Thanks for attending the 2020 Songs of Hope – Education Conference!
Watch any session from this incredible event by clicking below:
Children Need to Know the Story Too
Over 25 International Speakers from the fiends of education, music, and inspiration! Let’s bring hope back to the classroom and living room despite this time of crisis!
Featured Speakers (April 20-May 1)
Dan Waldschmidt
12:00pm – The “IF” Factor
Using the 1,000+ stories and case studies that he researched when writing his best-selling book, EDGY Conversations, Dan will captivate you with the practical, real-life story of the small city who stood up against the greatest king who had ever lived. Lessons to be learned. Hope to be gained.
Barbara Bisceglia
1:00pm – Montessori Mentoring
This workshop will discuss ways to strengthen your school community and supply you with tips and resources on how to successfully support professional relationships.
Cecilia Anicama
12:00pm – Love, uncertainty and hope in the time of COVID-19
This intends to be an inspirational presentation mostly based on my knowledge and experience as a spiritual yoga practitioner.
Phil Berman
1:00pm – The Power of “Deep Listening” through Art
I’m be sharing my own story about how I got into early childhood education and how listening to and observing children helped me find frameworks and pathways to focus curriculum choices and what I do.
Susan MacDonald
12:00pm – The Upward Spiral: Positive Strategies for Challenging Times!
Positive thinking leads to positive outcomes! During this time of unprecedented stress, it is essential to explore new ways to raise our energy levels. This session will provide an overview of Appreciative Inquiry and the current positive psychology research to inspire participants as they develop new strategies for re-energizing themselves. We will explore how these ten forms of positivity can transform your work:
Victoria R. Cave
1:00pm – How to Spark the Creative Process at Home
Using ideas from mindfulness practice, singing and movement games, poems, nature, and visual arts, discover how to open up the creative process in your child. Investigate how small beginnings can become a wealth of new ideas that they create themselves!
Jill Nowacek
12:00pm – Supporting Emotions in The Toddler Environment
In this session, we will go through the process of how to teach toddlers about their emotions. Learning about ideas of how to bring more yoga into a classroom as well. There will be videos and photos to see as examples.
Marnie Forestieri
1:00pm – Intentional Strategies to Prepare Children for the Careers of the Future
Everything is changing at a rapid pace. The reality is that the jobs of the future do not even exist.
The good news is that young children are wired with all those innate skills and mindsets that will make them successful in the future.
We will share 4 intentional strategies to preserve the creative confidence and dispositions of the early years to help young learners become the fearless problem solvers, doers, entrepreneurs and innovators of the future.
Mecca Johnson
12:00pm – The Case for Hope
It is important that we control our minds at all times, but it is especially important during seasons of uncertainty, hardship and change. We must maintain an attitude of hope – an expectation of good things to come. The benefits of hope include peace and joy in the midst of turmoil. Are you anticipating great things or are you living in fear? Your approach will change the trajectory of your life. Join us for “The Case for Hope.”
Jacqueline Lyons
1:00pm – SEO
Do you have a small business? Do you run a website? Do you use the internet? Jacqueline will be explaining ‘how google works’ and what things you should focus on to optimize your website, give the user a great experience and drive traffic to your site.
Christopher Vuk
12:00 – Learning Music Alongside Your Children
The legendary Shinichi Suzuki once said the “All Japanese children learn Japanese”, and so it is that we all learn and adopt the “mother tongue” of our parental figure. What if that mother tongue also included music? We will discuss simple strategies that you can use in your home or classroom to make learning music together a reality.
Marliese Colantuno
1:00pm – How Can I Help? Global Crisis and the Cosmic Task
Life is complex, and the world is ever in transition. What can we do to keep ourselves grounded and moving forward in a healthy and productive way? How can we best support one another, our loved ones, and our communities? Let’s explore Montessori ‘s legacy, her notion of the Cosmic Task, and the difference that each one of us can make.
Shirley Leon
1:00pm – Montessori desde el nacimiento
Cómo proporcionar habilidades naturales para que los bebés se desarrollen a su manera siguiendo las ideas educativas de María Montessori y el enfoque RIE.
