I gave a talk at the Grammy luncheon for children’s artists on February 9, in which I asked children’s artists to speak out for gun control. I’ve put the text of it here below. I’ve shot a video and am trying to figure out what to do with it – when I get home from running around the country, I’ll get to work. Until then, here’s some food for thought.
I have been, I am guessing, in over 2000 schools in my time performing and working with children. I have, I am guessing, seen several million children – I don’t even know how to begin to figure those numbers. When I first started performing for kids in school, seven year old girls were in love with Michael Jackson, then the New Kids on the Block, then N Sync, then Brittany, then – well whatever, I guess it’s Justin Bieber and One Direction now – my lps, then my cassettes, then my cds, now my mp3s have lived on the shelves and ipods alongside all those other folks. Their songs said – hurry and grow up – mine said – hey, you’re a kid and that’s okay.
I was singing in a school when the Challenger went down. I sang and told stories all day long in a school in North Carolina on 9/11. But I think the hardest day I’ve ever faced performing was on Monday, December 17, 2012, three days after the shooting in Newtown Connecticut. My pal, Keith Munslow was working in the school down the street from Sandy Hook that day. One of my dearest friends, Len Cabral, was scheduled to perform at Sandy Hook later this spring, and I am having conversations with folks in the Newton area about a series of school appearances later this year. And as many of you know, one of our own, children’s performer Francine Wheeler lost her six year son old Ben in the shooting. All of us who work with and for children feel a particular connection to what happened.
I want to talk about what the tragedy at Sandy Hook has made me think about, and what I wonder if we, as a community can do about it. But let me backtrack a little , or at least put this concern in the context of what our work is.
The work of artists performing for children is unique in the arts world. And I realize that I’m talking mostly to musicians here (reminding you that recordings aren’t just about music…) so I’ll couch it in those terms. Our work is different from most other genres in this sense – our work is about and for not just who the people we perform for are, but also about who they will become. While I believe you keep growing until you die, by and large, art for adult is not about becoming, it’s about being. With art directed at children and the people around them, we’re trying to balance being and becoming. As performers for children, we are also teachers. I actually believe that all musicians are better if they also teach, but that charge is especially true, and obvious, with those who work for children.
This makes our work an interesting mix. Because our work is not just about the way the world is, but about the way it will become. I don’t believe you can work in children’s music without wanting to make the world a better place, in whatever way you define that. Now, most artists would say that’s what they want to do, too, but I think that in working with children, our work is particularly about growth, and about community. There is a social aspect to it that might be absent in the work of a virtuoso that performs in classical concert halls, or a punk band in the ratskellar of a pub, or the alto saxophonist performing tonight at the Blue Note. They may be about beauty, and passion and rage and hope in the moment. We are about all those things, but we are also about tomorrow.
Our first charge as artists who perform for children and families is to be absolutely the best artists we can be. We need to develop our skills to the utmost of our abilities and challenge ourselves to get better. All of us who work and perform for children have to face the bugaboo thrown up against us that performing for children is somehow less worthy, or somehow indicates a lesser talent. In my weaker moments, I believe this about myself. But this is a lie, and in our heart of hearts we know it. We need to challenge ourselves in terms of form, and style and content – to seek new ways to reach our audience, bringing the gifts we have to our work. The people we perform for deserve nothing less, and we shortchange ourselves if we don’t be the best musicians we can be, in the context of our work. Our context will be different from others – we won’t be (very often) in major concert halls, and we won’t have reviews (very often) in major media outlets. But if we’re committed to our work, we can’t concern ourselves with that. We have to be as good as we can be.
Second, we have to respect our audience. And never has an audience been more maligned, patronized, or shortchanged than children and families. I am often approached by people who talk about writing books for children, or singing for children as something they are thinking about doing, with the subtext that it isn’t all that hard. But they’re wrong. It’s hard to do well, though, and specifically, I think it is hard to get the emotional tone right – to speak to children in a way that they can hear, that they know you understand them, and in a way that they know that they are not being patronized. The truth is, being a kid can be a pretty difficult experience. Adults forget. One of the things that adults do most is forget. In my work, I often ask myself if I am respecting children and honoring their emotional lives. Many years ago, I met a great children’s bookstore owner who said that the question he asks about every book that came into his store was, “Does this honor children?” It’s a good question. As far as that goes, I would ask all of us to work towards being more descriptive and less prescriptive in our work – identifying situations that are part of being human, and affirming that that children’s experiences are valid. In doing this, I think we show a trust in their ability to find their own course in life, rather than telling them what the course should be. For I believe that people will find their own way if they have a safe place to take chances – and taking chances is how we learn.
