Upcoming Events
Ready to put your boogie shoes on?
Feel free to contact Mr. Richard if you have any questions about events or booking.
For information about scheduling Mr. Richard, please call 407-898-3482 or email Mr. Richard.
Press
If I hear that one more time...
Orlando Sentinel, July 6, 2006 - Mary Ann Horne
Our friend Mr. M., father of a baby and a preschooler, suggests we post something about "music kids will love that won't drive parents crazy." I know exactly what he means. Some music for young kids can be insipid, irritating, idiotic -- and it can stick to the inside of a parent's brain like Super Glue!
It doesn't have to be that way. There is a genre -- taking hold in Central Florida and elsewhere -- of lively music that the whole family can enjoy -- really enjoy. If you're eager to move beyond The Wiggles and Sesame Street, read on for information about CDs, live performances, downloads and Web sites that can liberate your ears!!!
To kick off the music party, Mr. M. hooked me up with three cool blogs where parent-friendly kid music is reviewed and discussed: Zoogobble, Children's Music that Rocks, and Head, Shoulders, Knees and all that. The Head, Shoulders blog also goes all out to link music to early childhood education and has lots of fun suggestions for listening and learning with your kids.
One interesting thing about these blogs is that they are all reviewing and talking about different stuff. There are lots of artists creating wonderful music for kids and parents to share.
In Central Florida, we have a jewel in Richard Peeples a.k.a Mr. Richard, whom fellow blogger Sandra Pedicini wrote about last month. Mr. Richard uses lots of music styles to showcase his whimsical lyrics. He also invites other musicians whom you might not immediately associate with kids' music -- such as Jimbo Mathus of Squirrel Nut Zippers fame -- to put extra punch on select tracks. And he performs around the area often.
In a completely different style, The Forefathers, a local group that plays original world music, is popular with kids and parents. Their music is energizing and their events are often family-oriented, because -- as the name implies -- they have some kids. The Forefathers are big at Ms. E's Fabulous Preschool. And not just because some of the moms there are married to band members!!
Like me, Mr. M. is a fan of Dan Zanes, formerly of the Del Fuegos and now the king of Dan Zanes & Friends, where "regardless of your age, size or temperament, if you like to sing along and dance with wild abandon, this music is for you!" The CDs are littered with star power including Sheryl Crow, Roseanne Cash, Lou Reed and many, many others.
We also like They Might Be Giants. (They do the theme song for Disney Channel's "Higglytown Heroes.") They have a musical DVD that my Little Chairman loves called "Here Come the ABCs." Trust me, the alphabet has never been so cool. But be warned that not all TMBG music is child-friendly, so you need to look for the kid-specific selections.
Or you can follow the example of my fellow Parent Place blogger Steven Ford who describes some "mix" CDs he burns for his little ones: "I burn songs I like and mix them with Disney tunes or kid sing-along tunes. That way, you might hear Radiohead, then "Wish Upon a Star" then Led Zep and then "Hot Potato" from the Wiggles, etc."
So there you are. Lots of ideas and info, and almost all these links lead you to other places where you can find more new family music. Go for it. And, as always, report back to Parent Place on what you find out there.