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ANGELA'S KEYNOTE APPEARANCES

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About Us

Angela Russ-Ayon, Owner

Angela Russ-Ayon resides in Long Beach, CA with her husband and 2 children. She is the owner of AbridgeClub.com a Russ InVision Company site, and is a nationally recognized, award-winning singer-songwriter, children's book author, public speaker, performer, and producer of interactive & educational children’s media. Angela is a product of her experiences. Through extensive research, she discovered the importance of music and movement during the early years and development of her children and began singing little ditties in the car and at home to keep them entertained and interactive. She was eventually encouraged by peers, who had children of a similar age, to leave her 15-year sales management position and embark on a career in educational media. Before her first workshop, she worked closely with consultants in the field of child development and physical activity, then proceeded to spend time in every music and movement workshop at the California AEYC conference, observing what worked to engage attendees, but mostly what didn't.

 

    

Many workshops later, she was approached by colleagues and professionals in education to embark on her keynote career. She hasn't looked back since. Her specialty is engaging young children in interactive song and dance using fine & gross motor activities that promote imaginative play, bridge educational gaps, and help build brain pathways.

Angela uses a lecture format with PowerPoint imagery, and an infusion of activities to support the theories she presents. The time she spends in front of children either performing, participating in city programs, in preschools, and in school districts provides the perfect hands-on testing grounds for her music prior to production.  The quality of her songs eventually opened the door to her career as an award-winning children's author, and she is now self-publishing mini e-books to compliment her songs.

Angela has presented her music and movement concepts for state & national childcare, child care food program, preschool, gymnastic, and teacher’s associations with the goal of boosting the level of creativity for educators working with young children. She has also produced music for First 5, WIC, Head Start, and Kaiser Permanente video productions. Using a PowerPoint style lecture, with an infusion of 6 to 8 activities, she has dazzled attendees at NAEYC - National Association for the Education of Young Children, State AEYCs, State Food Programs, CTA - California Teachers Association, NHSA - National Head Start, Early Head Start, First 5, Child Care Agencies, USA Gymnastics, and at many other educational conferences. Angela presents independently, as well as, on behalf of school suppliers, and is recognized by school districts for the educational and bi-lingual value of her songs.

SING! PLAY! MOVE! LEARN! TEACH!

 

  Awards & Associations

"We Eat Food That's Fresh," won the 2010 Benjamin Franklin Award™ in the Children's Book & Audio Book Set category. Named in honor of America's most cherished publisher/printer, the Benjamin Franklin Awards™. The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Benjamin Franklin Award for excellence in book publishing is regarded as one of the highest national honors for small and independent publishers. Publications, grouped by genre, are judged on editorial and design merit by top practitioners in each field. The Benjamin Franklin 2010 Awards™ presentation ceremony was at the Roosevelt Hotel, New York, NY on May 24, 2010.

Silver in the 2008 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards (Audiobook category)

2010 Moonbeam Silver Award winner, "We Love the Company," written by Angela Russ and illustrated by Mirskaya, focuses on the importance of friends and family dining together and using table manners, with healthy choices appearing in colorful water colored borders.  Both 32-page picture books were released in 2009 by OurRainbow Press.

The Moonbeam Children's Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to celebrate children’s books and life-long reading. Each year's entries are judged by expert panels of youth educators, librarians, booksellers, and book reviewers of all ages.

Silver in the 2008 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards (Audiobook category)

2009 Moonbeam Silver Award winner, "We Eat Food That's Fresh," written by Angela Russ, and illustrated by Cathy June, focuses on the many attempts made by a whimsical chef to get children to try a new fruit or veggie.  Published by OurRainbow Press.

“This year’s Moonbeam award winners confirm that books can change children’s lives,” says Moonbeam Awards founder Jerrold Jenkins. “They’ve already had a big impact on the judges and the kids that read them, so we know these books were created to enrich children's lives. The Moonbeams are all about rewarding these books and bringing them to the attention of parents, booksellers, librarians – and to the kids themselves.”

"Smart & Yummy 1"  was awarded a 2009 Parents’ Choice Recommended Award. Approximately 20% of those items submitted to the Parents’ Choice Awards™ program receive a commendation in one of the six award levels: Classic, Gold, Silver, Recommended, Approved, and Fun Stuff, underscoring the influential and celebrated achievement of being honored with a commendation from the Parents’ Choice Awards program.

