Bring Risa to Your School (or library, museum, concert hall, park, etc.)!

Dear Literacy-Lover,

I know there are many talented educators, authors, and entertainers that you could invite to your audience. Thank you so much for considering me.

Both in person and virtually, my presentations usually involve music and movement. I also offer workshops on gratitude, intention, storytelling, and overcoming obstacles with humor and hope. Every program is customized to the particular audience to be relevant and developmentally appropriate. In addition to programs for young students, I offer programs for teachers and families. I work with all ages and abilities, and when I present to your audience, I will curate the session to your needs.

Thanks so much for your interest in my workshops.

Keep singing,

Risa

Who is Risa Beth Cohen?

Risa is a passionate progressive educator and a lifelong learner. She is a singer-songwriter, teacher, author, speaker, and entrepreneur. Risa is the Founder and Creative Director of Sing into Reading, where you can teach your child to read with music and love. Risa holds an M.S.Ed. in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Bank Street College, and has been teaching since 1994. After discovering music and movement to be the “secret ingredient” to encouraging literacy, she moved out of the classroom and began developing her arts-integrated curriculum of literacy, music, and movement. As a writer, Risa has written songs and stories that are woven into the arts-integrated curriculum, Sing into Reading.

Risa visits schools, libraries, and museums to present interactive workshops for children, parents, and educators, and is a sought-after speaker at edu-events of all sorts. Her programs inspire more music and lots of love.

Find out more at https://www.singintoreading.com/

Workshops for Adults:

Teach Your Children to Read with Music and Love

Little ones love literacy. Music is magic! In this workshop, Risa will teach adults how to build a loving literacy foundation for the children in their care. Key points include utilizing empathy to encourage - not discourage, and using music to engage your emerging reader. Participants will learn daily habits to build a loving literacy environment filled with music and love.

Overcoming Obstacles with Humor and Hope

In this deeply personal presentation, Risa tells and sings about surviving cancer, car crashes, and more. She offers advice to participants and gives them time to discuss their own obstacles and how they can overcome them with humor and hope.

Songs to Encourage Fine and Gross Motor Skills

Not only will Risa share songs to encourage fine and gross motor skills and teach them to your audience, but she will also discuss how the motions made in these songs contribute to literacy learning. For example, we will learn traditional and original songs that encourage crossing the midline and developing shoulder girdle stability, as well as finger plays to build fine motor skills necessary for handwriting.

Encouraging the Social Development of Toddlers (or Preschoolers) with Music

This interactive presentation provides songs to encourage toddlers to develop social-emotional skills such as self-regulation, cooperation, emotion recognition, and grace and courtesy. Attendees will interact through singing and activities and will leave the workshop ready to foster a peaceful classroom environment. “Encouraging the Social Development of Preschoolers with Music” is also available.

Babywearing Music

Bring your baby and a carrier. Let’s make some music! Risa has adapted many songs to be perfect for interacting with a baby in a carrier. Participants will leave this workshop singing to their little ones, ready to build loving literacy foundations for their children.

Teaching Literacy Through Music and Movement

This interactive workshop teaches educators and caregivers how to encourage literacy with music and movement. Participants of this workshop will discover an innovative approach to support emerging readers. Learners in this workshop will learn songs, games, and developmentally appropriate techniques to build a loving literacy foundation for the children developmentally 3-7-years-old in their care.

Songs for a Peaceful Learning Environment

This training, for those working with three to seven-year-old children, will present how to use songs to foster a peaceful learning environment. Educators, administrators, and family members will learn in this workshop specific songs that encourage peaceful transitions, interactions, and selves. The science-backed tools and original songs learned in this workshop will help to create and maintain a peaceful learning environment.

Building Empathy with Name Songs

In this training, participants will learn why name songs are essential to every early childhood classroom. Participants will learn how to use name songs to help all members of a class feel welcome, included, and valued. Educators, administrators, and family members will learn songs that help students learn names and build empathy. The tools and songs presented in this workshop will help to create and maintain an empathetic learning environment where all are welcome.

The following workshops can be customized to any age or audience:

Music and Movement

A Music and Movement Workshop can be customized to fit any age or ability group, and to fit any theme. Popular workshops include a focus on literacy, or seasonal/ holiday related workshops. Risa can also customize a workshop to enrich any subject studied in the content areas.

Intention Setting

Intention Setting Workshops can be customized to any age or ability group. Utilizing music and movement, writing exercises, discussion, and silence, these powerful workshops encourage participants to change their lives by focusing on helpful intentions.

Gratitude

Gratitude Workshops can be customized to any age or ability group. Utilizing music and movement, writing exercises, discussion, and silence, these powerful workshops encourage participants to focus on gratitude and weave a gratitude practice into their daily lives.

Kindness and Empathy

Kindness and Empathy Workshops can be customized to any age or ability group. Utilizing music and movement, writing exercises, discussion, and silence, these powerful workshops encourage participants to be kind and empathetic.

Feedback from Parents and Educators:

Book Ahead

I am often booked for 2-3 months at a time. If you have a specific date or week in mind, please contact me several months before your date, if possible. I am happy to reserve a date (with a signed contract) and work out the details later.

Event Schedule

When you book me for a full day, I am yours for the day. Schools usually schedule 2-3 presentations in a day, but if your needs are different, we will find a schedule that works for you.

When scheduling, please keep in mind that it takes me about 45 minutes between arrival and my first presentation. I would like at least 15 minutes between groups, and a lunch break.

These are my suggested time limits:

Babies and toddlers: 25 minutes
Preschool: 30 minutes
Kindergarten: 35 minutes
First - Third Grade: 40 minutes
Fourth - Sixth Grade: 45 minutes
Middle School: 50 minutes
High School: 60 minutes
Adults: 60 minutes - Daylong retreats

Album Orders

Decide ahead of time if you will be ordering albums for your students at discounted pricing.

Get ready!

It is helpful for Risa to know the following. You may not know all the details yet - and that’s ok. If possible, please let Risa know the following so she can plan how to serve your community best. The sooner you reach out, the better.

Preference for in-person or virtual visit
Name, address, and phone number of the school
Your name and cell number (preferred) or school extension in case of last-minute concerns
Ages, grades, and abilities you would like included in the visit
Total number of students in school and number of children in each session
Any budget concerns
Preferred program(s)
Preferred month/week/day you would like the session, and any flexibility
(Optional) interest in a professional development workshop and/or workshop for families
(Optional) interest in partnering with a local school (and each school saves $100)
(Optional) interest in purchasing an album for every child, and the school gets a discount

Get set!

Email Risa at [email protected] with some or all of the above information. After discussion on the phone or Zoom, she will prepare a simple contract so we can establish common expectations.

Go!

Thank you for all you are doing to prepare your staff and students for our visit. The more students know about me in advance, the larger the impact of the visit. Before I arrive, please consider:

Sharing my songs with students
Sharing my blog with staff and parents
Listening to my album with your students.

Thank you for caring for your children and providing them with this memorable experience. I can't wait to plan your event!