Courtesy Michelle Soltero
The Three Amigos
Nov. 19, 2011
Thomas joins Michelle Soltero, left, and Susan Ferguson, both of San Diego, for a memento photo during the early November annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, held this year in Orlando.
Thomas writes: "Michelle is a former NAEYC board member and former president of
California AEYC. Susan is a former president of San Diego AEYC and served on
several local and state boards.
"During Ella Jenkins' workshop, she asked that I join her with my sax. After playing several songs with her, Ella asked if I would play a song of my choice. I played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in honor of her over six decades of service.
"I did the same during my friend Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld's workshop. Spent time with friends like Hedda Sharapan from Family Communications, Kathy Charner from Gryphon House, etc."
Lorayn DeLuca Photography
Remembering 9/11
Oct 10, 2011
Thomas was the baritone soloist on Sept. 11, 2011 for a performance of René
Clausen's "Memorial" at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte. The
performance was a citywide observance of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and drew
on choir members from more than a dozen area churches, plus a community
orchestra. We asked Thomas to reflect on what the service meant to him:
"On September 11th, I had the honor to participate in, and sing the baritone solo for our 9/11 remembrance. I was very excited that our community came together to reflect on the horrific events of ten years ago. It was truly a community reflection.
"The music was a very exciting challenge. I had to get back into training – back into the work it takes to get my voice to the place where it can handle the difficult passages that I had to sing comfortably.
"Participating in this event brought me back to the late 60’s and early 70’s when I directed the Sounds of America. Our focus was on patriotism and patriotic songs. It was also a reminder of my time as a student at the Manhattan School of Music. It was there that I was trained to be an opera singer and to sing with an orchestral accompaniment. This event pulled two parts of my life back into existence. It was thrill when the conductor asked me to be the soloist.
"The most important part of the music for me was the challenge to us that we forgive those who hate us. This spoke to me more than anything else as I was singing. The music and lyrics directed us to be peaceful – to call out to God to grant us peace.
"The music also called us to ask God to help us do the things that are hard for us to do.
"Throughout my life I have known that we must ask God to deliver us from those feelings that block us from doing what God wants us to do in this world. The events of 9/11 were horrible and some parts of us want to go harm those who have harmed us. However, we worship not a God of anger, but a God of peace."
Sept. 21, 2011
So nice to have Thomas helping me with the children
Aug. 25, 2011
"I met Thomas at a seminar in Tampa, Florida in 1998 while I was teaching preschool. I loved his songs and I bought a CD that I always did with my children! We loved the Humpty Dumpty song.
"Well, it's been 12 years and I am teaching preschool again to 2-year-olds. I no longer had my CD and after much research I found this site!! Yay, now I can order Thomas's CDs once again!
– Sarah Bowers
One last song at Rotary
Aug. 17, 2011 (Photos by Bert Voswinkel)
On Tuesday, Aug. 2, Thomas was recognized and thanked for his service to the downtown Rotary Club.
For the last 12 years, he has faithfully provided music before and during the meetings, coaching and accompanying singers who led songs at every meeting.
At his final meeting he sang, “What A Wonderful World” for Rotarians. There were only a couple of dry eyes in the room.
The giant card shown below says it all! He will be missed.
Descendents of slavery era worship 'as children of God'
Aug. 7, 2011
Sunday's worship at a church in Clover, S.C. brought together the descendants of the slaves and slave owners who were members of the church before the Civil War.
And Thomas Moore, whose mother's kin were among the ancestors honored this past weekend, led the group in song as a marker describing the event was unveiled.
A Charlotte Observer story about the weekend festivities is here.
In a note Sunday night to friends, Pam Jefsen wrote, "The families mentioned in the article are Thomas' ancestors on his mother's side.
"It was amazing to worship in the church with the decendents of slaves and slave masters coming together as equals – as children of God."
Thomas named to Benedict College faculty
July 18, 2011
Thomas
wrote his Facebook family today:
"On [Thursday,] July 14th, I signed a contract to teach at Benedict College in Columbia, SC where I will serve as Associate Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education in the Department of Elementary and Family and Child Studies.
"I will begin my work on August 4th.
"This is my third teaching position. University of Southern Mississippi and Georgia Southern preceded this job.
"I am excited!!!"
Thomas will continue to live in Charlotte. Early plans were to concentrate his on-campus activity into a couple of days a week.
