Magic Penny Award

Sally Rogers (2017)

We are so pleased to announce that the Magic Penny Award recipient for 2017 is our very own CMN member, and past CMN Board president, Sally Rogers.

The Magic Penny Award is given to people who have demonstrated lifetime achievement in the field of children’s music. Sally Rogers has spent her life working as an educator, performer, recording artist and author. Many of us in CMN have experienced Sally’s incredible voice, and gifts as a song leader.

Sally uses her talents not only as a performer and musician, but also as a passionate educator, always trying to find the best window into learning. She is committed to using her skills as an educator, artist and musician to help ALL learners reach their highest potential as human beings. Sally incorporates this passion into her work with both children and teachers. She is an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University, a master teaching artist for the Connecticut Office of the Arts and Arts for Learning Connecticut. Her residencies integrate the arts with standard classroom curriculum to reach all learners. In addition Sally is a keynote speaker and workshop leader at many conferences.

As an educator, Sally built school community at Pomfret Community School in Connecticut through an annual Cultural Arts Program, morning sings and monthly all-school sings. She also helped developed a new music program at the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Hadley, Massachusetts where she received training to become I.B. (International Baccalaureate). And Sally has developed a program funded by Performing Arts of Northeastern Connecticut, Science of Sound, which is offered free to all kindergarteners in northeastern CT.

As a performer and songwriter, Sally has been a touring musician since 1979, and has seventeen recordings and many awards, including her recordings for children; Peace by Peace, Piggyback Planet, What Can One Little Person Do? and At Quiet O’Clock.

Sally’s songs have been featured in the MacMillan music textbook series Spotlight on Music used throughout the USA, as well as in Teaching Tolerance.org’s book/CD compilation, I Will Be Your Friend. Two of her songs have been included in both the Unitarian and Quaker Hymnals. Sally’s song, Over in the Endangered Meadow, based on the children’s song Over in the Meadow includes endangered species from around the world. The E. P. Dutton publishing house transformed her song into a beautiful picture book, Earthsong, with illustrations by artist, Melissa Bay Mathis.

We look forward to honoring Sally Rogers for her many accomplishments in the field of children’s music at the 2017 Annual International Conference, 0ctober 13-15, 2017 in Hyannis, MA.