An Engaging Music Literacy Program

Two years ago, a good friend of mine was killed instantly in a bad car accident. She was in her mid 30's. She had never been in love. She had just moved out on her own after her mother's death and started to live life on her own terms. She had a BEAUTIFUL voice and touched people with her singing, but she lacked the confidence and self worth to fully pursue her dreams as a singer. She was stuck in fear and then, suddenly, in an INSTANT, she was GONE! Her death made the little voice inside of me ask, "Kelley. If you died tomorrow, could you say that you were truly happy? Are you doing what you have always wanted to do? Are you living your best, ZEST life?" The answer was a big fat, "NO!" In that INSTANT, I vividly remembered my childhood dream — to create a music version of "Sesame Street"!, and I chose to move on it! As my friend's death reminded me, tomorrow is promised to no one, so live your life in each moment and make it your personal BEST!

So I asked a friend if she knew of anyone who worked at Austin's PBS station, KLRU. She said yes, and that she could introduce me to a board member of

KLRU. I immediately called one of my friends to share with him my exciting news, and HE proceeded to tell me that he formerly served on one of the KLRU's boards and that he knew the station manager PERSONALLY!

My dream became a reality. The station loved my idea and asked me to create the pilot. Fast forward two years later, KLRU loves the pilot and wants it to become their newest web and TV series. Today, "U BETTER Sing!" is a music literacy series for PBS that is based on my Bachelor and Master degrees in music education from Howard University and the Eastman School of Music, and 15 yeas as an elementary, middle and high shool choral director, private vocal coach to children and adults and professional singer.

The program format includes the following:

1. Careers in Music: An interview with a performing artist and a "day in the life of" of a full time performing artist.
   
   
2. Music's unique relationship to math, science, history, language arts, and other arts: An interview and day in the life of a person who has a career outside of the arts and how moonlighting as an artist or as a hobby enhances their life. This segment spells out how music is related to "core subjects" and other arts.
   
   
3. An Introduction to "world music" or "ethnomusicology": This segment features music, instruments, songs, and musicians from around the globe, including the eclectic genres of music in the United States.
   
   
4. The STAR of U BETTER Sing!, the animated segment, U BETTER Sight Sing! This clever, "edutaining " cartoon features the characters, Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti and their other musical term friends at the fictional, "Grand Staff Middle School." The U BETTER Sight Sing! cartoon teaches its audience how to "sight sing" music and introduces them to musical terms. It also addresses social issues, such as; bullying and acceptance of people who appear "different" to help youth accept people and situations that may be outside of their comfort zones.

In order for U BETTER Sing! to become the sensation that it is already starting to become before it even hits the web and TV, it needs underwriters to help fund the production of the show, including the animated portion. To view this 20 minute pilot episode from start to finish and determine how you can help make U BETTER Sing! — the FIRST of its kind, an international, award winning, SUCCESS, contact Kelley Glover, the CEO, Creator and Executive Producer of U Better Sing!