On April 16, Thomas was in Columbia to give a keynote address and workshop at the Department of Early Childhood Education. He referred to that speech when he announced his appointment at the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum on July 19:
"One of the special things about Benedict College that I was impressed with is they have a program called 'Call Me MIster.' It's a scholarship program to get African-American males into elementary and early-childhood education. I was impressed by the number of men who came to this speech that I gave on the campus. I'm very excited about what's going on (with Call Me Mister) in South Carolina at five schools, four of them historically black colleges. It is being copied in other states."
In recent months, Thomas has been cutting ties with some longstanding obligations in the community, as if preparing for a new adventure. Now we all know what the new adventure is!
In an interview Tuesday morning, Thomas said he was having to do a whole bunch of reading to prepare for the new classes he will teach. More about that anon, but good for you, Thomas: Always modeling appropriate behavior for your students.
Congratulations, Thomas! You did not choose an easy path. You never have!
Thomas may sing, but how about that sax!
July 24, 2011
Watch Monte Selby, Thomas, Stephen Fite and Don Monopoli at Dallas SPLASH, 2010, in an unrehearsed jam rendition of "What a Wonderful World."
This YouTube video was posted July 9, 2011.
Pre-K children dance to Humpty Dumpty Dumpty
May 25, 2011
Thomas credits "my friend Charmaine Godley" for this Blackberry video of the year-end program for Pre-K students at Conley Hills Elementary in East Point, Ga. Thanks, Ms. Godley, and thanks to all the children!
A special day for a special leader
March 22, 2011
"Last Saturday, I asked Ruth Byrdsong to help me surprise my friend, Burnece Brunson with a special birthday breakfast.
"On Thursday, I flew to Nashville and rented a car to drive to Gilbertsville, Ky. to present a keynote and workshop for pre-K and kindergarten teachers of the Calloway County Regional Training Center.
"Upon my return to Nashville, I called Ruth. She then called Mrs. Brunson and invited her to breakfast. Mrs. Brunson agreed.
"When I arrived at the door with Ruth, Mrs. Brunson was so surprised. She could not believe that I would come to Nashville to have breakfast with her.
"After the shock wore off, we all went to Cracker Barrel. At the end of our meal, I asked Ruth to hold my iPhone and tape what I was about to do.
"I sang Happy Birthday to 96-year-old Burnece Brunson. She was so surprised!!!
"I am so thankful for her seven-plus decades of leadership in the field of early childhood education. Her daughter, Carol Brunson Day, is the CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute, Inc."
A favorite teacher with a big impact
March 13, 2011
"Hi Everyone. My piano teacher Jacqueline Hairston is returning to Charlotte for a concert.
"She was a favorite teacher of mine during my tenure as a music education student at Johnson C. Smith University.
"During my years at JCSU, she often invited me to play sax and other instruments for preschoolers and the elderly. I can remember accompanying her with saxophone for a black tie fundraiser for the Charlotte Oratorio Fashion Show."
The Observer ran a story about Hairston's visit on Thursday, March 31 on the JCSU campus. The concert is free. See that story here.
Young children love 'I've got a pocket'
Feb. 19, 2011
"Hello, Thomas, hope all is well with you and your family! As always, we continue to enjoy our 'music time with my friend Thomas' here at preschool. Thought I would share a couple of new twists on some of our favorites.
"I
first introduced your song 'I've got a pocket' [from the CD "Songs
For The Whole Day"] along with the story 'A Pocket
for Corduroy' by Don Freeman.
"I had a tray in the middle of our circle with raisins, marbles, rocks and keys for props and to help us in guessing. The next time I asked all the children to go put something in their pocket.
"When they came back, we sang the song again, guessing with you what was in your pocket – but at the end of the song, we all revealed what we had in our pockets. (I had a note in my pocket with the word 'Corduroy" on it like in the story).
"Over time, we've done other variations; sometimes we all 'write' a note, put it in our pockets to share at the end of the story. Other times, don't reveal what is in our pockets, but give hints like you do until our friends can guess. My stuffed bear friend Corduroy even puts things in his little pocket.
"We compare sizes of pockets. One day we all put our coats on for this song so we would have bigger pockets! Last week one of the little girls got new jeans; she came in exclaiming that we just had to do the pocket song today because her new jeans had the "biggest pockets" she had ever seen!
