Jack Black became a comedy hero to my sons when they saw School of Rock. Read my Parents’ Choice posting to find out why it’s a rockin’ way to help your kids start the school year. Here’s an excerpt: “So why is this proper inspiration for your children to want to return to school? Eventually, Finn discovers the kids actually play music, so he switches from talking about others playing rock to showing them how to play it themselves in a collective effort (aka, a band). Simply put, the film is about a teacher taking what inspires him, then finding the unique voices within his students.”
The Parents’ Choice Foundation, which has long been the country’s preeminent guide to children’s media and toys, continues to stay ahead of the curve with its meticulous reviews, broad range of content, and easily navigable Web site. After years of referring to their picks for the best children’s books, videos, games, and more, I had the privilege to write reviews and articles for the Foundation, headed by Claire Green, who never ceases to look for ways to help parents find the best media tools to help educate and enlighten kids. Recently, I began contributing to the Parents’ Choice blog, a regularly updated feature that covers everything from the finest chapter books to the must-see TV programs of the week. Take a peek at my first posting, called “Decade by Decade: An Autobiography Through Popular Media.” Here’s an excerpt:
“One way I’ve started to organize the telling of my life story through media is by decade. Born in the mid-’60s, my earliest memories include hearing Fifth Dimension’s 1969 version of ‘Aquarius’ on the radio of my family’s faux wood-paneled station wagon. This kicked off a discussion with my kids about the flower power generation and the hippie culture.”
Please post comments and provide your own memories of meaningful media in your life.
It’s difficult to show as much appreciation for the joy family-music entertainers as I feel. It’s even more daunting to select just 10 of the best. But I’m confident that parents cannot go wrong with acquiring this list of fantastic recordings, which represents the finest albums I had a chance to sample. Congrats to the winners and a tip of my hat to the numerous other excellents albums released during the time period of November 1, 2008, to October 31, 2009. (Click on the album titles for full reviews where applicable.)
1. Milkshake - Great Day - The hearts, minds, and talents of this group were in the right place. So is their ranking on this list.
2. Billy Jonas - Happy Accidents - Waiting such a long time after What Kind of Cat Are You? could have been a diaster. It wasn’t.
3. The Sippy Cups - The Time Machine - Clever themes and fine musicianship make for a great time for all.
4. Peter Himmelman - My Trampoline - This guy’s the Pixar of music. A hit every time out.
5. They Might Be Giants - Here Comes Science - They’re making edu-tainment cool again.
6. Recess Monkey - Field Trip - They may have the deepest well of zany creativity of any trio out there.
7. Ziggy Marley - Family Time - Can I take some credit for this album after sharing a Piano Play classroom with Ziggy and his kid?
8. Lunch Money - Dizzy - One of my favorite surpises of the year.
9. Captain Bogg & Salty - Emphatical Piratical - How do they keep making the priate theme so fresh and well seasoned?
10. Buck Howdy - Pete Seeger Tribute - It sounds like Buck is singing these timeless tunes just to your kid.
For the third time, I joined the Fids and Kamily - Kids and Family Music Awards, run by Stefan Shepard of the Zooglobble family music blog. To be eligible, albums had to be released during the period of November 1, 2008, to October 31, 2009. A stellar group of family music critics, ranging from Gwyneth Buter of Gooney Bird Kids to Robbie Schaefer of Sirius/XM Radio (the Kid Place Live channel) each sent in their 10 favorite picks. This year, the They Might Be Giants snagged the #1 poistion, followed by Lunch Money. Get the entire poll and read about the runners-up and everyone else who was nominated.
And watch for the fourth annual Family Man Recommends list of the year’s best albums to be posted in January.
Decades after we last ran between high-school classes and around the campus track and field, Jeremy Toback sent me an e-mail to say hello and talk about our common interest of family music. Jeremy’s been performing and recording for many years, but he’s never sounded so good as on his newest album, C’mon (a review of which will appear on this site in a coupla weeks). In the meantime, check out this free song to hear what makes the duo of Renee and Jeremy such a warm and vibrant treat for the early holiday season.
I’ve already revealed my fatherly adoration for Peter Himmelman in the review I did for his My Green Kite album. It’s not like I need to run down all the singer-songwriter’s accomplishments, such as his long career as a performer for grown-ups, his film and TV scoring (i.e., the show Bones, his entertaining Web site and the five family recordings — including his new My Trampoline on the aptly named Minivan record label. So, I’ll let the singer-songwriter do some talking for himself.
FM: What kind of grown man writes songs about African leopard tortoises and pinheads?
