Dr. PETER ALSOP
Biographical Information
PETER ALSOP is a nationally known singer-songwriter, educator and humorist with a Ph.D. in educational psychology. Each year he presents to thousands of teachers, parents, and human service professionals. He invites adults to explore deep human issues through the doorway he creates with his joyfully humorous children’s songs. His presentations are participatory, and audiences report they have such a good time, they don’t notice until later how much it impacted them. Peter’s presentations are always memorable events, weaving together song, insightful and useful commentary, and hearty laughter.
He received a B.A. from Trinity College in Connecticut and did his doctoral work at Columbia University's Teachers' College in New York, and Columbia Pacific University in California. Peter worked as Director of The Harbor Schools Residential Treatment Center for emotionally disturbed adolescents in Maine, and as an elementary school teacher in the South Bronx. His songs are used daily by thousands of parents, educators and human service professionals to help families discuss sensitive issues.
Peter has produced and recorded 18 CDs and 6 educational DVDs as well as a full length feature film. Each of his 8 family albums have won "BEST CHILDREN'S" awards from the Parents’ Choice Organization and/or the Assn. for Independent Music. Peter's songs have been included on numerous anthology records, videos, movies and television. His “Wake Up” DVD with John Ritter, helps families prevent child abuse and abduction.
He has acted on stage, television and feature films, and has written, produced and directed his own feature film, “After Romeo”. He’s performed extensively at conferences, festivals and concerts through the U.S., Canada, Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe with a wide range of personalities, including Steve Allen, Sid Cesar, Jay Leno, Randy Newman, Kenny Loggins, Pete Seeger and Victor Borge. As a speaker at a variety of human service conferences, he’s shared the podium with noted professionals such as Benjamin Spock, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Norman Cousins, Buckminster Fuller, and John Bradshaw.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Peter lives in Topanga, CA with his wife, actress/director Ellen Geer, and their daughters, Megan and Willow live nearby.
PETER ALSOP
PRESENTATIONS
CONFERENCES
Meeting planners agree that Dr. Peter Alsop is a tremendous asset to any conference. He entertains and educates with humor and insight. He touches the hearts of the participants and brings even the most sedate groups together. Regardless of profession, participants laugh and cry and sing, and report that they are deeply affected by his lecture-performance treatment of universal human themes. By working experientially with emotions, his presentation balances programs often loaded with cognitive information. He has presented at more than 400 colleges and universities, and has been enthusiastically received at conferences for businesses, teachers, psychologists, nurses, physicians, social workers and funeral directors.
WORKSHOPS
Peter has a number of specific participatory workshop programs. He teaches “Sculpting with People” and the use of music and laughter to create safe places to express feelings. His range of material enables him to tailor-make programs that fit his audience.
Some of the places Peter will be playing this year…
2010
January
17 – McCabe’s Guitar Shop, Santa Monica, CA
April
22 - Shasta College Foster & Kinship Care Education
Program, Redding, CA
May
1 - Dr. Joe Cruse Festival, Las Vegas, NV
22 - Serendipity Preschool & AEYC Foothills Spring
Conference, Arcadia, CA
30 - Topanga Days Country Fair, Topanga, CA
June
11-13 - Kerrville Folk Festival, Kerrville, TX
19-23 – Writing Songs For New Albums, Topanga, CA
July
8-12 - URE, Global Pop. Think Tank, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
17 - Children’s Bureau-Foster & Adoption Wkshp, LA, CA
23 - Woody Guthrie Benefit, Topanga, CA
August
12-15 - Sculpting With People Workshop, Orick, CA
23-27 - Recording New Albums, Topanga, CA
September
10 – Braille Institute Orange Co Retreat, Seal Beach, CA
26 – Kids Koncerts, Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga, CA
October
8-10- Children’s Music Network Conf, Los GAtos, CA
November
4-7 – Children’s Oncology Camp Assn, Intl Conf, Montreal,
QB, Canada
Some of the places Peter has played previously…
2009
January
15 - Topanga Elementary School, Topanga, CA
17 - Topanga Localization Meeting, Topanga, CA
25 - Gathering of Kids Artists, Topanga, CA
February
22-24 - Alliance for Children & Families Conf, St Pete Bch, FL
March
19 - One Choice, Teen Parents & Providers Wkshp, Stockton
20 - Bennett Valley USD -Yulupa Elem School, Santa Rosa
20 - Topanga Peace Alliance Meeting, Topanga, CA
30 - Island Parent Mag, interview w/Paul Abra, Vancouver
April
11 - Topanga Community House, Family Concert, Topanga, CA
15 - Brent & Woofy Radio Show, Vancouver, BC, Canada
18 - Reg 5 Council Foster Parents, Keynote, Nacogdoches
26 - Memorial Service for Teen Suicide, Topanga, CA
28 - Living For The Health of It, Nanaimo, BC, Canada
30 - First Nations Tribal School Concert, Saanichton, BC
- SFNACS Home support workers, Saanichton, BC
- Weaving the Family Blanket Workshop, Saanichton, BC
May
1 - Difficult Transitions - Loss, Victoria, BC, Canada
2 - Vancouver Isl Coop Preschools, Keynote, Victoria, BC
2 - University Canada West, Family Concert, Victoria, BC
8 - Darwen Boy Scouts of the UK, Darwen, Lancashire, UK
13 - Cabrillo Coll Early Childhood, Foster Fam., Aptos, CA
30 - Fundraiser for Theatricum, w. Amy Madigan, Malibu, CA
June
25 - Serna Village Homeless Housing, McClellan, CA
July
2 – Anne Feeney Single Payer HealthCare Benefit, L.A.,CA
9-13 - URE, Global Pop. ThinkTank, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
19 - Kids Koncerts, Theatricum Botanicum, Topanga, CA
20 - Canyon Kds Preschool Concert, Malibu, CA
25-28 – KidPower 25th Anniversary Cnference, Aptos, CA
30-31 - Sculpting With People Workshop, Orick, CA
August
1-2 - Sculpting with People Workshop, Orick, CA
30 - 5th Annual Organic Planet Festival, Eureka, CA
October
14 - Safe Harbors of the Finger Lakes Inc, Geneva, NY
Dr. Peter Alsop’s
Most commonly requested
Keynote Presentations
Making Safe Places
Dr. Alsop examines how to create emotionally safe places for our children, students, clients, employees, families and ourselves, and why it is critical to removing the roadblocks that stop so many children and adults from learning. Using his humorous anecdotes and sing-alongs, he illustrates why awareness of our feelings is the key. When we medicate or stuff painful feelings, we get stuck in a defensive mode that keeps us from seeing new possibilities for creative problem solving. “Burn-out" does not exist for those who know how to take steps to change difficult situations.
