by Alison Oatman

JAB gets his toddlers to wiggle with excitement to the rousing nursery rhymes he sings as he strums his guitar. To the pleasure of their mothers, the colony of two-year-olds in the room hops ecstatically from lily pad to lily pad, inspired by the colorful mats and the music. This is fun but it’s also a lesson in identifying both colors and animals. “Jump on the blue fish! Now, the green owl! And now, the brown shell!” JAB sings at regular intervals.

“Pick out two scarves,” JAB says, holding open a magic bag full of colorful squares of fabric. One by one, they each extract a couple of scarves. “The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round,” he croons. The excited kids gesticulate, whipping their scarves into a vibrant blur. And then JAB tapers off to a whisper: “The mommies on the bus go shh-shh-shh, shh-shh-shh, shh-shh-shh.” The kids look up, open-mouthed and spellbound by the sudden change in volume.

In their first sixteen months, infants learn to roll over, sit up, crawl and walk—a triumph of gross motor skills that movement to the song “Wheels on the Bus” underscores. Eventually, these tots will be able to catch a ball, climb, and play tag. The waving motions also strengthen the small muscles in their hands, wrists and fingers, so that the kids can soon color and write.

JAB scours his young audience, so he can make sure each kid is at the appropriate place developmentally. How is their speech? How is their ability to count? Do they make eye contact? Do they observe boundaries? His practiced eye gauges their approximate level.

JAB—who is a certified music therapist as well as a professional musician and a composer with more than twenty years of experience under his belt—gets “in tune” with his client to invoke a healing response. He recently sang “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” to an eighty-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with dementia three years before. “I’m sorry my brain isn’t better,” she told him at their first meeting. “I’m here to help you keep what you have and hopefully turn it up a notch,” JAB replied.

The first thing that JAB noticed about her house was the large collection of African art she and her husband had amassed over the years. He took out a small drum and asked her to hit it as he placed it at different nearby angles. At the next session, he introduced a West African drum called the djembe. She smacked it with her bare hands, matching exactly the therapist’s series of different rhythms, rediscovering a creative outlet that had been closed off to her since she had ceased playing the piano two years before.

JAB also does music therapy with people who suffer from addiction disorders, chronic depression and bipolar disorder.

Everyone has their own personal soundtrack: music and words that speak to them and make them feel fully alive. Certified music therapy is relatively new territory to Ventura County, and JAB is one of the few trailblazers bringing essential services to our region’s very underserved population. Under his artful expertise, music truly works magic as it empowers lives.

To find out more visit empoweringlivesthroughmusic.com.

About 700 Ventura fourth-graders attended the Fire Safety Day offered by the Ventura Fire Department. The event was held at the fire department training site located on Alessandro Dr. just off of Seaward.

In leading the day Ventura Fire Chief David Endaya stated” The event helps instill in children the importance of having emergency exits in homes. And they take the information home with them to share with their parents.”

The students, who take it very seriously, write essays based upon what they learned and one student will receive the Hydrant Award for the best essay.

by Jill Forman

On Read Across America Day, March 2, the Friends started celebrating 50 years of serving Ventura libraries. Events will continue throughout the year.

At the Ventura Avenue Adult Center, a short block from the Avenue Library, there was a band, goodies, crafts, speakers, and a special appearance by an award-winning local author of children’s books.

The Inlakech Cultural Arts Mariachi Band, consisting of children and teens, played and sang. They are amazing musicians and had everyone dancing in place.

Mary Olson, President of the Friends, gave a short speech: “The Friends of the Library mission is the same today as it was 50 years ago — to let everyone know about all the great things available to them at the library and to support the library through funds raised in large part through sales of donated books. The proceeds from our first book sale in 1969 were used to buy large print books and children’s books in Spanish and English, and today we are celebrating bilingual children’s’ books with author Amada Irma Perez.”

Jim Monahan, Ventura icon, was present and gracious enough to say a few words. He has lived in the city, and the Avenue area, for 80-plus years, and believes strongly that the city’s libraries are a valuable asset.

Sofia Rubalcava, one of the new City Council members, represents the Avenue region. She is also a lifelong city resident; in fact she still lives on the street on the Westside where she was born and raised. She spoke about pride in the city, our library system and the Friends.

The Librarian of the Avenue Library, Mary Birch, expressed her appreciation of the celebration and the role the Friends play in her programs. Then she introduced the Featured Author, Amada Irma Perez.

Perez, also a Ventura resident and local bilingual educator, has written several books for children based on her own life. Her first book, “My Very Own Room,” won many awards including won numerous awards including the prestigious Tomas Rivera Children’s Book Award and was inducted into the Latino Literature Archives at the University of Southwest Texas. Her second bilingual picture book, “My Diary From Here to There,” won an award from the American Library Association. The books are illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzales with bright colors and warm family scenes.

Perez read from her book “Nana’s Big Surprise (Nana, Que Sorpresa!,)” a story from her family, in English and Spanish to a group of rapt children who were encouraged to sit around her on the floor. Then she signed and gave away copies of the book to attendees. Children could also make folk art dolls from wooden clothespins, fabric scraps, and yarn set up and assisted by Judee Hauer. (Adults made quite a few of these also.) Pastries, coffee, punch and a raffle completed the festivities.

The Ventura Friends of the Library want to thank Harrison Industries for sponsoring the event. Donors included Lee and Low Books, Panaderia Lala’s, Red Barn Market, Starbucks at Vons on the Avenue, and the City of Ventura Parks and Recreation.

Future celebrations will take place at Foster Library in July, Saticoy Library in August, and Hill Road Library in October.