McKenzie Fleeman
mdf001@marietta.edu
Peter Yarrow performed a benefit concert for his nonprofit organization Operation Respect at Marietta College’s McDonough Auditorium on Thursday Sept. 17.
Yarrow, a member of the famous folk signing trio Peter, Paul and Mary, performed the iconic song “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and discussed his anti-bullying work.
Mark Willis’ song “Don’t Laugh At Me” was the inspiration for Operation Respect’s anti-bullying program.
“My daughter said, ‘Dad you have to listen to this song, it’s perfect for Peter, Paul, and Mary. Everybody cries,’” Yarrow told The Marcolian regarding how he learned of the song.
After Yarrow listened to the song along with Paul and Mary, they all realized that they had a story to tell others about cruelty in their lives.
After Peter, Paul, and Mary’s version of “Don’t Laugh At Me” gained popularity, the National Association of Elementary School Principles (NAESP) requested that Peter, Paul, and Mary play the song at their national conference which would have 6,000 elementary school principals in attendance.
Yarrow recalls that there was a simultaneous standing ovation at the end of the song, and it did not feel like obligatory; it felt like the audience was genuinely appreciative of the performance.
The principals in the NAESP said that they needed to use the song because it was the message that they were trying to teach their children.
Peter, Paul, and Mary were onboard for the idea of a program based around this song, on the conditions that there was music infused into the curriculum and most importantly that the program was offered for free.
The NAESP was in fact the first association to use the program, which is appropriately named “Don’t Laugh At Me” after the song. The program is offered free from McGraw Hill and teachers are welcome to share it with each other. There are 100,000 teachers using the program and 50,000 educators who are trained in places all over the world including Israel, Jordan and Hong Kong.
In addition to supporting the cause, audience members also enjoyed the music. One of the members of the audience, Professor Lori Smith, brought her First Year Seminar (FYS) History of Rock and Roll class and had a great time at the show.
“The concert was a fantastic opportunity for our FYS class to experience the music of an icon of that time period,” Smith said.
Before the concert was over, Yarrow addressed the one question that most Peter, Paul and Mary fans have been wondering for years regarding the hit song “Puff the Magic Dragon.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Puff [the Magic Dragon] is not about grass,” Yarrow said.
More information about the “Don’t Laugh At Me” program can be found at www.operationrespect.org.
