Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family.
Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org.
If you’re in or around Philadelphia this coming weekend, you can also catch them at the World Cafe Live on Saturday, November 7, at 11:30 a.m. See the venue Web site for details; here’s an excerpt of what it says about the duo:
The Indigo Girls meet The Smothers Brothers and sing for kids – that’s Erin Lee & Marci. . . . Disney’s Family Fun Magazine calls them “irresistible!” and Time Out New York named their live performance at Madison Square Park as the “Best Family Event” of the summer.
Their original songs reflect a kid’s eye view of the world that is sometimes poignant, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, but always right on the mark. Their first CD, Someone’s Gotta Wanna Play, was awarded Best Recording 2005 by the Children’s Music Web, the national music award chosen by children. Their follow-up, Snowdance, was debuted on Rosie O’Donnell’s R Family Cruise to Alaska, and went on to win two ASCAP Awards for excellence in writing and the Family Choice Award for 2006.
I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album image or name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview most of the songs without leaving Mombian.
It’s Thanksgiving! To us, that means two things: Family and Food. So here’s a song about each:
“Cousins!” (Tom Chapin, Mother Earth
This rowdy, rambunctious Irish jig truly encapsulates the “Bedlam! Mayhem! Noise noise noise!” that the narrator and his mom and Grampa enjoy/endure whenever Mom’s sister and her giant brood come to stay. We were thrilled to meet Tom Chapin just last month when he received the Magic Penny Award from the Children’s Music Network for his work as a pioneer in the family music field. We were so excited to be a part of the ceremony and perform one of Tom’s tunes. We not only got to sing for him, we sang with him when he jammed with us until the wee hours and shared stories about writing and music. Tom was one of the first musicians to take the “tween” years very seriously, and his writing is a celebration of everything important to a school aged-kid.
“Farmer’s Market
Laura is another fabulous musician that we jammed with at CMN! Laura is based in Chicago, but she’s in the middle of her first tour to support this CD that is winning awards like crazy, so look for her in your town. “Farmer’s Market” is a simple list tune that you will absolutely find yourself singing as you shop for your Thanksgiving groceries. We love that Laura takes care to make all of her songs inclusive – you feel like she is singing about YOU — so don’t forget to make up your own words to match whatever you put in your grocery cart then next time you’re out shopping!
“Thanksgiving With Aunt Pearl
Our 10 year-old narrator isn’t so concerned with what she gets to eat, but where she gets to eat it. This Thanksgiving she is determined to be moved from the Kiddie Table to the Grownup Table, and Thanksgiving won’t be over until her mission is accomplished.
Get this tune off the iPod: Holiday rituals are different in every family. Talk about how Thanksgiving rituals have changed over the years — Thanksgiving today is very different than it was in the 1600s! How does your family celebrate Thanksgiving? How did you celebrate when you were a child? Get up on your feet and use your bodies to make a “photo album” of the narrator’s Thanksgiving. Freeze in poses that illustrate parts of the song. One “picture” could be the drive to Aunt Pearl’s house; another could be Aunt Pearl greeting guests at her door, the kids at the kiddie table or the narrator at the grown-up table with all of the adults. Add your own scenes — what happens after dinner? What about on the drive home?
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