Saturday, May 03, 2008
Greasy Kid's Stuff
Every Saturday morning on my way to work at the reference desk of PCC's Rock Creek Library, I tune into the best rock music radio show I have heard since Doctor Demento in the early '80s. Greasy Kid Stuff, hosted by DJs Belinda and Nova, is so great that They Might Be Giants wrote a song in their honor - which the DJs play religiously at 8:30am on the nose.
The music mix is pretty eclectic and strays beyond the "Alternative" genre constraints imposed on the parent radio station's daily playlist. Hipster parents (who are obviously a target audience as much as the kids) will certainly groove to a playing of Ben Lee or pogo to The Ramones' "Spider-Man". Yet Belinda and Nova love to throw in anything that is kid-friendly and fun. James Kochalka's "Monkey Vs. Robot" and Logan Whitehurst and the Junior Science Club's "Happy Noodle Vs. Sad Noodle" frequently pop up; Captain Bogg and Salty are huge favorites.
And they love themes. Check out part of the playlist from this morning:
Yes, bikes and trikes! I would have included Sid Barrett's "Bike Song" (it's kid-friendly!), but that's just me.
The DJs take requests and of course have birthday shout-outs to young listeners. Youth librarians can learn a lot from this show, especially the music tastes for young listeners.
The music mix is pretty eclectic and strays beyond the "Alternative" genre constraints imposed on the parent radio station's daily playlist. Hipster parents (who are obviously a target audience as much as the kids) will certainly groove to a playing of Ben Lee or pogo to The Ramones' "Spider-Man". Yet Belinda and Nova love to throw in anything that is kid-friendly and fun. James Kochalka's "Monkey Vs. Robot" and Logan Whitehurst and the Junior Science Club's "Happy Noodle Vs. Sad Noodle" frequently pop up; Captain Bogg and Salty are huge favorites.
And they love themes. Check out part of the playlist from this morning:
# Ghoti Hook - My Bike
Banana Man (Tooth & Nail, 1997)
# The Jellydots - Bicycle
Hey You Kids! (self-released, 2006)
# Frances England - Tricycle
Fascinating Creatures (self-released, 2006)
# Lunch Money - Tricycle
Silly Reflection (Squirrel Mechanic, 2004)
Yes, bikes and trikes! I would have included Sid Barrett's "Bike Song" (it's kid-friendly!), but that's just me.
The DJs take requests and of course have birthday shout-outs to young listeners. Youth librarians can learn a lot from this show, especially the music tastes for young listeners.
Labels: greasy kid stuff, radio
Thursday, March 01, 2007
somebody post something
Is anyone out there? Heard any children's music lately that you're dying to blog about? C'mon, join the party...
Friday, November 24, 2006
Dan Zane
I think a whole post should be devoted solely to the world of Dan Zane. As I write this, one of his videos is playing on the Disney Channel. He turns "Ride, Sally, Ride" into a house party, as kids jump and stomp amidst an improvising group of loose jazz musicians - and hey, throw in a Jamaican-style dub rapper for good measure. In fact, Zane has made House Party a video unto itself.
But say you don't have a reliable broadband connection or a Flash player installed in your Web browser. No problem. Because here is the thing I really like about Zane's site. He not only provides the usual links to buying his merchandise, checking his tour dates or other commercially interested data, but he shares the music through Lyrics and Chords for all the songs he has recorded. That's eight albums full of folk classics, silly sing-alongs, train songs, and more, complete with lyrics, guitar chords and sound files, just in case you "misremember" the melodies. For a youth librarian armed with a guitar like yours truly, that's a great resource!*
As the photos gallery of Zane's site demonstrates, the world Zane has created through music and friends is both very personal and idiosyncratic, yet all-encompassing of various cultural and personal styles. For kids, it's accessibly silly, fun and creative. My first thought on seeing one of his Disney videos was, "Who's the wild haired dude with the banjo and checkerboard socks?" My second thought was, "Does he babysit?" Unlike so many commodity personas targeted at the youth demographic, Zane's kid-friendliness is not adult-hostile. He communicates a sense of innocence and playfulness without being cloying or condescending. He respects the intelligence of both child and adult. Personally, I would rather live in his world than the paranoid, violent one that surrounds us. Naive artistic utopias such as the one Zane offers are worth advocating, if only to offer children an alternative vision of human interaction based on the joy found in creating playfully with others.
*One caveat: Not all lyrics and chords are available due to copyright restrictions. But Zane advises a little searching of the Internet for less restrictive resources. I plan on blogging about such resources soon.
