I’ll tell you a little secret. More often than not, my children tend to be a little slow to jump to their feet and dance, yet Suzi managed to get them swinging and dancing early in the performance.
Want to take a peek? You can watch a little video I made of the concert.
Just when you thought nothing new was happening in the indie family music scene, you are rocked by Jeremy Plays Guitar! Combining rock, pop and jazz music with kid-inspired lyrics, Jeremy Plays Guitar has created an innovative and fun way to reach kids through music. Who says an inspired groove can’t also help kids learn? Not Jeremy Zmuda. According to Jeremy, “All children are musical and kids’ natural fascination with singing and dancing is an amazing tool that has not been fully utilized–until now.”
Jeremy Zmuda was born into a family of children’s educators in Long Beach, Indiana where he began his love affair with Hendrix, cruising to public radio, and the guitar. He cut his teeth at Chicago’s Columbia College, developing his taste for Jazz guitar. In 1993, he was awarded a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston where he graduated with honors in Jazz performance and music education. After accepting a coveted teaching position at Berklee College of Music and performing in Boston for several years, he decided to make the move to NYC in 2004. Immediately his musical world “grew beyond his imagination.”
At this time, Jeremy began developing music for early childhood education programs including The Maple Street School in Brooklyn, the Roosevelt Island Nursery School, his own theme based music camps in Brooklyn, and as a consultant for Sesame Street. Additionally, he created an original music program for young children and their parents entitled ‘Music Time Kids’ to enhance children’s inherent musical abilities. Though Jeremy continued to perform and write music for adults including earning the prestigious grand prize award in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for his composition, “On Standby,” he continued to be drawn to writing and performing music for children. Inspired by the many children that he worked with through preschool programs and privately, he collaborated with Clare Manchon (Clare and The Reasons) to create the critically acclaimed album, Songs in the Key of New York. This thoughtful CD met with rave reviews both for the music and the lyrics. It successfully celebrates the five boroughs in a “cool, jazzy poise” that also gives the kids of NYC a way to talk, learn and sing about their environment. The result is a catchy, melodious and original collection that speaks to kids and adults alike.
From there, Jeremy could no longer deny his gift for creating a magical musical experience that secretly teaches kids how to negotiate their environment through singing and dancing. He teamed up with early childhood specialist Lizzie Bicknell to form Jeremy Plays Guitar and has collaborated with musicians from diverse musical roots to create his newest album, Use Your Words, focusing on giving children language and strategies to navigate the everyday challenges of childhood in today’s world.
Oran Etkin is both an internationally acclaimed jazz and world music artist, and the creator of the groundbreaking Timbalooloo method of enriching the musicality of young children that has been endorsed by Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Harvey Keitel, Daphna Kastner Keitel, Ken Burns, Julie Burns and Edie Falco, all of whom enrolled their children in Oran Etkin’s Timbalooloo music classes. The classes, which progress from infancy through childhood, are offered throughout New York and have recently been expanded to L.A. and Paris as well!
Etkin’s music was featured on many notable compilations, including Healthy Food For Thought, which is nominated for a GRAMMY this year, as well as Putumayo Kids’ Jazz Playground, winner of the Parents Choice Gold Award. Etkin’s 2010 family CD, Wake Up Clarinet! features his band with soulful vocalist Charenee Wade and drummer Jason Marsalis as well as entertaining video from a Timbalooloo concert with Clara Net and Big Mama Tuba! The CD won awards from Parents Choice, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and NAPPA.
Described as a “great clarinet player” and “an excellent improviser” by the New York Times’ jazz critic Ben Ratliff, Etkin has performed around the world with musicians ranging from rapper Wyclef Jean to jazz guitarist Mike Stern. His 2009 release, Kelenia, won the Independent Music Award for “Best World Beat Album” and has been hailed as setting “a new standard for world music in the decade of the 2000’s” by the All Music Guide. Etkin brings this uniquely diverse perspective to his music for children, which incorporates rhythms and melodies from Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe.
The popularity of Etkin’s educational method has spread through word of mouth. His music classes are now offered throughout New York City and have been attended by over 600 students. Etkin has also taken is educational method on tour, enabling families throughout the US to participate in his classes as well as full-band Timbalooloo performances.
Harvey Keitel and Daphna Kastner Keitel, who enrolled their son in Oran Etkin’s Timbalooloo classes for three years, remarked that he “makes music from all over the world accessible and fun for children to listen to and learn about. From the age of two, our son was talking about Herbie Hancock, Mozart, Samba, and African music – and he knew the difference!”
