Blowing Her Horn to Break Down Bias and Bullying

NORTHFIELD, N.J., April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Susan Goodman is on a mission: to eradicate bullying by helping students identify bias and empowering them to speak out against it.  As a saxophonist-singer-songwriter, she's got a unique way of doing this:  through a mix of urban, Afro-pop, and jazz flavored original songs, like those you'll hear on her new CD Live Out Loud.  It's laced with her soulful sax solos, and lyrics that shine a light on the spectrum of bias -- from xenophobia to homophobia.

Susan (also known as Sooz) has been presenting STAND UP! SPEAK OUT!, a K-8 anti-bullying assembly program, for over a decade, based on songs she wrote while completing her studies in a Holocaust-Genocide Education program. Bullying is about power, but Sooz believes it's also about bias.  Songs on Live out Loud are "breaking down bias and bullying" for music-savvy middle, high school, and college students: helping them to recognize and question bias, while cultivating the courage and compassion to speak out against it.

Bullying is a personal issue for Susan.  She experienced it as a child, as did her two sons: one for being a "nerd," the other for being gay. The increasingly lethal effects of bullying planted the seeds for Live Out Loud. Tyler Clementi's death moved Susan to begin the project with songs on anti-gay bias and cyber bullying. She set an April 20^th release date to support The National Day of Silence, a student-led day of action to call attention to continued anti-LGBTQ bullying.

Sooz' songwriting will get you to turn up the music and tune in to the message. The Afro-beat opener Bein' Brave distinguishes snitchin' from speaking out:  crucial, she says, because bullies are far outnumbered by bystanders.  Think Before You Speak defines school as a "bias-free zone" where students have a "right to safety and civility." Perhaps most bold is the jazzy R&B Ally: "Prejudice is prejudice / xenophobe, homophobe, or member of the Klan / Ignorance breeds hate and fear / Straight boy, straight girl, say you'll be an Ally!"  STAND UP! SPEAK OUT! and Live Out Loud are bound to turn bystanders into Allies.

Visit www.soozaroo.com to hear CDs, find photos, bio, testimonials.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sooz-Stand-UP-Speak-OUT/215130088526854?ref=tn_tnmn  Contact for interviews, school or other speaking/performance engagements.

Contact:  STAND UP! SPEAK OUT!, 609-432-6346, [email protected]

SOURCE STAND UP! SPEAK OUT!