Contact Person
John Keenan
jkeenan7@comcast.net
Everything we do supports human rights, literacy, and learning for children and their families. We view literacy and learning as human rights that lead to other human rights.
Jo-Anne Wilson-Keenan and John Keenan are the founders of Keenan Literacy & Learning.
Jo-Anne writes books about human rights. Her books include From Small Places: Toward the Realization of Literacy as a Human Right (Sense, 2015), and Children at the Border: An American Human Rights Crisis (McFarland, 2021). Jo-Anne has also written numerous journal articles about literacy.
Jo-Anne and John write, record, and perform music for children and their families. From their home, they hear the wind and waves of Cape Cod Bay, so they call their singing duet Bay Song. Song topics include caring for the Earth, literacy, and getting along with others. Some songs are just plain fun for kids.
Albums by Bay Song include Children on Parade, Library Adventure, and Spaceship Earth. Our music is available from iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify, and other streaming sources. Examples of our songs are available at http://SoundCloud.com/bay-song .
More About Jo-Anne
Jo-Anne Wilson-Keenan, Ed.D. earned an undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree from American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. She received a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Massachusetts. Jo-Anne has worked as a teacher, college professor, school principal, as well as director of reading for Springfield Public Schools in Massachusetts. She served as a literacy consultant for the Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative and for the city of Philadelphia.
More About John
John Keenan holds a degree in English from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts. He has a Master’s degree in Educational Media and Technology from Boston University, and he has earned 33 credits in computer science. He has worked as a teacher, photographer, golf coach, library media specialist, webmaster, and guitar teacher. Currently, he focuses on writing and recording children’s songs.
Awards
2020 BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR, Children on Parade, National Parent Product Award
2019 BEST CD OF THE YEAR, Children on Parade, Creative Child Magazine
FINALIST, New England Songwriting Competition 2019, “My Air Guitar”
2018 BEST CD OF THE YEAR, Library Adventure, Creative Child Magazine
SECOND PLACE, New England Songwriting Competition 2017, “Nature’s Outside Your Door”
FINALIST, New England Songwriting Competition 2016, “The Butterfly Song”
FINALIST, Best Eco Song 2015, “Rachel, Rachel,” Guitars in the Classroom and My Hero Project
2014 BEST CD OF THE YEAR, Literacy Songs for Little Ones, Creative Child Magazine
Review of Spaceship Earth: Caring for Our Planet
Children’s Bookwatch
The Music CD Shelf
Spaceship Earth: Caring for Our Planet
Music by Bay Song
Keenan Literacy & Learning
$12.97 CD / $12.97 download, cdbaby.com
Spaceship Earth: Caring for Our Planet is a children’s music CD crafted around the themes of good stewardship, respect for nature, and preservation of the delicate ecological balance. Touching on topics ranging from recycling, to watersheds and the importance of oceans, to the celebration of Earth Day, these educational songs are as heartwarming and educational as they are just plain fun. Spaceship Earth is especially recommended for public and school library children’s music collections.
Review of Bay Song Performance
Fun for all kids and kids at heart! Jo-Ann and John Keenan visited The Butterfly Place, Westford MA on a cold March day and warmed an audience of enthusiastic kids, parents and grandparents who enjoyed “The Butterfly Song” and other tunes! Educators, song writers and performers, John and Jo-Ann are child literacy advocates. Their songs help to educate all about the importance of taking care of our home: Earth! Thank-you John and Jo-Anne!
–Sylvia Leslie/The Butterfly Place