Which brings me to our last charge, and the purpose of this talk – as adults who work and care for children, we not only have a responsibility for the content that we offer but the context in which we offer it. A safe environment for children to make mistakes and grow. Here, our work is less about what we say to children and families, but more how we can speak for them. While it may not be apparent on the face of it, the most influential ideas in my life’s work are based on non-violence, and the thought and work of Gandhi and King. One of the reasons I work with children is that I wanted to give a voice to the least. And so, while we speak and listen to children, I think that we need to, with care, speak for them, since they are too often voiceless. And we need to be careful, since every legislator and politician and adult thinks they know what children need. We must be better than that, and true to our audience.
With my audience of children and families, my content is not about the national political scene – if my work is political, it is so in an intimate, personal and immediate way. I don’t need to talk about gun violence with an eight year old – that is best left to those around the child that knows her – whom she trusts. My work with my audiences is immediate – about how we treat each other and what is fair – in the faith that a grounding in those experiences will influence who they become and how they see the world as they grow up.
But on another stage – in the adult world – I believe that people who work with children have a responsibility, too. It’s not just the songs we sing. If we don’t speak up about the world that children are growing up in, I think we’re failing as artists.
It is very hard to face the fact that we live in a violent society, but we do. Somehow, we have allowed guns and violence to become warp and woof of American culture. You’ve seen the endless statistics, and we could spend half an hour doing that. But, just as an example – in one year, guns murdered 17 people in Finland, 35 people in Australia, 39 people in England and Wales, 60 in Spain, 194 in Germany, 200 in Canada, and 9,484 in the United States. Or – since Newtown, not even two months ago, over 1600 Americans have been killed by guns. Everywhere we turn, we see the glorification of guns – in our movies, in our literature, in our video games, in our foreign policy. Somehow, we have managed to convince ourselves that the ever-continuing arming of a population makes it safer – when in fact, it makes us less secure. If Newtown doesn’t prove that to us, then we are as blind as bats.
I say we have convinced ourselves we need guns, when of course most people in this room don’t believe that. Most of us are saying , “That’s not who we are.” But we are at a point now, especially with the slim opportunity offered to us because of the tragedy of Newton, where it is not enough for us to think this isn’t who we are – it’s time for us to say it, and say it in a way that other people will hear us. I think because of the nature of our work, it is part of who we are to speak out for the banning of semi-automatic weapons and large magazines, and demand background checks for all gun purchases. These are common-sense things, no-brainers, but they won’t happen unless people speak out.
We are insane, and someone needs to speak out. Shall it be us?
I’m planning on shooting a short video in the next two weeks in which I’ll say some of the things I’ve said here, and will put it up on youtube. I wonder if we, as a community, can find some kind of common response to this. I know we’re all busy. And honestly, I know that we would just as soon that someone else could do this – someone who could do it better, and could better handle any fallout. I don’t really like speaking out – I don’t like people to be mad at me. There are people who like my work who will not like me saying this. People I know. I wish someone else would do it so I didn’t have to. But then, all I have is me. All you have is you. And all we have is us.
The Monday after the Newtown shootings I was met at the door of a school by teachers and administrators who said “We’re so glad you’re here. We know you’re going to help us through this.” All of us were wounded, but we had work to do.
These are my people. I have spent a large part of my life standing in front of elementary school children like the ones who were shot, watching them listen and laugh and sing with me. As I stood in front of those three hundred kids that Monday morning, their faces lifted up, smiling and singing, their teachers breathing sighs of relief, for at least a little while, I realized that I had a bigger job to do. I don’t want one more kid to die because we won’t do something about this pointless violence.
In that moment, standing in front of those kids – our future, and my reason for being – I promised myself I would speak out and say enough is enough – that we’re better than this. As a musician and a storyteller and children’s author, as a person who has spent his life helping children grow up to realize their dreams, I also know it’s my job to make sure they grow up at all.
Which is why I’m speaking out for gun control. Enough is enough.
What is our job? A number of years ago, I reread Catcher in the Rye, and there I found a description of who I wanted to be, and who I think we all want to be in our work. I’ll leave you with this.
“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.”
Can we, as a community, be a whole group of catchers in the rye? I would like to think we could, and I would like to think we could start that right now.
