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WORDS & PICTURES: Jessica Schubick
Students at Palm View Elementary in Palmetto got a special
treat in December, as popular children’s musician and
YouTube sensation Jack Hartmann put on a concert for more
than 100 kids in the school’s VPK and kindergarten classes. Mr.
Hartmann has nearly 400,000 followers on YouTube, where he
has posted hundreds of videos featuring educational children’s
songs about letters, numbers, words, physical tness, social
learning, sign language, and more.
Mr. Hartmann’s videos combine early childhood standardsbased
lessons with fun and engaging music and movements. He
has a background in social work, with a BA in Child Psychology
and an MA in Clinical Psychology. Asked about his music, Mr.
Hartmann said: “We try to do positive and educationally-sound
things for kids. My wife is a former kindergarten teacher. She
taught in Pinellas County for about 15 years.”
He continued: “We’ve been doing the YouTube channel for about
4 years. We’re expecting to reach half a million followers by April.
When I just did music, it was pretty much only for kids in this
country. But now, when you create a video… it’s global!” He has
received comments on YouTube from parents and students in
places like Moldova, Kenya, and Australia, among others.
Despite the worldwide reach that his YouTube channel brings,
Mr. Hartmann still values his time performing for live audiences.
He explained: “I love to see the kids and to have the one-on-one
time – to see them laugh, see them smile. I got a note from my
brother the other day that said: ‘Aren’t you too old for this?’ But
I look at it the other way – I’ve got my health; I’ve got my voice;
I’ve got my brain; and I still love writing songs!”
“I’ve been a social worker for 20 years – so I know a lot of these
kids go home and sometimes it’s not too happy. That’s part of it,
too.” He continued: “You don’t know, musically speaking, what
might spark a kid to play an instrument or sing. I remember
reading a story about Eddie Van Halen. Someone asked him,
‘What would you be doing if you didn’t get into playing guitar?’
And he said, ‘I know what I’d be doing; I’d be in jail!’” Mr.
Hartmann believes that interests like sports and music may help
kids stay out of trouble later in life.