Learn To Read, Read To Learn

This song was born out of the idea that reading is important, but more than that, reading can be fun! John told us, "Two summers ago our niece selected a book she wanted to read with Janet and me, and whenever she visited we took turns reading the book aloud, even portraying the characters the way we thought they should sound. We had a great time with it, so much so that we started up another book this past summer!" And as far as the academic side of it, the concept is self-evident, isn't it? Reading facilitates learning. Learning helps you to understand concepts and share ideas more effectively. To understand and be understood – who wouldn't want that?

Musically, the song has a modal motif (the recurring Eb to Cmi to G progression) combined with a Pachelbel "Canon" sort of vibe. In typical John style, the tune rocks, as evidenced by the hard-hitting drums (thanks Dane!) and driving guitars, not to mention the soaring electric guitar solo over the D.S. (thanks Sandy!). Our studio singers took to this song easily, and we think your students will, too.

Reading and literacy are foundational to a person's education, so we hope this song helps to inspire your students to be readers. (And don't forget to let your classroom teachers know you have this cross curricular tool to share.)