"Smart Start: Birth & Beyond,"  awarded a 2008 Directors' Choice from Early Childhood News. In 2008, there were 22 winning products representing Administrative/Professional Development, Arts & Crafts, Assessment Tools, CDs, Children's Books, Furniture, Infant/Toddler Products, Play Equipment, Teacher Resources, and Toys/Games. Items were evaluated based on the following criteria: appropriateness for use in a child care setting, safety, durability, age appropriateness, effectiveness for intended use and value.

"Smart Moves 1: Tot - Pre-K" (2004) and "Smart Start: Birth & Beyond," (2008) were awarded Parents’ Choice Approved Awards. Winning musicians and storytellers share a common bond; they know what it takes to grab and keep a child’s attention. Those who write original songs and stories deliver intelligent, inventive lyrics; they craft and tell a captivating story, in words and music. They create magical worlds that kids believe – and want to live in – if even for only a few minutes. Their stories and songs may be imaginary; their creativity and talent is anything but. Those who perform traditional songs or stories do so with a fresh approach and a personal imprint. Serious or silly, the material is delivered with a respect for the audience and the medium.

"Smart Moves 1: Tot - Pre-K,"  awarded a 2004 Directors' Choice from Early Childhood News.  This prestigious distinction serves as a resource for child care providers and preschool teachers to assist them in choosing safe, durable, and age-appropriate toys for young children. Directors’ Choice differs from many “best of” toy lists because of its focus on evaluating products for use in a professional child care setting. In addition to helping teachers select the best products, Directors’ Choice gives manufacturers valuable feedback on new products.

"Bugsters Tunes & Tales,"  awarded a 2003 National Parenting Publications NAPPA Award. The National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) is one of the oldest and most respected awards programs in the country. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, we have been continuously celebrated as the "go-to" source for parents and professionals seeking the best products for their children and families.

fruits & veggies: More Matters

The Produce for Better Health Foundation (National 5-a-Day, More Matters, team) commissioned Angela to produce entertainment for young children that promoted healthy eating and physical activity. The “Smart Fruit & Veggie Songs” music CD for young children, “The Fruit & Veggie Race” nutrition board game (for ages 3 and up), the "Fruits and Veggies Makin' Faces" - Card Game, and the "We Eat Food That's Fresh" picture book for young children all appear in the PBH "More Matters" catalog, and are available online and through the www.5aDay.org, or fruitsandvegetablesmorematters.org, catalog.

Angela consulted and exclusively produced music for the " Enjoy Physical Activity Breaks" DVD funded by Kaiser Permanente. The motivational songs in this DVD encourage everyone to eat more nutritious foods, grow foods in the garden, eat together as a family, drink tap water, watch less TV, breastfeed, and take breaks together to get physically active. The DVD encourages everyone to take 2-3 minute physical activity breaks several times a day. AbridgeClub.com distributes the title on WIC's behalf.

Angela has consulted on, and produced music for, the Telly Award Finalist video/DVD production of "Have Fun and Be Active" for First 5, WIC, and Head Start. The DVD is designed to encourage families with young children to keep active. Over 50,000 have been distributed to health service agencies and families nationwide. AbridgeClub.com is the sole distributor of the title on WIC's behalf.

  

'Smart & Tasty 1" is featured in the new "Music & Movement: Nutrition in Action" curriculum which includes eight lessons that are packed full of fun activities.  It is a brilliant introduction of music, movement, and nutrition education that is tailored to excite and stimulate children's movement through music and incorporate healthy eating and physical activity into their daily lives. As a USDA MyPyramid Corporate Partner, Nutrition in Action and the USDA share common goals of developing complimentary programs that encourage healthy eating and activity.
 
Each lesson incorporates a story, physical activity, music, and a seated activity into the nutrition education session. Snack suggestions, additional learning activities, and a parent handout with recipes are included with each lesson!   http://nutritioninaction.org.

Selections of Angela's music are also being used in the National Head Start Bureau's "I am Moving. I am Learning"  (IMIL) active children campaign, which is designed to prevent childhood obesity by improving the quality and quantity of exercise in the classroom and encouraging daily wise nutrition choices. IMIL was created in response to regional and national trends toward childhood obesity. The project was designed to fit within the Head Start Performance Standards and the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework through enhancements, chosen by the individual Head Start program, to current teaching practices by providing more focused guidance on quality movement, gross and fine motor development, and child nutrition. IMIL gained national recognition as the recipient of the 2006 ACF Honor Award of Excellence in Partnering from DHHS.

