Letters and Comments - Chris Nassif, Music Teacher
February 14, 2001
To Whom It May Concern:
I am a music teacher with a bachelor's degree in music education and have been teaching for thirty years. I also have a master's degree in elementary school counseling.Last summer, I attended a Character Education conference in St. Louis, Missouri. The highlight of this conference for me was the performance of a group of adolescent singers named "Vitamin L".
This group, led by Mr. and Mrs. Jan Nigro sang for an hour. I was enchanted not only by the good music and voices but also by the wonderful messages and values that these songs imparted. I immediately bought all four music books and the accompanying recordings. Beginning in the fall, I used one of these songs every day for two weeks in my music classes to encourage these good character values. I have continued this practice up until the present time and plan to stay with it.
My students, (Grades 1 through 6), have responded very positively. They enjoy the music and the lyrics very much and are excited to do one every day. They always say, "Can we sing our Vitamin L song now, please?" The other day at dismissal a mother was telling me how much her daughter loves to sing these songs and was helped by the message promoted by one of the songs.
We are planning a program in the spring that will incorporate the songs from Vitamin L that we have learned and some skits that the children will create to introduce each song. The music-character education program has been well worth the money. I can't wait for the next book and recording to be published.
Sincerely,
Chris Nassif, Music Teacher