B I O G R A P H Y Hello! My name is Irwin Friedman. Singing the Earth is my first CD. This CD is a collection of songs that express the wonder and magic of life on this earth. I hope it awakens in the listener the feeling of oneness with the natural environment. I have written about 50 songs and decided that my first CD would be related to our natural environment. During the summer I direct a day camp where we take about 15 young people on daily river adventures as we explore the beauty of the natural world.Singing about the beauty of a river is one thing but actually having a direct experience is far more powerful. Many of these songs were written while I was out in nature. I have been writing and singing for young people for the past 28 years. I started writing songs when I turned 30. At that time I was looking for songs that didn't reinforce the negative values of society and of human relationships. I started crafting songs that look at dependency on others for our own happiness, controling other human beings, jealousy and the like. I also want to help young people question and challenge everything in society that leads to conflict and war, as nationalism, racism and sexism to name a few. Finally, I encourage young people to challenge those same behaviors that are in each of us and lead to the chaos that we now see in the world. So I bought a guitar and spent a year learning how to accompany myself. Then slowly, the songs were born. I am currently working on two CD's that I hope will be coming out in the next twelve months. You will hear songs about social issues, nature and the environment. You will listen to songs that invite you to go inside yourself and question everything that we do as individuals and as a human society. The world being a reflection of each one of us means that we are responsible for everything that is going on everywhere. The songs on Singing the Earth transcend any efforts to label them. I sing these songs to young children as well as to adults and it seems that every age appreciates and enjoys them. The words have meaning and are enjoyed by even the youngest children. I founded and directed Full Flower School in Tallahassee from 1985-2001. It was a K-8 elementary middles school inspired by the work of educator and philosopher, J. Krishnamurti. Recently, I am considering reopening the school with a focus on high school. The new revamped web site will have news on this project.