But say you don't have a reliable broadband connection or a Flash player installed in your Web browser. No problem. Because here is the thing I really like about Zane's site. He not only provides the usual links to buying his merchandise, checking his tour dates or other commercially interested data, but he shares the music through Lyrics and Chords for all the songs he has recorded. That's eight albums full of folk classics, silly sing-alongs, train songs, and more, complete with lyrics, guitar chords and sound files, just in case you "misremember" the melodies. For a youth librarian armed with a guitar like yours truly, that's a great resource!*
As the photos gallery of Zane's site demonstrates, the world Zane has created through music and friends is both very personal and idiosyncratic, yet all-encompassing of various cultural and personal styles. For kids, it's accessibly silly, fun and creative. My first thought on seeing one of his Disney videos was, "Who's the wild haired dude with the banjo and checkerboard socks?" My second thought was, "Does he babysit?" Unlike so many commodity personas targeted at the youth demographic, Zane's kid-friendliness is not adult-hostile. He communicates a sense of innocence and playfulness without being cloying or condescending. He respects the intelligence of both child and adult. Personally, I would rather live in his world than the paranoid, violent one that surrounds us. Naive artistic utopias such as the one Zane offers are worth advocating, if only to offer children an alternative vision of human interaction based on the joy found in creating playfully with others.
*One caveat: Not all lyrics and chords are available due to copyright restrictions. But Zane advises a little searching of the Internet for less restrictive resources. I plan on blogging about such resources soon.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Shake Your Ya-Yas Out
A Child's Celebration of Silliest Songs is a collection of silly-themed and sounding songs recorded by several well-known artists representing a variety of styles. There is Raffi, of course, starting things off with "Shake My Sillies Out" and Shelley Duvall with a cool-jazz rendition of "Three Little Fishies" that is fun, strange and a wee bit creepy. Styles range from funky ("Beans and Cornbread" by Taj Mahal and Linda Tillery; "Ain't We Crazy" by The Persuasions), through ragtime jazz, bluegrass, an impassioned gospel performance by Little Richard of "On Top of Spaghetti" and even Buckwheat Zydeco (whose entire repertoire makes for excellent kid-friendly stomping), and to classic 1950s popular recording sounds by Danny Kaye and Burl Ives. There's even Julie Andrews and Dick "Don't Mind Me Accent, Guv'nor" Van Dyke extolling the linguistic virtues of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from the Mary Poppins soundtrack.
For my money, the topper is "My Name is Cheech the School Bus Driver" by Cheech Marin. Full of word play, joking asides, the song detours through the African savanna, and throws in much more that bears repeated listening.
Interspersed among these tracks are several wonderfully performed silly classics - "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" and "Apples and Bananas" rank highest among these - that are strangely uncredited on the CD cover. I could have done without three different versions of "Be Kind To Your Web Footed Friends" - I now have John Philip Soussa stuck in my head. But don't let that stop you from checking this 1999 record from your local library. I have yet to test it on my own kids, but I reckon they will enjoy it mightily.
For my money, the topper is "My Name is Cheech the School Bus Driver" by Cheech Marin. Full of word play, joking asides, the song detours through the African savanna, and throws in much more that bears repeated listening.
Interspersed among these tracks are several wonderfully performed silly classics - "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" and "Apples and Bananas" rank highest among these - that are strangely uncredited on the CD cover. I could have done without three different versions of "Be Kind To Your Web Footed Friends" - I now have John Philip Soussa stuck in my head. But don't let that stop you from checking this 1999 record from your local library. I have yet to test it on my own kids, but I reckon they will enjoy it mightily.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Music My Kid Hates
Sing it! Say it! Stamp it! Sway it! Vol. 1, by Peter & Ellen Allard
http://cdbaby.com/cd/peterandellen3
I checked this CD out on the recommendation of a librarian who really knows her stuff. She is a great children's librarian and I never fail to learn from her. However, when I put this CD in, my son actually walked over to the stereo, pushed the off button, and demanded Putumayo instead. I thought this was just a momentary preference, but subsequent attemps to play this CD have caused him to turn the stereo off, turn the volume down, and on one occasion, put pillows over his head. He just doesn't like it. So I played it for my friend's 13-month-old and she didn't seem thrilled, either. This one got great reviews from School Library Journal and Parents' Choice, so my guess is that maybe it appeals to older children and our young ones aren't ready for it yet.