PH: I guess you could say that I’m a man who, for better or worse, is way tapped into to his seven-year-old self. Turtle wise: I love my tortoise as much as any man has ever loved a reptile. He’s wise, gentle and extremely big on patience, which is something I’ve discovered is important. As for the pinhead thing…it’s what my wife calls me (in the most tender way I might
add) when she compares the size of my head to my 19 year old son’s.
FM: What’s different or particularly outstanding about this bouncy new album of yours compared to your previous family-friendly discs?
PH: Oh, that question. It’s for the marketing department. My honest answer is that there’s nothing inherently unique about this record. No special new formula. No laboratory tested techniques on display. Just a continuation of the themes of wonder that I will most likely keep pursuing for a long time.
FM: In your live shows, you improvise songs with children’s names and random concepts. Is this talent the impetus for writing music for kids?
PH: No, I’d say that talent (which is partly innate and partly developed), has served me well in almost everything I do — from fatherhood, to being a husband, to my life as a creator in general. Notice I didn’t use a capital C in creator…
FM: How does making music for kids differ from making tunes for adults?
PH: The only real difference is the context from which I’m writing. With kids for example, I’d never write a song about losing a woman or a too high tax bill — these kinds of things are just outside of the experience of a kid and they’d go right by them just as if I were reciting a terse poem to you in Pashtun…which I assume you don’t speak.
FM: What do your children think of your music?
PH: It’s funny how uninterested they’ve always seemed. It’s as though I were an accountant who’s been crunching numbers at his desk after dinner. Making music is just something I’ve always done since they were babies. But, to be more reflective, I happen to know that they are all very proud and inspired to have been raised in a loving home where their father has been doing something rather daring and interesting.
FM: How has family music changed from the time you were a child…assuming you really are a grown-up?
PH: Oh I’m grown up all right. It’s just that at 49, I can’t (or refuse) to forget age 6 or 10 or 25. As far as the family music business or the adult music business goes, I’ve always been a bit outside of what goes on. I do remember some wonderful music by a the Animals, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, even Burl Ives and Mitch Miller that I enjoyed a lot as a kid.
FM: Who are some of your favorite musicians, classic to contemporary?
PH: Stravinsky, Debussy, Miles Davis, Pete Seeger, Mel Torme, Thelonius Monk, Bob Marley, JJ Cale, The Monkees, Woody Guthrie, Fats Domino, John Lee Hooker… and The Guess Who.
FM: What’s the best way to turn young people on to playing music and being open to listening to different artists?
PH: Keep them off network television, keep them tuned into Pandora radio, bring home new recordings for them to listen to, and open up yourself to new sounds and musical experiences.
*****
For more about Peter Himmelman, listen to/visit his podcast/blog at Furious World, go to his Web site, and be sure to read the review of My Trampoline.
“Let the Sunshine In” is a concert in San Francisco to be held this Monday (May 25) that exhibits the power of a community to help young people in need. The musical extravaganza honors Christopher (Chris) Rodriguez, an 11-year-old Oakland boy who was in the midst of a piano lesson when he was hit by a stray bullet and paralyzed from the waist down. Produced by musician-producer extraordinaire Narada Michael Walden, the event will feature Sting, Bob Weir, the Narada Michael Walden Band, and other new and established musicians. Proceeds from the concert will go to the Narada Michael Walden Foundation, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music scholarship fund, and music education programs in the Bay Area. If you live in the Bay Area or happen to be visiting San Francisco, check out this benefit concert to be held in Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall.
With the winter holidays in progress, here’s something that comes in a small, free package. Charity and Jam Band delivers a sweet and languid version of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” as a free download off their Web site. The new recording is part of the group’s new Song of the Month offerings and marks a happy return of a recording artist whose last album earned numerous accolades, including the Family Man Recommends title of album of the year for 2006. Welcome back Charity and the Jam Band and Happy Holidays to everyone!
The terrific family music performer, Debbie Cavalier (http://www.familymanonline.com/recommends.php?id=45), has published an article that explains how parents can help their children (particularly the youngest ones) truly understand and enjoy the many facets of live music (http://parentschoice.org/article.cfm?art_id=332&the_page=event_feature). Debbie, who is also the dean of continuing education at the Berklee College of Music, makes suggestions such as discussing the kinds of instruments that will be used by the performers before going to see the show to understanding the protocols of attending a concert.
I’m venturing to provide quick suggestions in this posting category. Of note, recently, is a bilingual video called Voy Baby: Discovering Colors Colores (http://www.voybaby.com/videos.html). With Latin music and other culturally inspired design, this is a fresh contribution to the baby video market. In the music department, new kindie rock record lable, Little Monster (http://www.littlemonsterrecords.com/) offers its first release: All Together Now: Beatles Stuff for Kids of All Ages. It has spot-on productions of Fab Four tunes with adults leading the vocals and a children’s chorus uplifting the arrangements.
