BING BOP BAM! TIME TO JAM with Valerie Bolling

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A Jammin' Conversation with Valerie Bolling

It's always a fun conversation with Valerie Bolling. We talk music, picture books, instruments from around the world, neighborhood block parties, and so much more! It's a great conversation about Valerie's book, but also the gift of reading and the multitudinous benefits of picture books!

BING BOP BAM! TIME TO JAM
​(A little PB tasting)

With short and simple rhyming couplets, Valerie tells the story of a neighborhood coming together for a block party and a jam session. She uses lyrical language and steady cadence to bring the neighborhood down the street for food, music, and fun. Readers will experience the music and fun, too, as Bolling shares instruments from around the world from various cultures.  You will, however, have to supply your own food. ;-) Readers of all ages will enjoy this book and you may even be inspired to host your own neighborhood block party or your own jam session -- or both!

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)

What a perfect song to teach about community and reinforce the topics and layers Valerie put into  BING BOP BAM! TIME TO JAM.  It's a wonderful song about what community is and how diversity and unity make it better and stronger!

Teacher Tips, Tricks and Topics
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If you're teaching/raising preschool-aged children, there are lots of layers/topics you could pull to extend learning:

• What is a community?
• Community helpers/service workers
• Using simple percussion or handmade instruments to have a "jam session"

If you're teaching/raising primary/elementary school-aged children, here are some ideas:

• Different kinds of communities (urban, suburban, rural) etc.
• How to be a good neighbor
• citizenship
• Producers/consumers
• Goods/services
• Great tie-in for any community/citizenship study
• Your place(s) in the world. You are part of a family that's part of a community, that's part of a town/city, that's part of a county/parish/etc, that's part of a state, that's part of a country, that's part of a continent. . . 
• Culture (music, food, language) coming together to make a new whole

If you're teaching/raising middle school/high school students, they are not too old. Use the book as a jumping-off point for  research, discussion, or planning your own block party -- at school or in your own neighborhood! What a great project to bring people together!  

• Research your own neighborhood -- the history, the people, etc.
• Plan a block party and/or a jam session
• Research the musical instrument(s) mentioned in the book. What family do they belong to, where did they originate, how have they changed over time, etc.

**Be sure to check out the Pinterest board and the YouTube playlist in the links section for even more ideas!

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers
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Using the instruments mentioned (and pictured on the end papers), there are lots of topics you could teach/activities you could design from this book:

• Sorting instruments into the families of sound (brass, percussion, woodwind, string)
• Research the various instruments (For younger students, the teacher can share information about each instrument. Older students could work in groups. Even older students could complete independent projects.)
• Try out the ones you have access to. 
  • Allow students to play the instrument in turns or as part of a rotation
  • You demonstrate
  • You play a rhythm on the instrument; they echo with their instrument or tap on their lap, etc.
• Listen to/watch samples on YouTube or similar. 
• Listening maps/prompts, etc.
• Have students create their own instrument(see the Pinterest board for ideas) and have your own "jam session"
• **Host a block party for your school (It might make a great fundraising effort or a great cultural project) culminating in a tasting party of various cultural foods, and a musical performance by your students focusing on community and neighborhood, etc.

​**Be sure to check out the Pinterest board and the YouTube playlist in the links section for even more ideas!

Writing Prompts from Tonnye
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1. Choose your favorite instrument. If it were part of the jam session, write a rhyming couplet for it. (2 lines that rhyme)
2. What does it mean to be part of a neighborhood?
3. What is the favorite community you've ever been a part of ?
4. Write about a party you attended. Answer all the W questions (Who, what, where, when, why, and how) in your writing. 
5. Write about a fictional party you did NOT attend :-). Answer all the W questions (Who, what, where, when, why and how.)
6. Write a poem about someone in your neighborhood.  It doesn't have to rhyme. It could be a haiku or a sensory poem or a list poem, or a limerick, etc.
7. Write about your favorite instrument for a jam session.
8. If you've ever watched/been part of a jam session, write about that.
9. Write about a make-believe neighborhood that you'd like to be a part of.
10. Make up a story about a block party and/or a jam session gone wrong.
11. Write about what you think it would be like to play the steel drum (pan).
12. Do you think it would be easier to play the erhu or the banjo? Why?
13. Write about someone going to watch a jam session who ends up playing in the jam session.

Writing Tips from Valerie

1. READ as many books as you can in the genre you intend to write. Some people say that you shouldn't write a picture book until you've read at least 100 of them.
2. STUDY the basics of writing by attending webinars and presentations, going to conferences, and taking classes. I'd love to have you join one of my classes. I teach independently (message me on social media if you're interested in knowing more) and for the Highlights Foundation.
3. WRITE those ideas down and turn them into stories.
4. GET FEEDBACK on your stories. Find a critique group.
5. JOIN writing communities, like SCBWI, 12 X 12 Picture Book Challenge, and Black Creators HeadQuarters*.
 
*(if you’re Black, of course) 

Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

YouTube playlist with 90 videos to embellish and accentuate your experience with BING BOP JAM, including videos introducing and telling more about the musical instruments included in the book, as well as songs and videos about neighborhoods, communities, and community helpers. Also fun block party music and videos for your next kid-friendly neighborbhood block party.

A Pinterest board with neighborhood activities, coloring pages, block party planning tips, music lessons, information about the instruments mentioned, crafts, and more!

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PBJamz Snack -- PBJ Cheesecake Bars
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If you're attending a neighborhood block party, this seems like the perfect food to take. It would be great for a dessert, but also for a snack. If there happened to be any leftover, you could maybe eat them for breakfast. Oh, well, maybe that's just me. ;-)  A little grown-up appeal, a lot of kid appeal, and a whole lot of flavor, and if you're a PBJ fan, these deserve a permanent number on your street! Grab the recipe here.

Guest Links and Giveaways
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Website: valeriebolling.com
Twitter: twitter.com/valerie_bolling
Instagram: instagram.com/valeriebollingauthor
Facebook: facebook.com/ValerieBollingAuthor

To purchase Valerie's books, visit the Books page on her website and click on the book for purchase links.

​Valerie has graciously agreed to offer a 15-minute telephone AMA (Ask Me Anything) to one lucky winner. If you'd like to pick her brain, hear more about her process, get her thoughts on publishing or anything else, leave a comment below.  I'll draw a winner from commenters who leave a comment by Feb. 14 at 11:59 PM. I can promise you it will be an inspirational and stimulating conversation.