Donny and Marie Osmond’s lost children’s songs return as reading tool

A forgotten set of 25 children’s songs recorded by Donny and Marie Osmond in the late 1970s has been rediscovered and rebuilt into a literacy resource. Reading researcher Matthew Glavach says the revived material is now being used to support children learning to read, including those with dyslexia.

Why it matters: - The restored songs turn a shelved family project into a reading aid for children. - The material is designed to reinforce early-reader vocabulary through rhythm and melody. - The resource now reaches its intended audience decades after the original recordings were made.

What happened: - Matthew Glavach, Ph.D., founder of StrugglingReaders.com, rediscovered original cassettes from a lost Osmond family children’s-song project. - The recordings feature Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond singing songs recorded during their teen years. - The project has been repurposed into They Sing Into Reading, a modern literacy resource.

The details: - In the late 1970s, Donny Osmond was 20 and Marie Osmond was 18 when they recorded 25 children’s songs. - The lyrics were written from controlled early-reader vocabulary lists. - Every word in the songs was selected to strengthen reading skills. - The Osmond brothers contributed to the music, making the project a family collaboration. - Circumstances kept the program from reaching the market, and the tapes were set aside. - Glavach rebuilt the program using current reading research. - The updated version includes rhythmic timing activities intended to support dyslexic learners.

Between the lines: - The revival adds a literacy use case to a piece of Osmond family history that never reached the public in its original form. - The project fits a broader trend in reading support that pairs multisensory learning with phonics-based practice. - Glavach frames the release as the completion of the project’s original service mission, not a new commercial concept.

What’s next: - The restored material is now part of a literacy resource that can be used with children learning to read. - StrugglingReaders.com will continue to position the program as one of its reading-intervention offerings. - Glavach said the project can now fulfill its original purpose of supporting children’s reading.

The bottom line: - A long-lost family recording project has been transformed into a practical reading tool with new life in modern literacy instruction.