"When it snowed and we read 'The Snowy Day' by Ezra Jack Keats, we imagined what we could put in our pockets that would melt, like the snowball did in the story, and made a list of these things. My class loves this song and never seems to tire of it!
"Another favorite: "At the easel." The children liked this song so much that we made paint brushes out of construction paper with the color word written on the handle – every color they could think of – and some 'buckets' of paint (icing containers). These are in the music center. They 'paint' along with the easel song, selecting colors they like. Some prefer to use the CD and just sing their color louder than you do. Some prefer to sing without the CD since they have the song memorized. Another favorite!
"Thanks so much for all you do, Thomas, to enlighten, inspire and educate children and those who love being with children."
– Trudy, Kentucky
'I was never told I was special or loved'
Sept. 7, 2010
"I am a parent at Presbyterian Weekday School in Gastonia, where Thomas visited last night. I truly enjoyed the seminar. Thomas has a wonderful and unique gift not only with children but his voice is amazing.
"As he spoke about the children and how special
they are, I felt something stir inside my heart. I was never told I was special
or loved when I was little and I make it a point to tell my children every
single day.
"I have found lately that my patience has been tested in many ways and I have been praying to God to help me, to send me more patience and more love to give to my children.
"Monday night, that prayer was answered. I felt renewed after Thomas spoke and sang and I just wanted to say thank you….
"Keep up the magical work you are doing. God bless!"
– Shelly Hunnicutt, Gastonia
Hear Thomas read from his new children's book here.
DVD goes on weekend trips with the family
April 5, 2010
"Our 2-year-old granddaughter enjoys the DVD you gave us last year at your workshop! I have to bring it home every night! It is her all-time favorite for the past year since I got it! She has watched it so much that she even knows what you are going to say between songs and what you are going to do and mimics the whole thing! (for example, "take a bow, take a bow" after Twinkle, Twinkle).
"Thomas Moore even goes with us on weekend trips, etc.! She once took it to church to the nursery and told all the children there, "It's Thomas Moore, It's Thomas Moore!) -- so they watched it there, too! She was so proud to share it with the children there!"
– Trudy Lehman-Hendrickson
Dawson Spring, Ky.
Unborn child moves to the music
Feb. 18, 2010
"I attended the Early Years Are Learning Years Conference in State College, Pennsylvania, in January of this year, and Thomas Moore was the guest speaker. I loved to hear his words of encouragement and hear him singing. At the time of the conference, I was five months pregnant.
"The moment he started singing I could feel the baby moving to his words. After that I went to work and we have Thomas' CD in the classroom. Each time we play his music, the baby starts to move.
"Not only have you inspired me to sing more to the children at work and to have the children sing more, but you have sparked an interest in my unborn child.
"She is due June 8 and I can't wait to sing to her. I will be ordering a CD soon with all your songs. Thank you so much for inspiring me."
– Crystal Vanderhoof
Munson, Pa.
Gathering the children around the piano
Feb. 13, 2010
"My favorite memory of Thomas Moore is seeing and hearing him play the piano for a roomful of adults enjoying a sing-a-long at a very large party in Charlotte.
"When some small children came into the room and surrounded the piano, Thomas immediately switched to a series of children's songs.
"With that beautiful voice of his, he led the little ones in their own sing-along.
"Thomas is a multi-talented man with so many gifts to share."
– Jo Anne Jones
Johnson City, Tenn.
'Can I shake your foot?'
"Whenever I went to training and Thomas Moore was there I knew it would be a wonderful time!!
"If my memory serves me correctly my daughter and I were at a conference in Greensboro, NC. My grandson, Casey (3 years old), came along for the trip.
"As we were walking through the exhibits of course Casey wanted every toy! When we had to say no to him, of course he cried.
"We came around a corner with Casey crying, there stood Thomas Moore. Thomas approached Casey and said, "Can I shake your hand?" Casey stopped crying immediately and gave him his hand.
"Then Thomas said, "Can I shake your other hand?"
"Then to the now smiling Casey, Thomas said "Can I shake your foot?" And lastly Thomas says "Can I shake your other foot?"
"By this time Casey was laughing out loud! So was his mother and nana! Thank you Thomas Moore you are wonderful!!!!!"
– Peggy Grice
Waynesville
My Cousin Thomas
Photos courtesy Dequilla Walker
"At an early age, when Thomas Moore sang "Love me Tender" (which his mother coaxed him to perform at the annual Christmas gathering at his grandmother's house) and joined in the ole time spirituals at his father's small, rural church, he realized that he was destined to entertain.
