Many parents and teachers are concerned about finding great spots for kids to enjoy on the internet and how to avoid colorful or inappropriate content.

One award-winning children’s performer, and frequent contributor to the Kids Music Connection blog, DARIA (Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou) has created a great space dedicated to world music called Multicultural Kids Music Videos (http://multikidsmusicvids.com ).  It’s a family-friendly place to experience world cultures through music, dance, instruments and related high quality animations and videos. In addition, viewers are invited to suggest videos and win a free multicultural children’s music cd if their choice is selected as an “Add”.

Created by 5 time award-winning children’s performer DARIA (Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou), this site now has videos from a variety of sources in over 20 languages and adds new ones approximately every two weeks. From popular bilingual songs in Spanish and English to animations of children’s rhymes from India, travel videos of Africa, Turkish lullabyes and a series of silly gummy bear videos, the site shares a rainbow of world cultures as expressed through their music and cultural traditions.  In addition, there are generally one inspiring or silly video per new installment and “how-to” videos about instruments that can be found around the world or kids who have created or perform on instruments in new or unique ways.

For complete information on Multicultural Kids Music Vid’s, visit  http://multikidsmusicvids.com .  For more on website creator, DARIA, visit her website at www.dariamusic.com.

This sleepy gem is an example of a video you can find on this site.

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.

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.

Charlie Hope’s recently released third album, Songs, Stories and Friends: Let’s Go Play! is full of fun and adventures, with a story thread throughout.

Cool Mom Picks says “this would be my new go-to CD gift for little ones. I can just see my preschool niece grabbing another tiny fist to dance in circles to the happy-pop of Best Friends or listening intently to the clever short spoken-word pieces like Tiny Tim, about a soap-bubble eating turtle.” Read more at Cool Mom Picks.

Tiny Tim is my daughter’s favorite too.  In fact, she was repeating it after hearing it only 2-3 times!

Join Charlie Hope and her friends to the park! You’ll go on a journey with songs, verses, and the spoken word. You’ll recognize some songs (join in if you like!) and learn some new songs as well.

So, bring your lunch, your imagination, your friends, and Let’s Go Play!

You can purchase Songs, Stories and Friends: Let’s Go Play! at Amazon, and other fine retailers!

Get your FREE download of “One That I Love” here!

Listen to a preview of clips below:

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.

WIN a Jeremy Plays Guitar CD from Sage & Savvy (Giveaway closes 2/25) and download a free Valentines song on the Jeremy Plays Guitar website.

WIN an Oran Etkin CD from Sage & Savvy (Plus CDs from 2 other artists).  Giveaway closes 2/25.

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.

Most recently Wake Up Clarinet has been nominated in this year’s prestigious Independent Music Awards!

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.

For more info and song samples, visit http://www.thosedarnaccordions.com/paul/

Enter to win a Paul Rogers CD at Sage and Savvy (Closes Feb 25th)

We are teaming up again with Sage & Savvy to spotlight 5 artists, and give away THREE CDs!  Sage & Savvy is a blog based in warm Hawaii—difficult for me to imagine, as we are buried in snow here in Massachusetts!

Take a quick virtual trip to Hawaii and let them know which 3 CDs you would like if you win.  Here is a list of the 5 featured artists.  You can click on the linked names to see profiles, or the adjacent link to go to their website.

Paul Rogers http://www.thosedarnaccordions.com/paul/
Rik Barron http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rikbarron5
Jeremy Plays Guitar www.jeremyplaysguitar.com
Dennis Caraher http://www.dogbonetown.com/
Oran Etkin http://www.oranetkin.com/

Listen to clips from each artist here.  Who is your favorite?

Remember to enter to win CDs from three of these artists (the three that you choose) at Sage & Savvy.  The deadline for entries is February 25, 2011, 11:59pm HST.

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.

Here is another in our series of blog posts from our guest blogger, Daria, as she helps us to celebrate Groundhog Day on February 2nd.

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If you live in colder climates, you are probably ready to have some warmer weather come your way.   In my home state of Pennsylvania we have a very cute, chunky groundhog named “Phil” who predicts whether Spring will come early or if we will have to endure another 6 more weeks of winter.  You probably already know it’s all based on folk and farm lore where certain animals and their hibernation cycles are said to signify the coming of Spring.

In the town of Punxatawny, Pennsylvania, “Phil” the groundhog is a big celebrity and even has quite a few helpers on February 2^nd when the big day arrives.  If it’s cloudy, Spring is supposed to come early.  If it’s clear and Phil sees it’s shadow – then 6 more weeks of cold weather!  In Pennsylvania Dutch areas of our state, there are special “Groundhog Lodges” where there is food, entertainment and skits or plays at this time of year.  All who attend must speak only in Pennsylvania Dutch dialect or they are fined a nickel or a dime for speaking English!  In general, it’s a great time of year to celebrate our little furry friends and consider why animals are important to our lives.

I spent many of my teenage years in a Native American culture where animals are highly respected.  For us, the web of life is woven not just for human beings but by every one of the amazing creatures -large and small- put here to dwell together.   Whether it’s a prediction of spring by a hibernating creature or the companionship a favorite dog, cat or bird, wool from sheep or eggs or meat from other animals, it’s clear that animals provide so much for us.   With that in mind, it’s great to stop and think a moment about how we are all interconnected and how much animals enrich our lives.