A word from Northern Ireland. Far be it from me to tell another country how to change their laws – that is better left to the citizens of the USA, but I can give you my perspective on it. For the past 40 years I have been telling stories to children here and in many other countries. During the majority of that time children in Northern Ireland were living in a country where violence and death stalked the streets. My job was to help those children respond as children when they were being forced on a daily basis to face things that they should not be experiencing at such a young age – it was bad enough for us adults. Through sharing stories I could help them gain empathy with others different from themselves, and could give them the tools to help them develop emotionallyso as to better deal with fear and anxiety. I still feel a responsibility to offer them the very best, and as performers I think those of us working wih children should speak out when we feel that something needs to change to keep them safe. They are the future.
Thanks for this, Liz. Well said!
Thank you Bill for this.
Beautifully put. We have to be better than this. Can we be the catchers in the rye?
You already are.
I think a ban new assault rifle sales and a ban on big clips is a good idea. And to forestall arguments: I do not mean that we should ban all gun sales, or that people should be required to turn over any guns they already own. I think we can work out a middle position.
I cannot proof read well until I have posted. First sentence should read “I think a ban on new…
Bill- Yeah – probably good point. But the text is what I said that day, so will leave it and take the hit.
I wasn’t criticizing. I agree with you. Maybe I should have said, As a person who does not believe in getting rid of all guns, I still believe we need to set certain limits on what is available to the public- me included. And, I think there are many gun owners in this country who believe the same as I do. This does not need to be an All In or All Out debate. I hate the argument ‘responsible gun owners don’t need these laws.’ Duh. Responsible drivers don’t need drunk driving laws to keep them from driving drunk. Laws are to protect the responsible and deter the irresponsible.
As artists we do need to present a responsible, sensible message.
Bill, so well said. Although you may lose some friends, you will make so many more because you do not stand alone. As Dr. King believed, as do I, the Beloved Community is the goal for the future (Stride Toward Freedom, chapter 6).You are helping to create this peaceful community, one song, one story at a time. You are loved for who you are and for what you do. Keep strong and keep speaking out, as loud as you can. We are with you.
I love this speech. It is everything I feel in my heart and in my work, but I have not spoken of it, especially so eloquently. On the day of the Newtown shootings (in fact, at almost the exact same moments) I was onstage at a K-4 elementary school just like Sandy Hook, singing about Character and Respect. When I learned of the shootings I got sick to my stomach, picturing the precious children I had just sung with, so like the victims of that senseless shooting. Plus I had just returned from CA where my father had just died. It was an awful, awful time for me, and I felt voiceless. I then got sick and REALLY lost my voice for two weeks. What has happened since then is that I”ve regained my voice, both literally and figuratively, and have renewed my resolve to help move this world toward a more peaceful, respectful place for now and future generations.
May we all, as artists working for and with children, redouble our efforts in this direction. It is our privilege, and our duty.
Bill, thanks for sharing and speaking up. In my visits to schools after Sandy Hook, I have spent time with teachers and administrators talking about this issue. I have added my name to petitions, have begun research on how to include this in some of historic presentations and am searching for some stories to add to an adult program that addresses this. It’s tough, but you – we – are not alone.
Thanks, Bill. This reminds me of Bob Blue’s song about Kanga saying her job was making Roo ready for the world and the world ready for Roo.
I’m with you on this Bill. It’s amazing an idea that makes so much sense can meet so much resistance.
Thanks for this.
Good words wrapped in action Bill…”Tell the truth but tell is slant” Emily D.
Love the thought of a hundred videos promoting sanity..
Bill, thank you for sharing your thoughtful and well-considered words. I admit, I am one who sometimes keeps my head in the sand because I can’t stand the workings of the great big world and I feel so frustrated when I consider them. I guess I’m sort of like my daughter’s kindergarten teacher, Sister Rosemary, who once said, “I don’t do well with adults but I lose myself in the children.” So I do my little thing, trying to bring joy into children’s lives and selfishly taking the joy they offer me, and we go along like this.
But you are right; gun control is an issue we can no longer ignore and now is the time. I kept looking through your speech for call to action, but other than saying that you are posting a video and hoping our community can find a common response I am sort of at a loss. Am I missing something? What do we do now? Do we call our legislators as individuals, or do those of us in the Children’s Music Network draft some sort of statement? Again, I tend to feel powerless as an individual but I would certainly help in the efforts of the community of children’s artists at large because there is strength in numbers. What’s the next step?
Thanks, Bill, for putting into words what so many of us are thinking and feeling. Think Congress will ever seek the wisdom of children’s musicians?
