Meet Edutunes Author Jennifer Fixman June 14

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Waialua Elementary School first-grade teacher Jennifer Fixman, known to her students as “Miss Jenny,” will sign copies of her books and educational CDs, Edutunes, at noon Saturday at Borders Waikele.

In eight years, Fixman has sold more than 20,000 copies of her CDs, which teach children core subjects through song.

Fixman, who has played violin since she was in third grade, has composed more than 200 songs for several CDs, conducts teacher seminars to better explain her program, and recently wrote the book A Butterfly Tale. The songs and materials are meant for children ages 3 to 8, she said, and they also can help non-English speaking students.

“Every major part of the brain is stimulated when you sing, write and perform songs,” Fixman added, noting that her experience and success as a musician make the songs easier to write and perform. “I’m a huge advocate for including arts in the classroom.”

Fixman said educators buy most of the Edutunes products, but after a surge of recent media coverage, she’s been selling to more parents. “I’m expecting a lot of people to come to the book-signing at Borders.”

Naama Rosen, an Oahu special ed teacher, said she uses the math and phonics CDs for her kindergarten class and found it helps the children immensely.

“They love to sing,” she said. “It’s not study or work time for them. It’s wonderful, and I love using (the CDs) in my classroom.”

Some of the materials are available in bookstores on Oahu, or online at www.edutunes.com. For more information, visit the website.