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These reviews by Fred Koch appeared in the June, 2001 issue of “Chicago Parent Magazine.”
Reviewed in this column:
Great Big World - Joe McDermott
Chants - Katherine Dines
Havin' Fun & Feelin' Groovy - Stephen Fite
These reviews by Fred Koch appeared in the June, 2001 issue of “Chicago Parent Magazine.” Reviewed in this column:
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| In recent years, there has been enormous growth in children's music.
We now can find recordings for children in almost every imaginable style
of music, from rock 'n' roll to folk to reggae to classical. For this, we
owe a large debt of gratitude to independent label recording artists who
have taken advantage of advances in recording technology and the marketing
power of the Internet to pursue children's music possibilities ignored by
the major record labels. Here are some of these innovative new recordings.
The more I listen to Joe McDermott's Great Big World (True Blue Music, 2001), the more I enjoy it. There is a lot to like here. You can trace McDermott's passion for children's music to his seven years as a Montessori preschool teacher and experiences as a father of three young boys. Combine his enthusiasm for his audience with his outstanding musical artistry, and you have a winner. (His talents haven't gone unnoticed; he has also helped Stan and Jan Berenstain set ten of their "Berenstain Bears" books to song, and wrote the songs on the popular computer software game Putt Putt Saves The Zoo.) Above all, it's McDermott's songwriting that separates this recording from the rest. Take, for example, "Clap Your Hands." From the simple title, you expect a simple participatory song. But McDermott takes it to another level. Set in a doo-wop groove with plenty of body percussion, he takes the opportunity to remind children that "long before they invented instruments, people used to dance and sing/ they mimicked the music of the earth." Then McDermott invites listeners to "beat on your chest like the bears in the forest/ whistle like the birds in the trees" and "let your body make music." "Everyone Grows" is also a standout. Here McDermott helps children realize that "everything grows from inside out," putting that simple but profound idea into words with lyrics such as, "a sparrow lays her egg in the nest/ nature knows how to do the rest." McDermott is from Austin, Texas, and his high-energy, Austin-style pop sound comes through on "Let The Dog Go Out" and "Way Out West." The songs are loaded with kid-friendly humor, and they hold up to repeated listening. Children also will enjoy "My Cat Can Fly," "Don't Get Close To The Alligator" and "I Got Stuck In An Elevator." But you will get the ol' lump in the throat from the title song and last track on the CD, in which a father promises his baby, "Someday I'm gonna hold your little hand/ walk around this great big world." Go Back to Top Speaking of this great big world, you might also want to check out Chants (Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Music, 2001), the newest recording from Katherine Dines. The 37 tracks include games and clapping chants, welcome and wave chants, nonsensical rhymes, meditations, work and dance chants, chants for sleeping, celebration chants and even a field holler. The chants are adapted from a diverse range of traditional cultures, including West Africa, Israel, Trinidad, Appalachia, Mexico, Scotland and the Philippines. Although the music appears to take a back seat to the chants, Dines uses the music tracks to provide tasteful and appropriate support for the rhymes and text. Dines performs throughout the United States and Europe, and has been gathering material for this project for years. She also presents workshops for early childhood educators about the importance of sound patterns, chants and rhymes in the development of preliteracy skills in young children. Parents and teachers who wish to find out more about the cultural backgrounds of specific chants can visit Dines' website at www.hunktabunkta.com. Dines is also developing a companion Teacher's Guide, which will be available later this year and will include games and other related activities. Go Back to Top Stephen Fite also presents concerts for schoolchildren and helps teachers bring more music into their classrooms. He is an award-winning recording artist and his latest release, Havin' Fun & Feelin' Groovy (Melody House, 2001), is his finest recording yet. Fite aims to help teachers and parents give the basic skills a boost by presenting them in song. The music is varied, but you can tell that he's a rocker at heart. He adapted the Lennon and McCartney classic, "Eight Days A Week," into a song about the days of the week ("Seven Days A Week"). He also covers Simon & Garfunkel's '60s hit, "Feelin' Groovy." Other songs include a Dixieland version of "You Are My Sunshine;" a lazy blues groove, "Blues On Kazoo;" "The Countdown," a number countdown from 100 to 1 set to a disco groove; and my favorite, a mariachi-style treatment of another Fite original, "Twelve Months In A Year‚" sung in Spanish and English. Teachers will find the activity suggestions for each song helpful, too. Go Back to Top Since all the recordings I mentioned this month are released by independent labels, contact the artists directly for ordering information. Call Joe McDermott at 512/689-5362 or visit www.JoeMcDermottMusic.com; call Katherine Dines at 800/448-6369 or visit www.hunktabunkta.com; and call Melody House at 800/234-9228 for information about Stephen Fite's music. Please don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts about the children's music you are enjoying, and feel free to comment on this column at any time. My e-mail address is fred@bestchildrensmusic.com or write to me in care of Chicago Parent. Fred Koch is an award-winning music educator and a nationally recognized children's musician. His new children's music website, www.BestChildrensMusic.com, provides recommendations and information about selecting quality children's music, as well as access to past Chicago Parent reviews. Koch lives in Lake Bluff with his wife and son. Go Back to Top |