Without Sight With a Voice; Rowe's Power Pop Podcast

Handicapped children can sometimes feel invisible. Finding a way to celebrate their challenges can be downright, well, challenging. In 2016, six Baltimore area teens who were born blind took part in a songwriting workshop run by Val Smalkin (Silly Goose & Val) designed to encourage self-advocacy and self-expression to the sighted world. LIFE BEYOND SIGHT, the resulting EP, delivers the fruits of that project – four original songs written by the group, with a mountain of support from artists who donated their musical talents, educators, and recording engineers.

A subsidiary of Theatre Arts Festival for Youth (TAFFYpresents.org),  the project evolved over five years until reaching fruition as LIFE BEYOND SIGHT. Children’s musician Dave Kinnoin and songwriting partner Jimmy Hammer wrote the music for the students’ “Dance of Freedom.” Other songs cover feeling disrespected by peers ("Not With My Eyes"), where they sing "I can see your heart, just not with my eyes":

You want to be a hero

Pretend you're my friend

I know you think I'm zero, worth nothing in the end

You'd like to help the blind girl

When everyone can see

But when no one is looking

You don't see me

LIFE BEYOND SIGHT is filled out with two instrumental tracks (a lengthy piano piece based on "Not With My Eyes" and "Bach Invention In C Major"). But the heart of the EP are the tracks by the teens as they sincerely express themselves, making this release a true novelty, in the best sense.

LIFE BEYOND SIGHT is available from Val Smalkin's website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

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If your kids enjoyed the SING! movies about amateurs breaking out of their shells to perform in front of audiences, they might like Gigi Rowe's new kids' music podcast, "Posy Flynn Sings," available from GoKidGo. Gigi was "traced" for tracks used on the Just Dance! videogame and graduated to recording pop music for teens, tweens, and tykes. Her latest venture drops every Monday, starting April 4, centering on Posy Flynn, who longs to enter the Starlight Starbright Sing-Off. The winner gets to record and tour with pop sensation Gemma Gold. All Posy needs to do is escape terrible Aunt Kitty, with the help of Smoosh, her pet monkey. 

Kids audio imaginatours GoKidGo are releasing "Posy Flynn Sings," which features a new tune every week, leading to a CD at the end of the first season. The first song, "Shooting Star," is out now and it's about as uplifting and danceable as you would imagine. 

You can hear "Posy Flynn Sings" at GoKidGo, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. For all your power pop cravings, you can find Gigi Rowe at her website.

Quick Hits: Berkner's Handwashing Heroes and Party; Sprout Touts Jefferson

If you do a search online for popular children's music artists, Laurie Berkner always comes up near the top (if not the top). Her fan base is immense, her songs are inventive, and her connection to her audience has grown over nearly 20 years. Laurie starts the month of July with "The Superhero Handwashing Song," and an accompanying video (more conceptual than anything else, featuring still images and borrowed footage from previous videos).

The era of coronavirus means taking extra bathroom precautions for health reasons. Laurie addresses those issues in a direct, effective manner (hey, less than one minute and 20 seconds). As she explained, "It can be hard to come up with a way to keep a young child...at the sink long enough to safely wash their hands. Ask your little superheroes to fly over to the sink and then turn on the song. Just by following along they will be dancing - and have fully clean hands - in only one minute!"

The Laurie Berkner Band will be hosting a "Dino Beach Party" on Sunday, August 9 at 5 PM ET ($20 admission). This will be the second in Laurie's summer concert series and the first with her whole band (Brady Rymer, Susie Lampert, and Bob Golden) appearing in some capacity. Click the title link for more information.



Just in time for the Fourth of July, Jonathan Sprout is releasing new kid's music, in the form of the song "Happiness." You can watch that video here. But more directly related to the actual national holiday and our founding fathers, Jonathan has the song "What He Wrote," talking about Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the original Declaration of Independence, which was signed coincidentally on July 4, 1776. This tune has been around for a few years, and was co-written by fellow kid's music composer Dave Kinnoin. Together, "What He Wrote" brings history to life with music and rhyme:

We hold these truths to be self-evident
All men are created equal. And on it went.
Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness...
He spelled democracy and nothing less.
He made it crystal clear 
So all the world could hear.

Randy & Dave Dance Around Kids Stuff

There are many levels of children's music, from the independent, home-recording enthusiast to longtime industry professionals calling in favors from famous, well-known friends. Randy and Dave entered the kids recording arena with extensive credits under their oversized belt buckles. Three-time Grammy award winner Randy Sharp has multiple #1 country singles and has written and worked with Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Edgar Winter, and Linda Ronstadt to name just a few. Dave Kinnoin has written multitudes of songs for Disney (Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Kermit the Frog) and released eight children's music recordings on his own.