Thank You so much Bill for those words of wisdom, a beautifully thought out explanation of our responsibility to our audiences. You have inspired me to help you carry this torch with the children and families I encounter. The hope being to use our music to create a wonderful and safe future.
I already think that this issue is starting to recede from the national consciousness, so I’m very glad that you’re keeping the flame burning here, Bill. So well said!
Poignantly expressed, my friend! As one who has spent over 30 years performing in schools like you, I thank you for this moving treatise.
Well said, my friend.
Catchers in the rye? I like that idea. We need such guardians in our children’s lives.
As I write this I am hearing gunshots all around me. I live in the woods now and evidently it is deer season. Someone at my church told me that folks started shooting more (lots of target practice) after Sandi Hook to protest the gun control efforts. The youth leader at my church decided to teach the kids in the youth group to shoot guns, and attendance increased from 3 to a full house. People tell me I don’t have to worry because the folks shooting in the woods around me are well educated about guns and they won’t allow any stray bullets. Still, I am afraid to let my grandchildren outside when they are here.
I grew up (1960’s) in a neighborhood where violence was common. My brother was attacked and stabbed by a gang of boys as he walked home from his part time job one night. When I was in the third grade, a triple homicide took place in the apartment below mine. It was the first time I ever heard a gunshot up close. I watched from my kitchen window as the bodies were carried out on stretchers.
I always felt safe at school and at church, though. A shooting at such institutions was unthinkable in those days. Responsible adults looked after one another’s children. I guess they were our catchers in the rye. But they could not catch them all. Violence is nothing new. Guns just make it easier and quicker. Guns can kill more people in a shorter amount of time than knives can. If we really want to stop the violence, we need to make people realize how ugly it is, rather than glorifying it in the media. There were lines around the block for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What is wrong with this picture?
And gun control would certainly help.
I am reposting for all of my friends who work and care for children. Thank you SO much.
Beautifully written, Bill. I agree with everything and look forward to seeing the video and learning about what you think the next step might be. As a singer/songwriter and music specialist I try to let children know THEY are peacemakers in this world along with the adults in charge. Messages of justice and fairness can be powerful and lasting when they are transmitted through music to young ones. Personally, I can’t stop thinking about the children and teachers who perished needlessly in Newtown. I’ve been thinking about creating “The Twenty Trees Project” to honor the young lives lost in that tragedy, to keep their memory alive, and to raise awareness about gun violence and raise money to help fund organizations that have a stated anti-gun agenda. I’m not for gun control, btw, I’m absolutely against gun ownership by private citizens.
Thanks Susan. I think what we need to do now, regardless of what our innermost beliefs are, is find enough common ground to lessen the violence as we can. We know that some small changes will save lives and make us a better culture. That’s what I want now.
Thanks for the time and passion you are putting into this Bill. I was just feeling powerless this morning knowing that the legislation that is likely to be passed in the wake of Newtown is so watered down as to be barely noticed in reducing gun violence. I try to be positive as I approach life and so it helps to hear that others are putting their voices out there in a strong and loving way. Let us know when the video is out. Blessings for you catcher in the rye!
Elisa P.
This is so very true and needs to be read by all of the adults who care for and work with children. All of us also need to be unafraid to speak out. Pacifists generally don’t do that. It is our nature to be still. This is an issue far too important to be silent. Thanks for starting this very important dialogue.
You are a truth-teller, Bill. Thanks for this strength, and for daring to speak.
Thank you Bill. Great words and a good challenge for all of us.
Thanks Stuart.
Thanks for sharing this. I shared it on Facebook too. I am going to try to take some time this year to write some music about this issue. I dont know how it will go but it is
worth a try.
Thanks Bill for your strength for action…so well said. It’s time.
Thanks, Bill – this piece is moving and inspiring, just like your body of work! Reposting…
I appreciate your exploration of what it is to be ‘inside the influencial circle’ with kids, as all teachers and performers are … and the responsibility inherent. How often I see what those in authority decide about what kids need , shake my head “what ARE they thinking?” and feel pretty powerless. So, a timely reminder that we do have an important & uniquely supportive role with the young ones … we are not only artists, but leading by our art. I appreciate your candor and your wisdom here and look forward to my own guidance toward action, from colleagues like yourself … and from the inside. Am singing for Peace this saturday …with one of your songs in the set … will be thanking you again.
Thanks, Bill! We are all community and must ALL be Catchers in the Rye.
Beautifully written, Bill. You are an inspiration!