Burl Ives Sings Little White Duck
I downloaded this from iTunes while I was still pregnant in anticipation. I LOVED this when I was a kid. My offspring, on the other hand, yawns widely whenever I play it and will turn it off the minute I turn my back. Strangely enough, he likes the songs when I sing them to him, but there's something about Burl Ives he just doesn't like. This makes me very sad, but oh well, I can listen to it when he's not around.
http://cdbaby.com/cd/peterandellen3
I checked this CD out on the recommendation of a librarian who really knows her stuff. She is a great children's librarian and I never fail to learn from her. However, when I put this CD in, my son actually walked over to the stereo, pushed the off button, and demanded Putumayo instead. I thought this was just a momentary preference, but subsequent attemps to play this CD have caused him to turn the stereo off, turn the volume down, and on one occasion, put pillows over his head. He just doesn't like it. So I played it for my friend's 13-month-old and she didn't seem thrilled, either. This one got great reviews from School Library Journal and Parents' Choice, so my guess is that maybe it appeals to older children and our young ones aren't ready for it yet.
Burl Ives Sings Little White Duck
I downloaded this from iTunes while I was still pregnant in anticipation. I LOVED this when I was a kid. My offspring, on the other hand, yawns widely whenever I play it and will turn it off the minute I turn my back. Strangely enough, he likes the songs when I sing them to him, but there's something about Burl Ives he just doesn't like. This makes me very sad, but oh well, I can listen to it when he's not around.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Music My Kid Likes
I have checked out many a CD from my local library and even bought a few, and these are the ones my kid (age 2 years and 8 months) loooooves (linked to more info for your convenience):
Sing Along With Putamayo
You haven't lived until you've watched your kid banging his plastic hammer to Arlo Guthrie's version of "Bling-Blang", and you haven't cried until he sings along with "You Are My Sunshine". This album is so catchy I have put a couple of the tracks on my iPod for ME. A friend's kid (age 2) also loves this CD. One bad thing: you might find yourself singing "Bananaphone" in the car even when no children are present. It's insidious.
Laurie Berkner, Whaddaya Think Of That?
This album is worth the purchase price for just the song "We Are the Dinosaurs". We also like "Last Night I Had A Dream", which encourages kids to fly like an airplane, jump up and down, gallop like a horse...how could this one fail? Berkner's album Buzz Buzz is good too (It has the Ram Sam Sam song, cleverly disguised as Rum Sum Sum), but it's Whaddaya Think of That Graham usually means when he requests Laurie Berkner. My friend's daughter (age 13 months) also loves both of these.
They Might Be Giants, Here Come the ABCs
Okay, I confess I bought this one for me because I am a TMBG fan. But Graham loves "Go for G" and "C is For Conifer" even though I know the lyrics to the latter are probably way over his head at this point. But when he gets to school just think about all the stuff he's going to know about trees and shrubs! This title is also available as a DVD but I have never seen the video content, so I can't vouch for that part. Note: this one leaves both of the above mentioned friends' children cold, but thrills a boy (18 months) that I used to baby-sit for.
Coming soon: Music I have gotten for Graham that has inspired him to run across the room to turn off the stereo.
Sing Along With Putamayo
You haven't lived until you've watched your kid banging his plastic hammer to Arlo Guthrie's version of "Bling-Blang", and you haven't cried until he sings along with "You Are My Sunshine". This album is so catchy I have put a couple of the tracks on my iPod for ME. A friend's kid (age 2) also loves this CD. One bad thing: you might find yourself singing "Bananaphone" in the car even when no children are present. It's insidious.
Laurie Berkner, Whaddaya Think Of That?
This album is worth the purchase price for just the song "We Are the Dinosaurs". We also like "Last Night I Had A Dream", which encourages kids to fly like an airplane, jump up and down, gallop like a horse...how could this one fail? Berkner's album Buzz Buzz is good too (It has the Ram Sam Sam song, cleverly disguised as Rum Sum Sum), but it's Whaddaya Think of That Graham usually means when he requests Laurie Berkner. My friend's daughter (age 13 months) also loves both of these.
They Might Be Giants, Here Come the ABCs
Okay, I confess I bought this one for me because I am a TMBG fan. But Graham loves "Go for G" and "C is For Conifer" even though I know the lyrics to the latter are probably way over his head at this point. But when he gets to school just think about all the stuff he's going to know about trees and shrubs! This title is also available as a DVD but I have never seen the video content, so I can't vouch for that part. Note: this one leaves both of the above mentioned friends' children cold, but thrills a boy (18 months) that I used to baby-sit for.
