Gabriele, who is my agent-sister (Shout-out to our amazing agent, Joyce Sweeney of Seymour Agency!!!!) and I chat writing, publishing, childhood memories, gospel music,  spirituals, jazz standards, some trombone-love, and much more!  Join us for a fun conversation about how this beautiful book came to be and the music inside!

OUR JOYFUL NOISE by Gabriele Davis, beautifully illustrated by Craig Stanley and published by Atheneum is chock-full of onomatopoeia that celebrates the music of everyday living as well as the music that tells the history of our lives.  Music weaves its way through this family's days, weeks, and all the time they spend together. "Hidden" throughout the text are black spirituals, gospel songs, jazz standards, and more music. I especially love that the back matter includes a list and some historical information for each of those hidden gems.  Trombonists will especially appreciate a little extra exposure in this musical journey through a family's time together.  You'll be singing in your head and tapping your feet, too.

As I mention in the video, this is one of my favorite songs of all time.  Louis' version especially makes me smile.  The visuals in this video are sweet and perfect for kids to enjoy. There are several other versions if you'd prefer something different. Check out the YouTube playlist with much of the music, information about the trombone, and more. It's in the links section.

When an idea comes, don’t wait. Get your thoughts down on paper before they slip away. Silence your internal editor and just write. Don’t worry about making sense or organizing. That can come later.

If you’re not already in a critique group, find one (or two)! Critique partners not only help improve your writing, they offer essential support during the challenging—and exciting—parts of this unpredictable journey.

Read, read, read. For mentor texts, but also to train your ear.  And because you never know when something you read will spark a new idea. 

Eliminate forms of “to be” as much as possible. Use active verbs and specific nouns. Use only a sprinkling of adjectives and adverbs—or none at all. Unless you’re doing it intentionally, avoid repetition. 

Have fun! If appropriate, try out word puns, playful phrases, repeating lines. Experiment with structure, point of view, tense. Use unexpected line breaks, to manipulate the rhythm.

Commit to the journey! Know it could take a while. Know that you’ll likely face rejection. Know that there’s A LOT of waiting (even when good stuff is happening). If you give up, you’ll never know what might have been.

This Pinterest board is full of ideas for classroom study, Bible class, music classroom, coloring sheets, crafts and more!

Spotify playlist, curated by Gabriele, with her favorite versions of the songs in the book!

YouTube playlist, curated by me, with tons of music perfect for teachers to share, but also information about the trombone and some of these "gems" performed on trombone, and lots more pieces to help you fully explore and experience this beautiful book.

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In this story, Mama stirs sweet berries into oatmeal for breakfast, so I thought this peanut butter berry oatmeal was the perfect PBJamz  recipe for this episode.  Find the link for the recipe here, along with options for more peanut butter and other ways to change it up.  Happy PB breakfasting!

I was so happy to be able to talk to Steena Hernandez for this episode!  Steena was one of the very earliest supporters of PBJamz -- back when she and I were in the query trenches together. Obviously, much has changed since then :-D. So, there are no words for how thrilled I am to be part of the team sharing Steena's beautiful book with my little part of the world!  Check out the conversation surrounding music, dance, encouraging words and more!

This beautiful book is a fictional account of a young girl named Lupita who longs for ballet slippers that match her beautiful brown skin to extend the lines of her dance.  But, they are uncommon, difficult to find, and expensive.  So, she gets creative, and she gets busy. There are so many positive messages in this story: acceptance, fairness, strong work ethic, tenacity, and more. But at it's heart, it's a beautiful story of a young girl who loves to dance. Absolutely beautiful!  Don't miss it!

I chose this piece to highlight for a few reasons:

1. It has multiple ethnicities (although their ballet slippers are all colored to match their tutus.)
2. It's an upbeat song I think kids would enjoy.
3. You could use it in multiple ways: listening, sing along, movement activities.

​If you don't love this one, there are lots more in the links section. There is lots of instrumental ballet music along with some fun songs like this one for your younger aspiring ballerinas.

Dance --Ballet

• Positions
• Vocabulary (French connections)
• Music
• History
• Basic steps
• Watch ballets 
  • Nutcracker
  • Swan Lake
  • Cinderella
  • Sleeping Beauty

Social Studies

• Diversity and inclusion
• Historical exclusion/inclusion
• Partner with I SEE COLOR (by Valerie Bolling and Kailei Pew) for discussions about BIPOC representation

Reading/Literacy

• Beginning/Middle/End
• Using quotation marks
• Similes

Financial Literacy/Math

• Saving money/piggy banks
• Getting a job to earn money
• Savings accrual
• Pair with Kimberly Wilson books A PENNY'S WORTH, DOLLAR'S GRAND DREAM & CREDIT CARD TAKES CHARGE for more financial literacy bang for the buck!

SEL (Social Emotional Learning)

• Feelings
• Standing up for oneself/Agency

Art

• Self-portraits
• Skin-color matching
• Naming skin colors (not just black and white) Pair with I SEE COLOR by Valerie Bolling and Kailei Pew

-I use the notes section on my phone to record ideas or phrases that come to mind if I'm out and about. I’ve written full first drafts on my phone and then I copy and paste them into a document when I’m ready.

-If I’m researching a topic, which I am now for a new PB draft, I like to keep a separate document going for citing online or book information. I can add it to the back matter of the draft later, once it’s organized.

-Find good, like-minded critique partners who write in the same age category to share your manuscripts. 

-Take breaks when you need them! ​

YouTube playlist full of songs about ballet, ballerinas, music for aspiring ballerinas and more!

​Pinterest board with lots of ballet-themed activities, money-saving sheets and activities, skin-color activities, and more.

What better way to celebrate Latina ballerinas than with a yummy PBJ tortilla snack?  Easily customizable, super-tasty and sure to sustain your little dancer until practice is over.   Click the link and scroll down to number 4 to find the recipe for the PBJ ones .

Steena's website (Links to purchase LUPITA'S BROWN BALLET SLIPPERS here too!)

Instagram

Twitter/X

Steena has offered up a signed copy of LUPITA'S BROWN BALLET SLIPPERS as a PBJamz giveaway for this episode.  To be eligible, simply leave a comment below by Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 11:59 PM EST.  I'll choose a lucky winner from the comments.

** Remember to support PBJamz authors through reviews, library requests, word of mouth, and any other way you can get the word out about their books.