School Assemblies

Steve Seskin has a unique gift; he can walk into a room and, with a song, gain the attention and respect of his audience, both young and old. "Don’t Laugh at Me," the centerpiece of his program, is about being considerate, compassionate and respectful of one another. Before and after he sings the song, he engages the children in a conversation about bullying, giving them a forum to talk about their feelings as well as sharing some tips on what they can do to prevent it and deal with it when it does happen. The way to change the climate of the school community is to enlist the children in the effort to make their school a place where respect is valued and ridicule is not tolerated.

This program is offered for K-6 as well as Middle School and High School. The performance is tailored to each specific group and includes age-appropriate songs along with the program’s cornerstone “Don’t Laugh at Me”. The songs address issues such as respect, peer pressure, diversity and self-esteem. Steve also includes a few fun songs to make the program entertaining for the kids. He can adapt the performance to the specific needs of any school including songs about literacy, family, recycling etc. This performance of songs and commentary runs approximately 45 minutes.

"Don’t Laugh at Me" was also recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary and became the impetus for the Operation Respect/Don’t Laugh At Me curriculum designed to foster respect and kindness in schools. This program has been implemented in more than 20,000 schools across the country. Steve now enjoys performing at school assemblies, community concerts and educational conferences in support of this program. "Don’t Laugh At Me" is also available as a Reading Rainbow children’s book.

At Akron elementary in Indiana, the students wrote a song with Steve about kindness and then performed it at a school assembly, later that same day!

One of the cornerstone songs of the school assembly program is a song Called Heart, Head, Hands. Here is a group of kids listening and participating in the program.

Beyond the Program...

Steve is also available to perform in the evening at community concerts, which are appropriate for parents and children. This helps cement the message of "Don’t Laugh At Me" by continuing its lesson beyond school and into the home. Another option is to sponsor an author night where the performance is followed by a book signing for parents and children. Some schools combine daytime assemblies with a concert in the evening.

In 2005 Steve started a new program in schools. As an “Artist in Residence,” he spends a day, or several days, at a school teaching the kids how to write a song. During this process, Steve writes a song with the children that touches on the same themes as the assembly program. His goal is to leave them with a love of creativity that will last a lifetime. These efforts are recorded at each school and later posted for the children to listen to and download. For more information about this program and how to help bring it to your school, go to www.kidswritesongs.org.

Twelve of the songs written during these programs are featured in Steve's book, Sing My Song: A Kid’s Guide to Songwriting.

For information on booking email Steve.

School Assembly Highlights

Ever since Peter, Paul and Mary recorded Steve's song "Don't Laugh at Me" and launched the nationwide anti-bullying program Operation Respect/Don't Laugh at Me, Steve has been captivating children with his infectious laugh and music with a message. Some of the schools Steve has visited include: