Light of Chance’s Breathe program, Jonathan Stovall, a fourth-grade teacher at Parker-Bennett-Curry Elementary School, and Emmy Award-winning rapper Vito Banga Tisdale, formerly of the Grammy Award-nominated Nappy Roots, are doing an innovative program to help children learn.

Three years ago, Tisdale, Stovall and some children penned “Divide That,” a song about the steps of dividing by fives. The children rapped the lyrics.

“The song caught wind with students because they would hear me playing it and poke their head in the door,” Stovall said. “I used the songs in my classroom and they caught on. The longevity caught our eye. Kids who are kindergarteners can sing this song.”

Tisdale and Stovall have since done another song about division by six called “What I Know” and are working on a rounding rhyme about division by eight called “I Got What Counts,” Stovall said.

“(Division by) seven is a hard concept,” he said. “It’s not about going in order.”

Stovall was doing the project outside school but had the blessing of parents.

“Parents knew what they were doing,” he said. “Parents had to drop them off.”

Stovall and Tisdale believed they had something special and wanted to share their concept.

“We went to Eric (Logan, founder of Light of Chance) to organize it and figure out where to go from there. We needed someone to help organize our thoughts,” Stovall said. “What can you do to get the kids engaged? If you talk about ‘Reading Rainbow’ or ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ it is the same way.”

Light of Chance’s Breathe program allows children to express themselves creatively through the arts. Logan thought the project would be the perfect avenue to help children. Light of Chance is filming videos, interviewing children, conducting research about the project and coordinating ways to get the project in touch with other programs.

“I think it could be used in any environment. I see it working in two target areas, like in a classroom where you can work along with teachers, and with at-risk kids,” Logan said. “Our concept is to partner with schools whether in the regular school system or the juvenile justice program. How can we help kids learn in a nontraditional way?”

Breathe’s in-school residency program brings professionals to work alongside the teachers, Logan said.

“It’s a mentoring aspect with both sides. When Vito says it, they look up to him,” he said. “He’s a mentor artist who’s super talented. He’s been all over the world and worked with great artists.”

The men have seen what “Divide That” could do. Stovall gave a speed test of 60 questions that the children had to answer in three minutes.

“Half the students were under 50 percent. Within two weeks of playing that song, only one kid was under 50 percent,” he said. “By the end of the year all the kids had mastered their fives.

“They are smart,” he said. “This gives them a way to show what they can do.”

The project can work with any topic, Stovall said.

“Science, social studies, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

Music is something that’s internal, Stovall said.

“It has meaning and it’s their work,” he said. “A piece of writing follows you for the rest of your life. A piece of music does the same. Why not promote what they’re doing in education?”

The celebrated part is when the children are performing, Logan said.

“People are recognizing and celebrating it,” he said. “Everyone can relate to music.”

Nappy Roots knew all about children and music, Tisdale said.

“Nappy Roots was based on education of high school kids taking it to the next step,” he said. “There is talent in Bowling Green.”

Tisdale has a regular message to his children.

“I tell my kids to find your you. Know who you are,” he said. “Who wants to be like someone else?”

“Divide That” served a purpose for the children, Tisdale said.

“I got this. I can prove it,” he said. “We’re not traditional learning anymore. Identification is going to be more than music.”

Reality is the best tool, Tisdale said.

“We’re preparing for success. If you fail to plan you’re planning to fail,” he said. “Learning is a thought process. A confident person makes a great leader. We’re gonna change the world piece by piece.”

— Alyssa Harvey, Bowling Green Daily News