We didn't win the million $ prize. But, we do have a partner. A charter school in St. Paul would like to launch the Sing to Read Revolution. We are looking for funding.

SUMMARY

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are gray...”

Could you read these words without starting to sing the familiar song? When we see a song we know, the lyrics magically become “sight words” and we can read them ever after. That’s what singing does for everyone and every word we sing. Yet thousands of children cannot read at grade level so they lose hope and give up. Nationally, Minnesota has the worst 4-year graduation rate for Latino and Native American students and the second worst for African-Americans and Asian/Pacific Islanders.

Minneapolis and St. Paul’s future depends on getting all our children reading so they can become productive citizens.What would happen if we discovered a tool that could help every child learn to read well? We have. It’s singing. A fun, easy, two-part approach helps students unlock the door to reading by 1) playing singing games to practice reading skills, and 2) singing with a software program that won the Wall Street Journal Innovative Software Award.

Studies show singing works. Kindergartens at a Minneapolis school made the most growth and scored #1 out of 50 schools in knowing letter sounds. Akindergarten learned more sight words than the teacher’s previous class. A 4^th grade class outscored another in reading fluency. A 12-year-old using a software program at home to improve singing suddenly began to read fluently and no longer needed special education. 8^th graders reading at a 4^th grade level improved more than 1 year in 9 weeks of singing. After the singing, they continued to improve, ending the year at a 6^th grade reading level while those in the non-singing group remained at 4^th. Florida Dept. of Ed. awarded $500,000 for 6 years of research with 1400 3^rd-11^th graders. Results: 1 year of reading achievement in 9 weeks.

Let’s make Minneapolis and St. Paul great by helping every child learn to read well!

“You are my sunshine…
Please don’t take my sunshine away.”