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When Mizzou Academy needed a music teacher for a special children’s event on self-advocacy and friendship, Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver knew just who to call. Lou Jobst, known to many as “Sweet Lou,” has been bringing music to our team for almost seven years, and he’s been bringing music to children and schools for over four decades. At Mizzou Academy, where Jobst teaches language arts, he often writes and records songs for students who need a little extra encouragement or celebration. 

“Lou helped us start poem-in-your-pocket day at Mizzou Academy,” says Fishman-Weaver. “And while that is just one day a year, with Lou everyday might as well be song-in-your-pocket day.” 

Lou Jobst has over 40 years experience in education, including elementary, high school, and college instruction. Jobst says his passions include the guitar, ukulele, banjo, percussion, and poetry.

Planning for the Winter Advocacy Event

Mizzou Academy is currently working with the Missouri State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to redevelop the Office of Childhood Training Library. Once complete, the library will include 30 online, on-demand courses for childhood professionals. One of the first course series the team is completing is on inclusive practices in schools. This series, authored by Fishman-Weaver and produced by Mizzou Academy and Bussen Productions, is story and strategy rich. The fourth course in the series explores advocacy and the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

As part of the course, Fishman-Weaver wanted to “showcase ways professionals can teach children, including young children, about self-advocacy, friendship, and inclusion. There are lots of ways to bring these concepts into your classroom and programs. One of my favorite is music.” 

As a model for the course, Fishman-Weaver asked Jobst if he would write an original song on these themes and teach it at a special event. Jobst jumped at the opportunity. His exact words were, “Woweeee….I love this…my cup of tea. Yes. Yes. Yes. What time would it be? I am already starting to compose something.” 

Eight students aged 3-11 joined Mr. Jobst for the special music lesson. They bounced and clapped and sang along to bright lyrics such as these: 

(refrain) I love my friends and I love to be a friend.

We will stay together. Our friendship will never end.

(verse): We will be there when they are sad.

We will be there when they are mad.

(verse): Just like a song

We will joyfully sing along.

The Power of Youth Voices 

In addition to the music lesson, Fishman-Weaver also wanted to interview young children on what makes them special. Karl Bussen, the lead videographer for this project, loved that idea. He brought a lapel microphone and set up two cameras for the children’s interviews. “We don’t often hear children’s voices in this way,” said Bussen, who wanted to make sure the viewer could hear every nuance.

Throughout the interviews, he and Fishman-Weaver listened closely to the children and smiled. After one interview with seven-year-old Grace Michaels, Fishman-Weaver said, “This is magic.” 

“Knowing that your voice matters and that you have important things to say and unique strengths are the seeds of self-advocacy,” said Fishman-Weaver, “and those can take root even in early childhood.”

Nailah Wangari was the youngest participant in the winter advocacy event. At three-years-old, she sat straight up in the large interview chair and often spoke right into the lapel microphone that Bussen had clipped to the arm of her sweater. Even with multiple cameras and multiple adults looking on, Nailah was completely at ease being interviewed. At one point she laid back in the chair and giggled. Nailah said that some of the things that make her special are her singing, her dancing, and her mom. She also just learned her A-B-Cs which she sang into the microphone in a whisper voice as if she were telling the audience a wonderful secret. 

Bussen laughed, “Missouri is going to shut down when it hears that clip.” 

At the close of the event, families and children bundled up to face the winter cold. As they walked out into the evening you could hear the sweet sounds of Lou’s new song, “I love my friends. I love to be a friend….” rising up into the sky.