"Reading Rocks" - School Assembly Show

[Download: Reading Rocks program flyer - pdf]

Kick off your reading month program with "Reading Rocks," our all-original music, highly participatory "rah-rah" reading show!

Target Audience: Pre-K - 5/6 (different, age-appropriate shows for older & younger grades)
Audience Size: Up to 250
Format: 45-minute assembly / family reading night concert

About "reading Rocks" ~ literacy show

"Reading ROCKS" is a 45-minute musical assembly show created by seasoned teaching and recording artists Brian Chevalier & Susan Hamlin. Music and dialogue bring home the message that reading helps a child grow to his or her highest potential-and that reading is pure fun. Great original songs (pop, rock & roll, R&B, blues, hip-hop and acoustic styles) keep students fully engaged from start to finish.

"Reading Rocks" travels with a professional sound system and quality wireless microphones. In addition to live acoustic instruments, we bring a studio-quality soundtrack, complete with live drums, bass, fiddle, blues and rock guitar and more to enhance the impact of the show.

Perfect PARP / Reading Month Kickoff!

"Reading ROCKS" is an energetic and highly participatory show that is a perfect fit for Parents as Reading Partners (PARP), Read Across America, Books and Beyond or your summer school library reading program. With sing-alongs, student volunteers, movement and guessing-game songs, students are fully engaged from start to finish. Sincere, spontaneous, fun and inclusive!

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Reading Month Kickoff / Finale

"Reading ROCKS" is a perfect kickoff or ending celebration for your school's reading month! The show features songs written by Brian and Susan to help instill a lifelong love of reading in children. Songs about Clifford the Big Red Dog, Harry Potter, Clifford, Goosebumps, Amelia Bedelia and other beloved children's literature characters have kids singing along and turning the pages.

"Reading rocks" Program Goals

To help inspire a lifelong love of reading in children.

To create confidence and success in each child's unique reading journey.

To encourage students to read with family members and get to know their public library.

Students are treated with respect, like experts in their own reading development, whatever the level.

"Reading Rocks" targets messages like asking for help, reading is fun, characters in books, listening for content, different kinds of reading, experiences at the library, reading with family, literature based characters and positive character values.

Participation is where it's at!

Why have your students sitting on the sidelines of a performance when they can be part of it! Participating students are never bored! Kids are part of the show for every song.

Brian and Susan call upon audience volunteers to help lead sing-alongs, join in dialogue, do hand movements and American Sign Language and join "The Maraca Orchestra." Sincere, spontaneous, totally engaging, fun and inclusive!

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Age targeted reading assembly shows

We do different, age-targeted shows for older and younger grades. This keeps students - especially older grades - interested and engaged!

There's a Harry Potter "hip-hop" tune for the older students and a rockin "Clifford" song for the young grades. An older-grade blues song (with student volunteers wearing dark glasses playing "air guitar" about staying up late with a page-turner book -- "Late Night Reading Blues" -- and "Reading for Fun" for the younger.

To enhance the experience -- and give as many kids a chance to volunteer on stage as possible -- we recommend two separate shows for audiences spanning more than 3 grades or for groups over 250.

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The birth of "reading rocks"

Teaching artist singer-songwriters Brian Chevalier and Susan Hamlin combined their skills in the mid 90s to create "Reading Rocks," seeing a need for updated reading songs that would reach the sophistication and imagination of today's elementary school students.


Embedded in the songs are ELA (English Language Arts) Phonological Awareness, characters from children's literature and positive character values. Upbeat, participatory dialogue engages the students from start to finish.

"Reading Rocks" has contemporary and roots music kids can really relate to: Pop, rock, blues, hip-hop, big band, acoustic folk, etc. Students really enjoy singing the songs of "Reading Rocks!"