Additionally, IMIL goes beyond the classroom teaching practices to enhance the approach family service workers take with Head Start families in the area of movement and nutrition, as well as, in the approach Head Start health staff takes in working with children and their families. IMIL uses a train-the-trainer model with directors and their management teams attending a 2½ day training events throughout 2007 and 2008.

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In early 2007, the Louisiana Office of Public Health supplied 25,000 "Have Fun and Be Active" DVDs to WIC families at the STATE level. The initiative was for their fight against childhood obesity entitled, "Fit Kids. Healthy Kids."

Angela is a voting member of The Recording Academy®. Her music has been featured in publications such as Early Childhood Today, Early Childhood News, School News, and Los Angeles Magazine. Her titles are represented by school suppliers such as CM School Supply, Kaplan Early Learning, School Specialty, and Sportime. She has received awards from ChildrensMusic.org, the Parents’ Choice Foundation, the National Association of Parent Publications (NAPPA), and Early Childhood Today’s Directors’ Choice.

Thirteen Abridge Club songs are featured in the 2010 released SPARK Early Childhood program, designed to be more inclusive, active, and fun for young children. SPARK was proven to work with both physical education specialists and classroom teachers. Today, after lessons learned from more than 20 years of ongoing research and field testing nationwide, SPARK PE is one of the best physical education programs in the world – a true solution to our growing problem of overweight and obese children.

Angela's music is offered by The Colorful Way. WAY programs have been designed as multidisciplinary education programs that emphasize physical activity, nutrition, and wellness while meeting national and state educational standards.

Fisher-Price Toys - Your Source for Playtime Ideas

"Caterpillar Conga" from the "Bugsters Tunes and Tales" CD was chosen by Fisher Price® in the fall of 2006 to be featured in the on-air commercial that launched their Kid-Tough FP3™ Player. The Kid-Tough FP3™ Player is a real digital player designed to be used and dropped by preschoolers, and is the first of its kind. Parents can also download "Bugsters" songs and stories onto the player from the Fisher-Price® FP3 Song & Story Online Store.

The majority of the music being used in the 2-million dollar University of Tennessee "Team PLAY (Positive Lifestyles for Active Youngsters)” initiative comes from AbridgeClub.com titles. The grant is funded by the State for a 5-year clinical trial that began mid-January of 2007 and focuses on improving nutrition and physical activity behaviors in families.

USCA

Angela Russ received a 2009 Best of Long Beach Award in the Audio-Visual Program Production category from the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA), WASHINGTON D.C., June 8, 2009. The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.
          Up, Down, and Around "Smart & Tasty 1" was selected by the Pennsylvania Public Library system to companion a book entitled, "Up, Down, Around" for the 2008 world-wide "One Book" project.  "One Book" projects are community-wide reading programs that were initiated by the Library of Congress's Washington Center for the Book in 1998.

Angela is a member of ECMMA, whose members are advocates for joyful music and movement experiences vital to the development of the whole child. They focus on furthering the advancement and development of music and movement education for young children and encourage ongoing professional development of educators in music and other areas of early childhood education.

Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators

Angela is a member of SCBWI, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, a professional organization dedicated to serving the people who write, illustrate, or share a vital interest in children's literature. SCBWI is one of the largest existing organizations for writers and illustrators. It is the only professional organization specifically for those individuals working in the fields of children’s literature, magazines, film, television, and multimedia. Find Angela's profile SCBWI.org.

Angela is a member of CALIFORNIA READERS, a group of educators, librarians, authors, artists, parents, booksellers, and others, sharing the goal to connect California authors and artists with students and educators in Southern California.  Find Angela's author interview, simply click on "R-S" and look for her last name. Click here for more information: californiareaders.org

Angela is a member of NAWBO. The National Association of Women Business Owners is the unified voice of America's more than 10 million women-owned businesses representing the fastest growing segment of the economy. NAWBO is the only dues-based organization representing the interests of all women entrepreneurs across all industries; and boasts over 7000 members and 80 chapters across the country.  

Contact us for questions and information

info@abridgeclub.com
AbridgeClub.com is owned and operated by Russ InVision Company

Russ InVision Records
3219 Conquista Ave, Long Beach, CA 90808

P: 562.421.1836    Fax: 562.420.9101