"But he never was consumed with it. To the contrary, he was an ordinary kid who liked to climb trees, play football and baseball, and engage in all kinds of outdoor activities.
"Before he finished high school, music increasingly became an important part of his life, and it would remain as such.
"While in his 20s, Thomas landed the TV role of 'Mr. Keys' on WBTV's children's show 'EZ Street' and he became a Captain Kangaroo to the many children who watched his program. Indubitably, it was this connection to young people that inspired him a few years later to create the annual New Year's Eve children's celebration that drew a faithful following for 29 years.
"We are all so fortunate to have been a part of these many celebrations that made a difference in our lives. Thomas, thank you for your wonderful contributions!"
– Dequilla Walker
'People saluted you because you had promise'
Lawrence Toliver, right, spent a career at chambers of commerce and for more than 20 years served in Charlotte. He was at Charlotte's Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum on Nov. 17 when Thomas commented on how important mentors were in his life. Here is Toliver's response.
"We're from the same generation, if not from the same parts of
the country. I know when I'm talking to an exceptional child, or someone that
used to be an exceptional child. And that's you. Understand what I mean?
"I'm saying that most of the people in this room were exceptional children and folks recognized you. I mean, you've always been respected. You always had people looking out for you.
"I mean, I'm looking at folks in this room, and I could say that to everybody in this room, probably. Somebody was always looking out for you.
"There was something about you that has been exceptional, and people have saluted you because you have promise. You had promise from the time you came here, brother! And everybody around you knew it. And nobody had to tell them....
"We must allow our hearts to respond to what the heart knows. And my heart knows that you were exceptional from the day you came here. And when we recognize exceptional people, no matter whether they're children or they're 99, respond to them as though they are exceptional and they will BE exceptional."
Explaining
art through song
"I am an early childhood consultant, educator and author. During my time in and
out of the classroom, I will testify that there is definitely only ONE Thomas Moore.
"Thomas' music comes from his heart, and whether watching Thomas perform or listening to his music, his spirit comes through the music.
"Thomas' music is positive and encourages children to feel good about who they are. With a bit of imagination, Thomas' songs can be incorporated into reading, mathematics, science, and art.
"Our children began their days with Dr. Moore's 'Good Morning' song and for a closing circle song, we might be dancing the Humpty Dumpty Dumpty. His song, 'At the Easel,' helped me explain the importance of open-ended art to parents.
"We moved together to Thomas' movement CD, and his song, 'I Like Me,' was used during our Pre-K graduation.
"But, I am one of the lucky ones. I have met and witnessed Thomas first-hand. We have become friends.
"As a friend, Thomas gives 100%, just like he does with his music. For me, Thomas has brought a special magic into my life, as he did into my classroom. Listen to his music. You'll be glad you did!"
– Lois Wachtel
Creative Beginning Steps,
Boca Raton, Fla.
www.creativebeginningsteps.com
Nov. 20, 2007: Thomas conducts Charlotte's Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. Click picture for more.
"I have known Thomas Moore for almost 20 years and have seen him share his
amazing gifts in many settings. I have seen him do his wonders with church
choirs and congregations ranging in size from 20 to 2,000.
"His ability to inspire teachers and children is unmatched by anyone I have ever
known.
"If at all possible he is always happy to share his gifts and talents with his
many friends for family celebrations – be they births, weddings, or funerals.
"I am the guestmaster of an ecumenical spiritual
retreat center in
Richmond, Va., and we were so blessed by the presence and music of Thomas last
week during our worship service.
"Keep up the good work, dear friend. Keep hope alive!"
Karen
Thomas on July 31, 2009
Who is this man Thomas Moore?
One way to know Thomas is to watch him in front of children. In the YouTube clip below that he posted July 12, 2009, Thomas is in front of children at the First Ward Development Center. Watch them, and you'll see Thomas.
Thomas Moore has received many honors for his work. But he holds most dear the “Angel Among Us” award presented to him by Mrs. Fullagar’s K-2 class in Laurinburg, North Carolina. Thomas explains:
“From years of interactions with young children, I have learned that children are truthful in their evaluations of adults. Through my songs, stories and conversations, children experience me as an adult who works to make the world a better place for all children.”
This website is owned and operated by friends of early childhood educator Dr. Thomas Moore VIsit his website.
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