It's hard to knock Randy and Dave when they've made a lifetime's worth of music aimed specifically for children all over the world. Their fourth release, GIGGLE AND BURP BALLET, even donates a portion of its profits to charitable organizations that help kids. Over the course of four collaborative CDs, Randy and Dave have distilled their brand of children's music into a very distinctive formula – songs about stuff when they were kids ("Red Jalopy" and "Gubble Bum"), songs from an unexpected perspective (a fly sings about being separated from its mate on "Screen Door"), songs about beloved pets and species ("Scratch," "What Kind of Animal," and "For a Biscuit"), or tunes that qualify as thigh-slappin' or chin-scratching ("Giggle and Burp Ballet" and "Other Than That").

I'm sure Randy and Dave weren't thinking about being profound when they wrote "Nobody," but the song takes on deeper meaning in the context of a global pandemic:

I wanna build a time machine to drop in on whenever
I'm sure I'll hear all my friends say, "Nobody is that clever."
I'd like to go must father than the speed a light beam goes.
I don't know how to do that now. Nobody knows.
Nobody is the only one who knows all there is to know.
Who can do what people say is impossible, so...

Life is pretty simple for kids portrayed on GIGGLE AND BURP BALLET and perhaps that's for the best, considering the state of the world for everyone right now. The worst that happens to the kid in "Other Than That" is his wifi signal up and quit, he's 10 cents short for ice cream, and he left his homework on the bus. Imagine it was only three months ago that kids could still ride a school bus. In the world and words of Randy and Dave, all these things are still possible, if now merely reduced to nostalgic.

GIGGLE AND BURP BALLET is available from Randy and Dave's website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Randy and Dave don't necessarily make videos for kids, but you can hear "Red Jalopy" and other tracks from GIGGLE AND BURP BALLET by clicking here:

Quick Hits: Oran Etkin Turkish Lullaby; New Grin Brigade CD

Oran Etkin made his mantra "Have clarinet, will travel" and turned it into a vision quest. His Timbalooloo music program promotes musical education through the playing of instruments rather than formal lessons. Oran brought his Timbalooloo methodology overseas for his upcoming project, FINDING FRIENDS FAR FROM HOME: A JOURNEY WITH CLARANET, with stops in Zimbabwe, Czech Republic, Turkey, and China.

The CD is coming later this month. In the meantime, here's a preview with the song "Dandini Dandini," a traditional turkish lullaby.

Here is the video explaining the Timbalooloo project:


What if you had a group of friends who wanted to make children's music when the inspiration hit them? That would be the concept behind Dave Kinnoin's Grin Brigade, which returns with their second CD, ALL I DO IS HOP and 29 tracks of childish mirth.

Dave is joined by his "Randy and Dave" partner Randy Sharp on many of the songs this go-round, including the country rocker "Just Like Magic" and the mouthful "Locomotivation." Every kid's value in the home marketplace is evaluated in "HIgh Paying Job" as the protagonist seeks gainful employment mowing lawns, walking dogs, and even filling cups of coffee.

With 29 songs, there's a lot being thrown at listeners. If one doesn't grab your kids, there's another dozen where that one came from. Even adults can join the grin brigade with "Dog Alphabet," a true canine aficionado's listing of different breeds and their activities.

ALL I DO IS HOP is available from Grin Brigade's website, Apple Music, and Amazon.

Randy and Dave Aim High & Mild on a Trampoline

The current age of television has been dubbed "Peak TV" due to so many available choices. To a remarkable degree, the same could be said about the current age of children's music. With CDBABY, Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and other independent options, recording artists do not have to marry themselves to a label for exposure (although it doesn't hurt). Recess Monkey and The Pop-Ups are among the musicians who have signed deals with Amazon Prime Music. On the other end of the spectrum are Randy Sharp and Dave Kinnoin, back with their second collection of tunes, LIFE ON A TRAMPOLINE.

The CD starts with a lot of nonsense. "Enjoy It While You Can" begins a dozen tracks where the storytelling sometimes threatens to go off the rails. "Last Time I Was Here" is the pre-teen version of a Curious George cartoon, with a recounting of various misadventures. "Squadoosh" deconstructs an imaginary monster. Keeping with the spooky theme, "A Weird Thing Happened" is either a nightmare or an O. Henry story. Randy and Dave leave it to the listener to decide.

Randy and Dave enter the children's music arena with extensive credits under their oversized belt buckles. Randy Sharp has seven #1 country singles and has written and worked with Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Edgar Winter, and Linda Ronstadt to name just a few. Dave Kinnoin has eight award-winning kid's recordings and has written songs for Disney (Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Kermit the Frog). I thought I detected some Piglet in the 100 Acre Woods in "Happy To Help," despite the 'kick yourself in the rear' finale.

Try not to sing along with the chorus of the title track, LIFE ON A TRAMPOLINE. You won't, I couldn't, and neither could my kids. Randy and Dave subvert your expectations without assaulting your senses. The CD is at turns jazzy or country but never goes for all-out head-banging rock. For a true walk on the mild side, your family might remove their sneakers for a bouncy session with Randy and Dave.

LIFE ON A TRAMPOLINE is available July 28 from Randy and Dave's website and CDBABY.