We love to teach!
Studies have shown that we retain 10% of what we are told, 40% of what we read. Retention goes beyond 90% when students learn information in a song. We maximize their memory retention with actions that coincide with the music. Our Hope of America songs are produced by award-winning composers.
Access to our easy-to-use teaching resources – audio and video recordings and lyrics pages – are FREE to classroom teachers and music specialists. They may use these resources to build a program at their own school, or can join us at the BYU Marriott Center. This year’s show will be held on May 7th-9th. Your school’s fifth grade students are wholeheartedly invited to join us! It promises to be a memorable experience for your teachers, students, and parents.
Our team is available to answer questions, to register your fifth graders for participation in our Marriott Center show, or to help you to access our awesome teaching for a performance at your school. You may reach out to us at hopeofamerica@freedomfestival.
Who teaches the Hope of America songs?
In many schools, teachers on a team take turns working with the whole grade level group of students. While one teaches, others monitor and assist. In other schools, a music specialty teacher teaches the songs and the classroom teachers support the learning by practicing a song or two each day using a few minutes before recess or after social studies. A few groups have a before or after school choir program where a teacher or parent volunteer works with self-selected students. The recordings, videos, and handouts make teaching the songs and actions easy!
How else can Hope of America songs be used?
Some schools use songs like “Thank you Military” or “American Heroes” for their school’s Veterans Day assembly, featuring their sixth graders who learned the songs as fifth graders. Others use “Founding Fathers” for Constitution Day celebrations in September. Hope of America songs are great to feature in grade level events like history fairs or colonial day celebrations. And of course many schools treat their whole school to a Hope of America preview program in a schoolwide assembly in April or May.