Oran Etkin’s Timbalooloo was founded to expand access to Etkin’s method of enriching children’s innate musicality and overall development through music classes, CDs such as Wake Up Clarinet!, concerts, books, dvds and television programming. The name Timbalooloo comes form a 3 year-old student from Etkin’s music classes, who went home and sat his mother and baby brother down for a 20 minute music class in which he pretended to be Oran and demonstrated to his “pupils” an imaginary instrument he called the Timbalooloo. The story captures the essence of Etkin’s mission: to excite children about the wonders of music and musical instruments and encourage their creative freedom, personal ingenuity and healthy
cognitive, emotional and physical development.
“really really remarkable… he has touched both of our boys’ lives”
- Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber
“immediately connects to a child’s imagination”
-Edie Falco
“Pied Piper Oran Etkin Wakes Up Instruments And Audiences”
- Philadelphia Daily News
Paul Rogers is a singer/ songwriter for the San Francisco band , Those Darn Accordions. He has recorded 6 CDs and toured the US and Europe with the group over the period of the last 20 years.
He grew up in Dearborn, MI and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in composition.
Rogers has made numerous television appearances with Those Darn Accordions. Some notable appearances are “The American Music Awards with Drew Carey”, Penn and Teller’s “Sin City Spectacular”, “The Donny and Marie Show”, ” ABC World News Tonight”, MTV and “The Jerry Lewis Telethon”.
In 2010, Paul was able to to realize a long time wish of releasing his first album of children’s songs, “The Cul de Sac Kids”. The CD contains 12 original songs and a cover of the Disney classic, “Bare Necessities”. Two of the songs, “Sick Of Being Sick” and “Stop The Haircut”, are currently in rotation on Sirius-XM’s “Kid’s Place Live” channel.
Dennis grew up on a farm in Iowa about one thousand years ago. [editor's note: that is a LONG time ago!]
He now lives in Northampton, Massachusetts with his daughter and son and his pretty wife.
In those thousand years (several centuries were lost to reading Superman comic books in a treehouse), Dennis has managed to write some really cool songs. Luckily, he is able to sing them, too and even, amazingly, play his guitar at the same time.
He now gives performances around New England (and sometimes back in Iowa) where children and parents pay exorbitant amounts of money to dance and sing and hear about tales of coffee-drinking dinosaurs, little blue bugs that drink from little blue bug mugs and tales of the pig who moves to the city. Everyone laughs, dances and goes home with a gift certificates to the “I Miss the Mud Diner” which is located in Bayard, Iowa and is run by a family of prize pigs. Vegetarian.
He has three CD’s for sale, each costing one million dollars though they are sometimes on special of around ten dollars. His latest CD, “I Miss the Mud” was been awarded the 2009 Parents’ Choice Gold Medal! Here’s a review:
“Singer/songwriter Dennis Caraher (“Dog Bone Town,” “Bow Wow Baby”) delivers smiles with quirky humor and sunny charisma, wrapped in an agile musicality that embraces folk, country, old-time rock ‘n roll and a cappella vocals. Inventive percussion and a kids’ chorus complement a cautionary tale about a pig who hits the big time but yearns for his muddy origins. The a capella charmer, “Little Blue Bug,” begins with a little bug stuck in a rug (“I gave him help, I got a little bug hug”) and turns into a participatory, repeat-after-me romp.
Caraher’s inventive, individual voice works equally well in quieter songs that include the yearning “Without You” and an exquisite variation of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” (“It was always there to see when I’d feel my father carry me.”) Among other singers taking the spotlight are a young girl, Emma Henderson, who performs a heartfelt tribute to mothers (“I Love My Mom”), and adult artist Jill Connolly, whose lullaby-soft “I’ll Watch Over You” is accompanied by guitarist Joe Belmont, one of many sterling musicians here.”
“Dog Bone Town” has been awarded the 2002 Parents’ Choice Silver Medal!
“Bow Wow Baby” was awarded….praise from Dennis’s family.
Here are some things you didn’t know about Dennis:
His songs have been heard on “All things Considered” on NPR.
“A brilliant songwriter” – Boston Globe
“Dennis’s songs are unbelievably catchy” – Terre Roche of “The Roches”
“Dennis is not working up to his full potential” – his second-grade teacher
He writes music for adults and has two grown-up CD’s.
