Hayes Greenfield: The Inspiration Behind the Creative Sound Play Curriculum

Hayes Greenfield, an award-winning jazz musician, notable film composer, and innovative educator joins the podcast to discuss his background and his latest sound curriculum. Hayes began working as a teaching artist in public and private K-12 schools. Over the last 30 years, he has created and implemented various curricula for K-12 students and professional development workshops for New York City teachers of children with disabilities. He developed a pre-K program for PNC Bank’s “Grow Up Great Initiative,” has consulted with Head Start programs, and started the Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz school assembly program that has reached over 300,000 young people.

His upcoming book, Creative Sound Play, is an entirely play-based educational tool and resource for teachers that offers techniques and ideas that reach every child, including those who are verbal, nonverbal, or have disabilities. The guide invites teachers to use sound-making as a collaborative, play-based practice in the early childhood classroom, first to transform tricky transition times and ultimately to support children's development of executive function skills and social-emotional learning. 

In this episode, Hayes shares about how growing up with dyslexia impacted who he is as a musician and led to his interest in educating through sound and silence. He points out the difference between sound and music, and urges us to stop being “sound asleep.” He shares how you never know what will inspire a student, and how the children he worked with throughout the years inspired him to find ways of reaching them through the curriculum he has developed and shared in the book, Creative Sound Play.

Learn more about Creative Sound Play here.

Find out more about Hayes Greenfield at his website.

Find out more about the Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz program here.