Derreck Kayongo
12:00pm – The power of symbolic events to inform and clarify our life’s mission
Anni Bryner
1:00pm – The Montessori Adult: How to Build A Montessori Community for All Ages
Montessori wrote about the “Spiritual Preparation of the Adult”, but how do you actually DO that in your Montessori environment on a day to day basis? Learn concrete steps you can take to build stronger community and inclusiveness in your Montessori environment, creating a path forward in Montessori for learners of ALL ages! Small changes can bring BIG changes in the families you serve, as well as in YOUR personal Montessori journey!
Letty Rising
12:00pm – Nurturing a Positive Home Environment During the Covid-19 Crisis
During the past couple of months, the level of stress that parents have endured has skyrocketed to unsustainable levels as they find themselves doing triple duty as a parent, employer, and teacher. In this workshop, parents will learn some strategies on how to build stronger connections with their children, and also how to effectively communicate and collaborate with children, resulting in a more peaceful home environment for all involved.
Elizabeth Campbell
1:00pm – Following the Child in a Toddler Environment
“Follow the Child “ is a cornerstone belief of the Montessori pedagogy but what does that mean and how do you best “follow the child” in a Toddler Environment? Join Liz as she breaks down the essential components that enable the teacher to enter the classroom WITH the children in order to let the learning unfold naturally and the magical Montessori moments multiply.
Rafael Roman
1:00pm (Spanish) – Liderazgo para la paz en el hogar
Actualmente, millones de personas se encuentran en sus casas. Los niños no tienen colegio presencial en la mayoría de los países del mundo. La educación está enteramente en manos de las familias. En este escenario lo que los niños reciben de sus padres, lo que ven en ellos, la atención y la calidad de la presencia de su familia pueden dejar una huella en el inconsciente de millones de niños. Es momento de ser conscientes de nuestro liderazgo, del impacto que tiene nuestra forma de ser y de lo mucho que podemos hacer para que los niños adopten actitudes respetuosas. Esta cuarentena global marcará una transformación en las jóvenes generaciones y en la sociedad del futuro. En la charla daré algunas herramientas que podrían ser útiles. Lideremos un mundo en paz desde nuestra propia casa.
Dinesh Advani
12:00pm – The “Phygital” way – future of hands-on learning in an increasingly digital age
The future is phygital, where physical and digital won’t be told apart. The classroom is probably one of the first environments where this synergy will come true, and it will impact every aspect of the learning experience: on teachers, students, and learning methods.
Bobby Delvecchio
1:00pm -Beating the Odds
Bob draws his inspiration, commitment, and his relationship-building experience from his previous career as a World-Class Drummer. Having played with Edgar Winter, Hall & Oates, Rick Derringer, as well as being the featured drummer with Dick Clark’s ‘Caravan of Stars’. In his “first career” he travelled the world backing such artists as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Chubby Checker, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ricky Nelson, and Jackie Wilson among many more.
María Artacho
1:00pm (Spanish) – Enséñame a decir adiós
Como acompañar a los menores en sus procesos de duelo, de despedirse de su casa, de sus padres, de su familia, de sus cuidadores, de sus mascotas, de sus mayores. Como darles palabras a sus emociones de rabia, tristeza, aceptación y esperanza.
Frank Leto
12:00pm – Music: A Catalyst for Learning
Frank Leto will share his 40+ years of experience with working with children. His observations reinforce his belief of the incredible benefits of an early childhood music curriculum. Frank’s original music and unique approach to passing on the language of music to young children will be demonstrated.
Molly Wheeler
1:00pm – Lessons from COVID: Emotional Literacy, Showing Up, and Slowing Down
This presentation will discuss the ways in which focusing on emotional intelligence and self-awareness is critical for people of all ages, even more so in the current crisis. The conscious choice to hold emotional space for ourselves and the children in our care are gifts that will serve us academically, spiritually, and emotionally as we navigate our path forward. The framework comes from Montessori and yogic backgrounds, yet is applicable to all.
Cecilia Anicama
1:00pm (Spanish) – Amor, incertidumbre y esperanza en tiempos de COVID-19
Esto pretende ser una presentación inspiradora basada principalmente en mi conocimiento y experiencia como practicante de yoga espiritual.