His poetry has been read by Garrison Keillor on Writers’ Almanac.
We first met Rik Barron last spring when he hosted Kids’ Jam in St. John’s, Newfoundland. We were so impressed with his music and interaction with the crowd that we asked him to back to host the upcoming KidsBeet Concert on October 30th in Boston.
A native of St. John’s, Rik Barron has toured North America and Europe for thirty years. He has played folk music for children in schools, fairs and concert halls throughout Canada.
His enthusiasm for and popularity with young audiences is undiminished. A testament to this young audience appeal is the more than one thousand performances of his Odd Sock Kids Show, including eight seasons at PEI’s Old Home Week and the Charlottetown Festival. He has also performed at many hundreds of schools throughout Canada.
In the tradition of Pete Seeger, Burl Ives and David Holt he is both an accomplished and respected folk/roots performer and an accomplished and respected family entertainer. Known for his unique banjo and guitar styles and smooth baritone voice, he entertains his audiences with a seamless blend of singing, expert playing and humour.
Rik has released ten critically acclaimed studio albums including “Shine” which was nominated for both a Canadian Folk Music Award for Children’s Album of the Year, and an Independent Music Award as Favorite Children’s Artist. He was the ECMA Children’s Artist of the Year in 2000 and has received the 2009 ECMA Award for Children’s Recording of the Year.
A faculty member of the Maryland Banjo Academy 1997 -2001 and the 2008 Smoky Mountain Banjo Academy Rik has been featured on the cover of the Banjo Newsletter. Rik is an endorsing artist for Ovation Adamas Guitars, Deering and Vega Banjos, Weber Mandolins and D’Addario Strings and Accessories.
Rik has a newly released CD, Over the Meadow, which we are sure you will love. Download “Wait for the Dinner Bell” FREE along with songs from the other KidsBeet performers here!
Ben Rudnick & Friends have been bringing families, music and fun together in their own unique style from their first release, Emily Songs, in 2000 to their recent A Frog Named Sam.
“…he and the band are so musically gifted that they almost create their own style of music. “ ~ Dave Loftin, Chattanooga Parent Paper
Boasting a high level of adventurous musicianship, their enthusiastic recordings and live performances seamlessly range from light folk, bluegrass, calypso, rock and even Irish Jigs.
“The words catchy and irrepressible just begin to describe the string-band music uncorked by a quintet of gifted instrumentalists.” ~ Downbeat Magazine
With countless kudos to their credit, including five Parents’ Choice Awards, the band considers it’s main focus to be providing a common ground where all family members can, without compromise, enjoy a shared musical experience. This is best exemplified in their live shows.
Touring steadily since their inception, Ben Rudnick and Friends have played extensively in their native New England, along the eastern seaboard and have recently visited Colorado. Performances big and small tend to be events, a slice of time where families relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Drawing on the original songs and traditional material from their recordings, the band seamlessly integrates classic songs such as “Route 66,” “Oh Boy!,” “Jambalaya/Hey Good Looking, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and Beatles’ tunes into their sets.
“Not only did the kids love the show, but the parents (and the grandparents) were singing and dancing as well.”~ Betsy Siggins Schmidt, Club Passim
Recent projects have included a popular video for the title track from their recording A Frog Named Sam and a disc of original and classic holiday songs to be released in the fall of 2010 entitled, It’s Santa Claus.
Past projects have included providing the theme song and accompanying fundraiser album for the Challenger Division of the Little League and a live version of the song Route 66 for the Emmy award winning TV documentary, Route 66: The Mother Road.
The band is excited to be celebrating their Tenth Anniversary in October 2010. After a concert with special guests, a horn section and balloons with their name on them, the band is looking forward to more great shows and music.
Ben Rudnick and Friends: Jamming for the Next Generation
Enjoy a free download (I Need A Hand) from Ben Rudnick & Friends and the other KidsBeet performers on our free downloads page.
Suzi Shelton has been performing music for kids around her home base in New York City for the past 10 years.
Suzi rocks parents and kids alike, whether it be thousands of families at the Lincoln Center tree lighting to swarms of fans at Tribeca Film Festival or The White House Easter Egg Roll.
Suzi Shelton has been a standout among the current crop of kid-friendly musical performers since her days performing with other artists. With her angelic voice and no-sugar-added lyrics, Suzi responded to fans wanting more and more of Suzi. Kids respond to her beauty, warmth and youthful appeal while their parents appreciate Suzi’s hip and catchy tunes and lyrics.
