Debbie Clement brings a wealth of diverse experiences to all of her performances, from concert and stage to staff development to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. With over thirty years of experience working with children, she has been a classroom teacher, an administrator, and now serves as a consultant for her company “Rainbows Within Reach.” The Arts are Debbie’s passion and she weaves her love of music and movement together with storytelling, humor and sign language with vivid, visual props and costumes. Her presentation form 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. will be in Le Fer Hall Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public.
Clement received the Ella Lyman Cabot Award for excellence in music programs for young children with special needs. She has written and recorded eight CDs of original songs for children. These songs are appreciated in schools, libraries, and homes across the country and are known as “Debbie’s Ditties.”
As author/illustrator, Clement translated her songs “You’re Wonderful, Tall Giraffe, and Red, White and Blue” into bold, graphic picture books. She chose to underscore the text of each with playful, graphic ‘quiltlets’ of color. Sign language charts and music notation are included to support the text.
Her first nationally award winning project is a music DVD entitled: “Kweezletown: Let’s Work Together”, an hour-long visual format of her first songs, with emphasis on colorful delight, repetition, reading, rhyme and sign, brought to life with puppets, props and animation. This work has been awarded national recognition from the Dove Foundation with their “Family Approved” seal.
Clement has long been associated with Very Special Arts and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She continues her travels around the world in her first USO-style tour across Europe to military bases.