Alsop: Helping kids express themselves
Musician and educational psychologist Peter Alsop knows kids are having a hard time dealing with the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He hopes his songs and the information he shares at workshops for educators will make things easier.
Alsop's appearances:
* Alsop for Adults, concert, 7 tonight, UAS Student Activities Center near Glacier Highway and Back Loop Road, $5 admission.
* Alsop Family Concert, 7 p.m. Saturday, JDHS auditorium; $5 for children, $10 for adults. Advanced tickets at Hearthside.
* Keynote speech, Making Safe Places, 8:45 a.m. Saturday at Chapel by the Lake, National Association for the Education of Young Children conference. Conference fee: $55 for members, $65 for nonmembers.
* NAEYC workshop, Filling Our Toolbox, 1:30 p.m. Saturday, UAS Hendrickson Building.
"A lot of times us grown-ups don't know how to bring these things up. These songs help with humor and music," Alsop said this week from his home in Topanga Canyon, Calif., near Los Angeles.
Alsop is in Juneau the next few days appearing at schools, addressing an early childhood education conference and performing at two concerts. A concert for adults is at 7 tonight at the University of Alaska Southeast Student Activities Center, and a family concert is at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Juneau-Douglas High School auditorium.
Alsop has 14 albums out, seven featuring children's songs. Some are goofy, upbeat humorous pieces while others are slower, but most carry messages.
For example, "My Brother Threw-up On My Stuffed Toy Bunny" is aimed at helping young children deal with losing a best friend. "My Body" is about protection from abuse. And "You Get A Little Extra When You Watch TV!" helps young kids understand about hidden messages.
Alsop also sings about substance abuse, sexuality, pollution and other topics in albums aimed at older audiences. Songs include "Stuck On You (From Sniffin' Glue)" about teen-agers' need for acceptance, "Strength" about children and divorce, and "Look at the Ceiling" about incest.
In part, Alsop's message is kids need to learn how to express themselves so they can deal with events they can't control.
"They'll wonder, so what do I do with my sad, angry, scared feelings?" he said.
Alsop said teen-agers as well as young children need to express themselves to help deal with problems from peer pressure to bullying. He looks at the 1999 killings at Colorado's Columbine High School and wonders whether different conditions could have prevented the violence.
"If they had had a safe place to go with some of those feelings, they might not have done that," he said.
While best known as a performer and songwriter, Alsop lectures and leads workshops for educators and counselors. His credentials include a doctorate in educational psychology and experience as an elementary school teacher in the poverty-stricken South Bronx. He also worked as director of a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed teen-agers in Maine.
He will be the keynote speaker at Friday and Saturday's National Association for the Education of Young Children Southeast Alaska conference. Titled "The Art of Being Human," the conference focuses on children's healthy emotional development and mental health. Alsop speaks on Making Safe Places at 8:45 a.m. Saturday at Chapel by the Lake and leads a workshop titled "Filling Our Toolbox" at 1:30 p.m. that day at the UAS Hendrickson Building. For conference fees and other details, call NAEYC at 789-1235 or check its Web site www.naeycsea.org.
Alsop also will perform a concert for adults at 7 tonight at the UAS Student Activities Center. Admission is $5.
"With the amount of educators we have on campus, that's the kind of people we are trying to target," said university Student Activities Director Tish Griffin. "He's got great messages."
While aimed at students and faculty, the concert is open to everyone, Griffin said.
Alsop's main public event will be his family concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at the JDHS auditorium. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children. Tickets are at Hearthside Books or at the door.
NAEYC's Joy Lyon said Alsop's visit is timely because so many children are dealing with difficult feelings right now. But while there are lessons to learn in his music, the point is to have fun.
"He models how to have a good time with songs, while teaching healthy living ideas through music, humor and insight for kids, parents and professionals," she said.
*****
Ed Schoenfeld can be reached at eschoenfeld@juneauempire.com. More information on Alsop and his music is on the Web at http://www.peteralsop.com.