Suzi is the featured artist and host of a music-activity DVD series from Gymboree Play & Music. Suzi’s music is all about combining music and movement to encourage kids to participate by using their imaginations, and they really rock out!
Suzi’s two cd’s and dvd have won her Kids First, Nappa, Children’s Music Web, and Parent’s Choice Awards.
Here is what the press is saying about Suzi:
“Bright, playful energy.” Cookie magazine
“Suzi provides tunes you and your child can enjoy, and that carry forward with your child well beyond toddlerhood.”
Thingamababy
“Original songs are sweet and catchy expressive vocals serve the songs well.”
The Lovely Mrs. Davis
“Her angelic voice entertains the audience with a musical menagerie of tunes.”
New York Magazine
“The lyrics are funny and have meaning on many levels.”
ITunes
Suzi is teaming up with Charlie Hope to give away a free download! Click here to find out more about these two fan favorites and download your free song!
Charlie Hope is a gifted, award winning singer songwriter who knows how to tug the heartstrings of children – and their parents, too. You can catch her whimsical sound and melodic lyrics in her Award-winning debut album, “I’m Me!”.
Since the release of I’m Me!, the album has received two Independent Music Awards for Best Album and Best Song and the Silver Parents’ Choice Award. She is now honored by a Juno Award nomination for this same album.
Adored by critics, Hope’s vocals are “clear-as-glass, pitch-perfect” according to Cool Mom Picks, and according to Kiwi Magazine, she’s “in good company with some of the best lyricists and vocalists out there.”
“I’m Me” invites little feet to dance, hands to clap and attracts ears to the stereo like moths to a glowing porch lantern on a summer’s eve. Children become roaring lions, squeaking mice, and whistling trains answering Charlie’s siren song.
Charlie Hope’s train song was chosen for an Emerging Canadian Artist compilation for Air Canada in November 2009 and her whole “I’m Me” album has been offered on the Air Canada entertainment system, since December 2009.
“I’m Me!” has been followed-up by the lullaby album “World of Dreams.” This original album gently lulls children (and adults) to sleep with images of balloons, teddy bears on boats, the gentle rain, and more.
Charlie, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Children’s Art Therapy, believes music is an integral part of a child’s well-being and can help them express their inner thoughts.For Charlie, music should empower not only the creator, but also the listener. She strives to create music that is relevant to children’s lives – reflecting and respecting their experiences.
Be sure to download a free Frog Song from Charlie Hope, along with a free song from the 3 other KidsBeet artists here!
The Bee’s Knees are a JUNO Award Nominated musical duo based out of Toronto, Ontario and comprised of sisters Andie Duncan and Cyndi Duncan-Lumsden. Since it’s inception in 2006, The Bee’s Knees have quickly become one of Canada’s most musically accomplished bands making records for children today. With catchy, upbeat original tunes with strong melodies and solid production sounds, The Bee’s Knees write songs that inspire and entertain children, while engaging their parents at the same time. Andie Duncan (Actra, AFM) is the lead singer, composer and producer for The Bee’s Knees. Prior to writing children’s music, Andie’s musical career included solo artist performances of her original songs on the Lilith Fair stage, as well as opening theatre dates for a number of higher profile artists including k.d. Lang, Holly Cole, Jann Arden, Paula Cole and Joe Cocker. Andie and her husband are raising their two young children in Toronto.
Cyndi Duncan-Lumsden (BA, B.ed) is the co-writer and principle lyricist for The Bee’s Knees. Cyndi draws on her 22 years of experience as an inner city teacher to capture the interests and moods of the children she teaches when writing songs for The Bee’s Knees. Cyndi is married to a fellow teacher and together are raising their three teenaged children.
Andie and Cyndi were thrilled to win the the award for Favourite Children’s Group at this year’s Canadian Independent Music Awards (The “Indies”), and are over the moon about the JUNO Nomination for Best Children’s Album 2010. The Bee’s Knees are excited to be embarking on an animated film project currently in pre-production to support their music.
We recently had a great opportunity to enjoy a performance by one of our favorite children’s singers - Suzi Shelton. On October 15th, Suzi Shelton performed as part of the Big Doozie Lil’ Kids Show at the Amazing Things Art Center in Framingham, MA.
