New York Public Library Releases Album of Songs Sung By Its Librarians

Learn to read while you sing!

By Bethany Braun-Silva February 8, 2018

The New York Public Library recently released a music album entitled, NYPL Sings: Songs for Our Children. It is an interactive album of songs completely imagined, written, and performed by librarians from The New York Public Library.

The album contains ten songs that aim to help children become better readers. With the help of parents and caregivers children listening to the album will be engaged and excited about reading.

The album is free and can be downloaded directly from the NYPL website. Visit nypl.org/sings to download the songs and the accompanying booklet. The booklet contains lyrics and a guide to lesson of each of the songs. There are also two lyric videos that adults can play for children.

"Lullaby is a beautiful, calming song that encourages bonding between children and their caregivers. Singing lullabies to your children before bed is a wonderful way to create emotional security, which encourages children to learn and grow on their own," said Kristen Aldrich, Manager, Early Childhood Education.

"We wrote Play Song (Better with Two) to share with parents how important it is to spend time interacting with their child on a playful level. Imaginative play is a valuable tool that helps in language development and, most importantly, helps the child explore who they will be as people. The album as a whole was developed as a way to encourage the adults in a child's life to engage in simple, every day actions that can make a big difference in setting the child up to read and learn," said Maggie Jacobs, Director of Educational Programs:

Library branches around the city will soon be using the album during storytimes to "inspire children and to teach caregivers how to continue this learning at home."