Would you like to learn more about groundhogs and Groundhogs Day? Check out some of the books I’ve listed below.  Some are mainly factual and others are a bit more creative – like one about a groundhog starting a weather school and another where the groundhog can’t sleep when he needs to and can’t get up when he should – very funny! And if you’ve ever wondered how much wood a woodchuck could really chuck, you can check out a tongue-twister song (The Groundhog’s Day Song) that I wrote because my family also wondered… how much ground a groundhog could hog if a groundhog could hog ground!  We also considered how much sap a sapsucker could suck if a sapsucker could suck sap.  (A sapsucker is a rather large bird in the woodpecker family that manages to make huge holes in lots of our pine trees!)  And if you’re thinking about animals, you can also listen to a song I wrote with my daughter when she was 9.  It was about riding on a horse and listening the wisdom that it can share with us.  I was very grateful to record this song with a Lenape Clan mother.  The Lenape (or Leni Lenape) are the Native Americans that originated in the area of Pennsylvania where I now live.

And what about activities?  Pennsylvania Dutch lodges always have Groundhog’s Day skits.  Could you come up with your own skit for this special occasion?   Could your class write and perform one?  You could also make sock puppets or paper pop-up puppets – great fun for acting out whether or not the groundhog will see his shadow from your own personal perspective.  You can find the pop-up puppet activity here: (link at Freesongsforkids.com).  If you visit my website and sign up for my free newsletter you can also be entered into a contest to win one of two great large groundhog puppets. My monthly song page is located at: http://www.dariamusic.com/monthly_song.php

In any event, I hope you have an outstanding Groundhog’s Day!  Whether or not Phil sees his shadow on February 2^nd at Gobbler’s Knob, I’ve still be keeping my fingers crossed for an early Spring!

Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou

Award-winning children’s performer, DARIA (Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou) has five cd’s that have won national honors.  She has the most awesome job of traveling the world to sing for kids and peace.  Her website; located at dariamusic.com, was given a 2009 Parents Choice Award for its musical and cultural content.

More Resources

The Groundhog Song on Amazon.com

Ride Horse Ride on Amazon.com:

Books About Groundhog’s Day

Groundhog Day!
Gail Gibbons (Author)

Wonderful fun and great facts about groundhogs and the Groundhog’s Day celebration.

The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun
Wendie C. Old (Author) – Paige Billin-Frye (Illustrator)

A sampler of groundhog facts and a good description of the special day in Punxatawny, PA.

Go To Sleep, Groundhog! by Judy Cox – Paul Meisel (Illustrator)

A groundhog can’t seem to fall asleep when it’s time to hibernate and has a tough time getting up when his own special holiday comes.  Lovely illustrations.

Ten Grouchy Groundhogs
Kathryn Heling (Author), Deborah Hembrook (Author)

A cute counting book for young children with some good groundhog facts sprinkled in!

Groundhog Gets a Say
Pamela Curtis Swallow (Author) – Denise Brunkus (Illustrator)

A groundhog thinks his holiday should last more then one day.  His animal friends help make his case for the world to know more about groundhogs.

Groundhog Weather School
Joan Holub (Author) – Kristin Sorra (Illustrator)

A groundhog is encouraged to open a weather school everyone gets to learn more about hibernation, groundhogs and the holiday.

We love to receive guest blog posts from the many talented children’s music artists across the country (and around the world).   Here is another guest post from Daria, who has previously submitted a Holiday blog post, as also wrote an article for the current Children’s Music Guide. Download Daria’s Song “I Have A Dream” here FREE

Winter holidays are over.  2011 is here.  Now is a great time to begin a new year with inspiring ideas and exciting ideals of community-building and service.  This year, the day to celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is January 17^th and there are so many was to enjoy and participate in this special day.

First the basics.  How do you take MLK’s inspiring life complete with it’s complex issues like racism and discrimination and share that with kids?  It’s great to start with some of the exceptional children’s books on the topic. One of my personal favorites is a beautifully illustrated book called Martin’s Big Words.   There is also an exceptional book written by MLK’s sister: My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There are also wonderful picture books, “First Biographies” and even a “Blast To The Past” paperback written along the line of the Magic Treehouse series.  A great book on this topic can make this great life come alive for kids. (A book list for young readers appears below.)

Since I am a musician, I had the desire to take some of MLK’s favorite speeches and use the most popular quotes to write a simple, singable song.   The result was my “I Have a Dream” song which I give away free each January (Download this song here FREE).  Lyric sheets and sheet music can be found at: http://www.dariamusic.com/monthly_song.php.  I am proud to say this song is being used in schools and classrooms throughout the USA as a singable way to share the ideas that continue to inspire more and more new generations.

Also, since I love art and creativity; especially when working with children, this year I developed two mini-posters that are also free on my website. They show a sketch of MLK and a rainbow as a symbol of hope and to express my own appreciation that MLK worked for the dignity of people of all colors – not just the equality of African-Americans.  These posters have some of my favorite lines from famous speeches.  One simply has the quote: “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.”

The other mini-poster shares more words of wisdom such as: “Life’s most urgent question is:  what are you doing for others?”,  “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.” And “I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear.” I encourage parents and teachers to let young people color the pictures and think about the quotes.  What could those words mean in their homes, classroom and lives?  These thoughts are amazing seeds to plant in young minds.  You can check out the free mini-posters at http://www.dariamusic.com/monthly_song.php.

And last of all, you can always get even more creative.  What could you and your family or class dream up as service projects?  What cooperative projects could you do to make your neighborhood or school a more beautiful and accepting place or to meet the needs of your community?  Projects and activities can be as simple and fun as drawing pictures for local seniors, making a mural, collecting goods for those who need them or talking about bullying and what can be done to keep it from being a part of your school.  Remember, as teachers and parents, your role as a leader can be so important in shaping children’s concepts of what it means to be a valued and valuable part of their community.

As kids grow up with media coverage of pop stars, rock stars and superstars hailed as “being great”, it is so refreshing to share with them the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. – someone who truly lived up to that description.  And, in doing so, he shared an unforgettable truth that can motivate us all for years to come: “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.”

Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou