain science that has found that children who cannot process and remember sound effectively and efficiently will most likely struggle with reading.

What is it? Sing to/with babies and children and develop their basic music skills. Children who can keep a beat, clap the rhythm of a song, match a pitch and sing in tune will be better readers.

To start, here are free activities and a Musical Fitness Assessment for parents, care providers and preschool teachers: www.rocknreadproject.org. There is a huge gap between the one-third of Minnesota students who never learn to read at even a basic level (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2022) and those who become proficient readers. Let's call for all early childhood organizations to work together to launch a grassroots movement to "Zap the Gap!"

Ann C. Kay, Minnetonka
The writer is education coordinator, Rock 'n' Read Project.