Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Research for the Project

I was raised by parents who fostered curiosity, independent thinking, and BOOKS! We saw our parents turn to books whenever they needed information or answers. I remember my father bringing home an enormous dictionary-sized medical book when my mother was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. I think I was about five, and he announced we were going to learn everything we could about this new uninvited family member. The unspoken message we all got (not for the first time) was that there is power in information. I have always been self-educated. I learned to play guitar, music theory and composition, business management, recording and publishing, and and so much more from books. And the creation of all my non-fiction children's songs begin with a trip to the easy non-fiction section of the library (that's where all the books with only the most interesting and fun fact are housed!). So when I began planning this project, the fist thing I did, of course, was turn to books. But not the kind of books you might think. This is a BIG and very ambitious project, and what I'm really hoping to do is change people's habits, and bring together many parts of the community in a common goal. The first book I read was Start Something That Matters, by Blake Mykoskie, creator of Tom's Shoes. What interests me about his writing is how to build non-profit work into your business. Next, I re-read the Tipping Point... for the umpteenth time. What pushes us into change? That is the big question! Now I am reading The Power of Habit; Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg. Sing With Our Kids is a simple concept. Rule number one in marketing; have a simple idea. Rule number two; have a simple end goal. That's easy, to sing with our Kids! But getting there, it turns out, is quite complicated. Our lives are now filled with so many other necessary (and unnecessary) activities Or as my brother says, "shiny new objects." I need to make parents want to sing, support teachers and care providers, and bring together all the groups who are working so hard to do good things in early learning. And that involves changing behaviors. So in documenting this project, I can't leave out the books that are showing me the way.. as they always have.

No comments:

Post a Comment