Most Music Teachers Skip This Literacy Connection

Have you ever felt like your music room is more than just a place to sing songs? In this episode, I’m sitting down with my dear friend, world-traveling percussionist and author Dave Holland. We discuss how body percussion games are actually a form of "social prescribing"—a proactive health protocol that builds community, belonging, and emotional regulation. Dave shares his incredible journey from a struggling reader to a children’s book author and gives us a "Monday-ready" body percussion routine you can use to bridge the gap between rhythm and literacy today.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The "Connection Cure": Why music teachers are actually providing essential health services through rhythm.
• The Power of the Pivot: How Dave turned a "no" from a consultant into a successful book series by listening to teachers in the trenches.
• Monday-Ready Routine: A step-by-step breakdown of a body percussion game using "rhythm cells" and rhyming couplets.
• The 5 Tenets of Social Prescribing: Movement, Art, Nature, Belonging, and Service—and how they live in your classroom.
• Dino Dan & Friends: A sneak peek at the newest book in the Rhythm Rhymes series.

What we Talked About:

Dave’s Website: InteractiveRhythm.com/resources

Author Visit Info: BeatandPathRhythmEvents.com

Dave’s Music: Drummin' Songs and Jamalong on Spotify or Tidal

Body Music Resource: Keith Terry’s Crosspulse

Book Mention: The Connection Cure by Julia Hotz

Book Mention: Music and Mind curated by Renée Fleming