Opening Doors
We can only help others achieve a level of clarity that we have about ourselves. With commitment to self-growth as our focus, Peter’s delightful stories and humorous sing-alongs weave us through the lessons we learned from our families. We explore how family roles affect us; how work, sex and humor can act as medicators for pain, and how we can gently open old doors together, and rekindle the joy and playfulness inside each of us.
Teaching Between The Lesson Plans
Dr. Alsop models and discusses practical experiential techniques to help clarify the complicated social interactions that come up in classrooms. Some of the most important learning occurs before and after our lessons. When students face difficult situations, they draw on what they have seen modeled for them. Tools such as music, humor and “sculpting” can be used to clarify what is “really going on”, and with them we can model coping with emotionally loaded subjects in ways that can be heard by even the most reticent student.
Feeling The Family Pulse
Our personal experience with loss and change colors the way we relate to death and dying in our professional life. This presentation provides information about how and why it’s important to find a safe place to explore our thoughts and feelings about grief and loss, and presents opportunities to learn personal strategies that can help others.
Dr. Peter Alsop’s
Most commonly requested
Workshop Presentations
Filling Our Toolbox: Making Feelings & Ideas Real
Dr. Alsop demonstrates the powerful technique of “sculpting” with people; a practical experiential technique that clarifies difficult interactions and gets everyone involved. He will help us fill our toolboxes with other useful tools such as music, humor, and the arts,
and answer questions about why they are important in our own lives, as well as in our work
with children and families.
Turning Problems Into Puzzles
If we can view a difficult situation as a puzzle with a missing piece, rather than seeing it as a problem that keeps us stuck, we remove a major roadblock in our search to find solutions. Humor and creativity help us gain a new perspective, re-evaluate our resources, and find the missing pieces of our puzzle. Peter models this in his sculpting demonstrations and by using humorous sing-alongs to unlock our creative potential.
How To Eat An Elephant: A Focus On Process
For teachers, parents and human service professionals, this presentation explores using music and humor for personal and social growth; the importance of self-worth and process and living with ambivalence. We may also learn to play the spoons and use other pocket instruments while we explore using humor and metaphor as effective methods for changing focus and direction.
The Art & Humor of Parenting
Collect valuable family survival tactics we can pass on to our children, instead of the many “uneven parenting techniques” we received. Have a good time with songs, ideas and feelings, while singing along to some healthy parenting ideas. Peter explores alternatives with insightful sing-alongs, group discussion, tears, laughter and silliness. Don't be surprised if you find yourself giggling or humming these songs two weeks later.
Making Your Toolbox A Toybox
Playful sing-alongs, stories and strategies demonstrate how we can use music and laughter to balance our own lives, and pass these techniques on in our work with children and families. DON'T MISS THIS ONE!
Other Titles:
The Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa, And God: Using Music, Humor & Story To Get Unstuck!
The Art Of Being Human: Therapeutic Uses Of Music And Humor
Using Metaphors To Heal: Experiential Therapies
Don't Put Your Hand In My Pants Just Cause We're In Love
Difficult Transitions: Sometimes It Hurts To Be A (Nurse, Teacher, Parent)
Click here for Peter’s YouTube “Sculpting with People”.
http://www.youtube.com/mooseschool#p/a/u/0/3T87Ixe_WQE
Click here for Peter’s Conference YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/mooseschool#p/a/u/1/ZwTPMw7NpT0
Click here for Peter’s Family Concert YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/mooseschool#p/a/u/2/3rRvm9FaO78
CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES TO USE IN YOUR FLYERS & POSTERS
How to reach Peter and his Staff
800-676-5480 Toll Free
310-455-2318 Local Number
310-455-4192 Fax
Box 960, Topanga, CA 90290 for snail mail.
Peter’s Assistant Germaine Cook
800-676-5480
310-455-2318
Where else you can find Peter:
FaceBook at www.facebook.com/thepeteralsop
MySpace at www.myspace.com/peteralsop2,
Twitter at http://twitter.com/thepeteralsop
Linked In at www.linkedin.com
and Plaxo at www.plaxo.com
Peter is also at YouTube. Find his music videos at http://www.youtube.com/peteralsop and
http://www.youtube.com/mooseschool will take you to his conference videos.
