Inspiring Music Play in the Classroom (ECM Keynote)

Students AND teachers and find Jim Gill’s music play inspiring. In this energizing session, Jim will share examples of his work –both books and songs- that you can bring back to the classroom. There are musical games suitable both for circle time in pre-K and K classrooms and for short “brain breaks” for first and second grade classrooms. Most importantly, Jim will discuss how his unique creations in music play inspire young children not only to move, but to regulate their movements…..not only to sing, but to make connections between the words they sing and the printed word.

About the presenter - Jim Gill is a musician and author with unique credentials among children's artists. Jim is a child development specialist, completing his graduate studies in child development at the Erikson Institute of Chicago with a special emphasis on the study of play. For this reason, each of Jim's recordings and books is created as an opportunity for playful interactions between a child and a caring adult.

Jim has released seven award-winning CDs of music play for young children that are favorites in family rooms, classrooms and playrooms. Jim is also the author of two children's books. His latest, A Soup Opera, is a sing-along opera inspired by concerts that Jim performs with symphony orchestras. The book received an American Library Association award in 2010.