Coming soon: Music I have gotten for Graham that has inspired him to run across the room to turn off the stereo.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Blogs I Like
www.zooglobble.com
Their tagline is: “Kids and family music news and reviews - Music for kids that the parents won't hate.” And that’s what you’ll find there, advice from a parent on music that appeals to both generations. The author does not say what his qualifications are for reviewing music and says flat out that he doesn’t know a thing about what is developmentally appropriate for various ages, but I still find his reviews of the music I’ve heard to be spot-on. Or at least, my kid and spouse and I usually agree with him. Plus, the guy is funny.
www.kidsmusicthatrocks.blogspot.com
Run by Warren Truitt, a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library. Though he states right up front that “The New York Public Library is not associated with this blog in any way”, I would guess that his experience there makes him a pretty fair judge of what kids like. He reviews children’s music that other sites haven’t even heard of yet. Judging by his reviews of music that I have heard of and that my friends/friends' children have tried, he’s pretty accurate with his likes and dislikes.
www.kidsmusic.livejournal.com
You’ll find some oddball titles here that you might miss otherwise, but you’ll need to wade through occasional irrelevant commentary to do so. Skim as needed, and gems will surface. The blog has been inactive for some time - I am not sure if it is still being kept up or not, but the archives go back 2 years, so there is plenty of static information to mine even if new stuff isn't forthcoming.
That's three for now, I'm sure there are more. Please add your favorites and why you use them.
Their tagline is: “Kids and family music news and reviews - Music for kids that the parents won't hate.” And that’s what you’ll find there, advice from a parent on music that appeals to both generations. The author does not say what his qualifications are for reviewing music and says flat out that he doesn’t know a thing about what is developmentally appropriate for various ages, but I still find his reviews of the music I’ve heard to be spot-on. Or at least, my kid and spouse and I usually agree with him. Plus, the guy is funny.
www.kidsmusicthatrocks.blogspot.com
Run by Warren Truitt, a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library. Though he states right up front that “The New York Public Library is not associated with this blog in any way”, I would guess that his experience there makes him a pretty fair judge of what kids like. He reviews children’s music that other sites haven’t even heard of yet. Judging by his reviews of music that I have heard of and that my friends/friends' children have tried, he’s pretty accurate with his likes and dislikes.
www.kidsmusic.livejournal.com
You’ll find some oddball titles here that you might miss otherwise, but you’ll need to wade through occasional irrelevant commentary to do so. Skim as needed, and gems will surface. The blog has been inactive for some time - I am not sure if it is still being kept up or not, but the archives go back 2 years, so there is plenty of static information to mine even if new stuff isn't forthcoming.
That's three for now, I'm sure there are more. Please add your favorites and why you use them.
Websites I've Used
Here are three websites I have looked at so far that review or lead to reviews of children's music:
http://www.childrensmusic.org
This site calls itself “a non-profit resource for kids, families, and children's performers worldwide”. The most valuable part of the site is the list of The Children’s Music Web Awards Finalists. This year’s finalists can be found here: http://www.childrensmusic.org/cmwa06finalists.html
The good thing about this list is that the awards are “guided by adults and chosen by kids”, so you can rest assured that real kids listened to these and actually liked them.
http://www.kidsmusicweb.com/
This site calls itself “your starting point on the web for music made for young children!” Exclamation points aside, I didn’t find this site terribly useful for finding music to buy, though it does live up to its promise of being a starting point that will lead you to many other useful sites. This site does have one brilliant tool for children’s librarians who need music to use for storytime or other programs: they have free .mp3 files of traditional children’s songs with the lyrics so you can learn them. Nice.
http://www.kidzmusic.com/
John Woods writes music reviews for Parenthood.com, which rates all sorts of things for kids from movies to books to music. This site is handy for two reasons: it lists the NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards) winners since 1994, along with brief descriptions of the albums and links to where you can purchase them. One-stop shopping for the busy librarian!
I'm sure there are more out there...please, send your favorites with a bit about why you find them useful.
http://www.childrensmusic.org
This site calls itself “a non-profit resource for kids, families, and children's performers worldwide”. The most valuable part of the site is the list of The Children’s Music Web Awards Finalists. This year’s finalists can be found here: http://www.childrensmusic.org/cmwa06finalists.html
The good thing about this list is that the awards are “guided by adults and chosen by kids”, so you can rest assured that real kids listened to these and actually liked them.
http://www.kidsmusicweb.com/
This site calls itself “your starting point on the web for music made for young children!” Exclamation points aside, I didn’t find this site terribly useful for finding music to buy, though it does live up to its promise of being a starting point that will lead you to many other useful sites. This site does have one brilliant tool for children’s librarians who need music to use for storytime or other programs: they have free .mp3 files of traditional children’s songs with the lyrics so you can learn them. Nice.
http://www.kidzmusic.com/
John Woods writes music reviews for Parenthood.com, which rates all sorts of things for kids from movies to books to music. This site is handy for two reasons: it lists the NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards) winners since 1994, along with brief descriptions of the albums and links to where you can purchase them. One-stop shopping for the busy librarian!
I'm sure there are more out there...please, send your favorites with a bit about why you find them useful.
