ABOUT

Jacki Breger is a master in creating a sense of community through music and singing. Her enthusiasm is contagious. The best part of music, she says, is not just that it is fun and pleasant, which it is, but that in the relaxed atmosphere of singing together, wonderful and important things can and do happen. We give ourselves over to the community and, in turn, draw strength from it.

Jacki has had a lifelong interest in ethnomusicology and American folk music and has been professionally involved with Music for Children for more than 40 years. She was employed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) as a music consultant and professional expert, where she developed the music time for early childhood programs in the Division of Special Education, worked as a multicultural music specialist, and provided the music training sessions for the Personnel Preparation and Headstart Outreach projects. 

Jacki was the musician-in-residence at the Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School, where she led singing time with the children and taught several classes in the college, including “It’s Music Time” and “Songs of Struggle, Seeds of Change.” She has led workshops and in-service classes for CAAEYC, NAEYC, and LAUSD. As a consultant to public and private elementary and preschools, she has helped teachers develop and enjoy a community music time in their own programs. 

Jacki is active in summer camp programs, both as the founder and director of her own day camp, CityLife, and the leader of music workshops at local, regional, and national conferences of the American Camp Association. She also performs family concerts with an old-time American string band.

Jacki has recorded six developmentally appropriate collections of songs for children and produced a compilation of songs by Marcia Berman. She produced and hosted a twice-weekly radio show of folk and classical music for children on KCSN. The programs provided an introduction to the rich variety of instrument and song styles found in this country, along with stories of the people, their geography, migration, work, and their lives. 

Jacki has written numerous papers and articles for use in her workshops and for publication in PASS IT ON!, The Journal of the Children’s Music Network. In addition, she has written a book, “SINGING TOGETHER: How to Teach Songs and Lead Singing in Camps and Schools,” published in 2013.

Jacki believes that, when properly cultivated and valued, singing can change the world.