About.com

As many of you already know, I've started writing for About.com as their Kids' Music Guide. Now, that doesn't mean I'm abandoning good ol' KidsMusicThatRocks. No, no, no, it only means I have additional space and can use alternative formats to bring you information about music for children.

Over at About.com, I'm working on things like the best Beatles' singalongs, the music of Yo Gabba Gabba!, and an interview with Beethoven's Wig creator Richard Perlmutter, so keep checking in over there to see what's new and shiny in the world of kids' music.

And thanks to Bill, Stefan, and Amy (and all the rest of you kids' music folks) for all the help and suggestions!

Chocolate Cake

This was sent to me the other day. It's not Milk and Cookies, like we are studying in the Our Time class, but I figured if you love chocolate half as much as I do, you might need the recipe anyway! Besides, it will make a fun cooking project for the family.

MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

1 Coffee Mug

4 tablespoons flour(that's plain flour, not self-rising)

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

Small splash of vanilla

Frosting (optional)

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. You can add frosting if you like and EAT!

(this can serve 2 if you want to share!)

Who are you?

I was reading Sally's blog today, Wombats in the Belfry. She is a mother in one of my classes, and was talking about life as a mother. It reminded me of something that had already been floating around in my head for weeks. It had been begging to be written about here,since writing my thoughts down here with you seems to make it easier for me to make heads or tails of them. Anyway...

I had picked up my youngest daughter from school, and as we were walking out, I heard one of her classmates yell, "Bye Sarah's mommy!" It made me smile. There are so many names that we have! I'm no longer just Aimee. I am now "mommy", "wife", "the Kindermusik lady", "daughter", "business owner"... The list goes on and on. I suppose for some of us, there is a fear of losing our identity in the mass of all the labels we wear. Yet, I have come to believe that the labels do not dissect us, so much as they help to define us, if we let them. They are like pieces of a puzzle that, when properly fitted together, show all of who you are. I haven't lost my identity. We gain experience in life as we earn each new label. Every piece fits together to form the masterpiece that is YOU!

Honk If You Love Honking!

I've always been a big proponent of the Do-It-Yourself ethic when it comes to music, and these folks take that belief to the next level. The organizers of the HONK! Festival in Somerville, Massachusetts, invite marching bands of, for, and by the people to march, play, and generally make a musical ruckus in their annual celebration of indie brass bands.

Several NYC groups, including The Hungry March Band, Rude Mechanical Orchestra, and Tri-Battery Pops, are performing in the festival which, at the very least, guarantees to entertain you and your little ones with massive amounts of loud, rowdy music, and at most hopes to inspire onlookers to get involved with music, social issues, politics, and getting to know your neighbors.

Friday Free-for-All # 20

A sudden surge in hip hop for kids warrants a review-a-thon!


Kat Vellos, Musiplication

Smooooooth math lessons via hip hop, thanks in great part to Batsauce, Jacksonville, Florida's underground beatmaster. Seattleite Kat Vellos and Britt Traynham (aka Batsauce) have created an album of very listenable tunes featuring the numbers one through ten. If you like production from the "dusty ol' record" school, or you like Digable Planets and Arrested Development, this disc is definitely for you and yours.




Various Artists, Hip-Hop Nursery Rhymes Collection, Vol. 1

Executive produced by DC Metro-based Ben Tynes, this CD presents classic nursery rhymes backed with spare, late'80s beats. Oldies like "Humpty Dumpty," "Old King Cole," "B-I-N-G-O," and "There Was an Old Lady" are given a funky fresh makeover. Check out the updated "Grand Duke of New York," which includes NYC locales like Brownsville and Sugar Hill in telling a young boy's success story.




Mark D. Pencil, Learning with Hip Hop

Atlanta, Georgia's Brett Schieber follows state curriculum standards to create an album full of songs about simple math and reading practice, following directions, physical exercises, and cleaning up the classroom. The CD starts off on a decidedly acoustic foot, then about track four, the beat drrrrops on "Numbers Help Me Count." Funky, fun, and perfect for the early elementary grades. Comes with downloadable lesson plans and coloring pages.



MeeWee, Hip-Hop for Kids

Co-created by NYC-based Daniel Klein and Perry Landesberg, MeeWee's message is all about empowerment, acceptance, friendship, and music. The CD features laid-back, R&B-flavored hip hop, a little A Tribe Called Quest-ish, a bit Parliament/Funkadelic-like. Dig "Planet Brooklyn," a tune that extols that borough's unique flavor. The album is currently available as an mp3 download only, but the MeeWee website includes lesson plans and lyrics. Nice feel-good hip hop for kids.

Hello Goodbye

My little boy is fond of reading signs out loud now, and one of his favorites is "STOP!" I'm always looking for good songs with simple lyrics for kids, and this song is close to the top of my list. I always use "Hello Goodbye" to open my KidsMusicThatRocks singalong programs in the library because 1) it's a super song, 2) it's full of words like "stop," "go," "yes," and "no," and 3) it's the Beatles!!!

Gotta love their goofy antics, the psychedelic set, and the hula dancers (sure, why not? it's 1967!) at the very end. Enjoy!

Kindermusik House

For those enrolled in our Milk and Cookies class this semester, I hope you enjoy this little number from the employees at Kindermusik International!

Happy Labor Day!

Since this holiday was originated by America's labor movement in the late 1800's, let's commemorate the date with a review of Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends Pulling Together. This 1999 Smithsonian Folkways album, nominated for the 2000 GRAMMY Award for Best Musical Album for Children, is one of the best, if not only, true "concept albums" for kids.

Jenkins skillfully weaves songs, spoken word pieces, and call and response tunes about labor unions into an overall theme of togetherness, including songs about family, friends, and our nation. Kids will recognize favorites like "The More We Work Together," "If I Had a Hammer," and "Skip to My Lou," while historically significant songs like "Solidarity Forever," "Which Side Are You On?" and the powerful "Keep Your Hands on the Plow" are great discussion starters for families and schools. And compare this album's version of the Populist song "The Farmer is the Man" with the more rockin' version on Dog On Fleas' Cranberry Sauce Flotilla.

Check out this great collection of historical singalongs, perfect for both the classroom and the living room.