Remember the old proverb, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The premise behind the saying is clear: Your attempt to improve something that is already sufficient may backfire." In the case of the new collaboration between Raffi and Lindsay Munroe, one could amend the maxim as, "If it ain't woke, don't fix it."
NURSERY RHYMES FOR KINDER TIMES updates a bunch of anachronistic Mother Goose chestnuts from decades – and centuries – ago and hardwires them for modern, spoonfed kids. Sure, you could call "Three Blind Mice" outdated...just look at the title. The same goes for "London Bridge Is Falling Down." But are children so coddled that they can't hear about "Humpty Dumpty," an egg, for omelet's sake, falling off a wall? Does Humpty really not get scrambled and put back together? The original intention of the ditty was teamwork (all the king's horses and all the king's men) and now it's "well, Humpty's friends came running to make sure he was okay."
I'm not on board with the small-brained thinkers in Florida pushing a "Don't Say Gay" agenda for preschoolers. But I'd think "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" is still kind of relevant in this environment. However, 20-year-plus preschool music teacher Pam Gittleman (a member of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative) wanted to reinvent these rhymes to nurture caring and compassion, and promote social and emotional intelligence. Those principles are the hallmark of Raffi's Child Honouring program. I've got another idea – how about creating NEW rhymes? It might be more difficult to market them, since you lose the selling "hook" of modern woke-ness. I guess now parents have a choice. I know what mine is.
Twinkle Twinkle Kindie star Is back hosting Kids Club For tykes near and far
Well, mostly for children who live near Santa Monica, California. After a two-year pandemic break, the monthly concert series returns, with Twinkle (Alitzah Navarro Dallas) kicking things off at 11 PM on Wednesday, May 4 at Santa Monica Place.
Featured guest artists include Kids Imagine Nation (June 1), Laura Doherty (July 6), Jason Mesches (August 3), Ruth and Emilia (September 7), Andy Z (October 3), Rory Gardiner (November 2), and Baila Baila (December 7). You can check the venue's website for additional information closer to each event.
The best recent joke I've heard about the holiday season is: Anyone who says they don't hate Christmas music has never worked retail.
Having completely spoiled the mood, I'm now going to review a children's music release devoted to that topic. Kids Imagine Nation is the high energy trio that make
the Wiggles look sleepy (and not just original Wiggle Jeff). CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE is their aptly-named third CD and it's chock full of, well, power pop anthems.
"Up On the Housetop" strips the paint off the old standard and rebuilds it as a full-throttled raver. "Frosty the Snowman" gets an EDM dance beat and "Go frosty go" refrains. "Jingle Bells" sounds like it came right from the Thanksgiving Day parade and "Deck the Halls" features singing dogs (and cats). KIN's closing selection of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" is not to be played for toddler at bedtime. In fact, I'd recommend it as a wake-up song or something for mom to play as she cuts through traffic to get the kids to school on a wintry day.
I may not be as young as I once was, but I got tired just listening to Kids Imagine Nation's new CD, TWO. Comprised of former members of to SoCal ska band Suburban Legends, the group demonstrates unlimited energy on tracks like "Monkey See Monkey Do" and "See the Sun." Not to mention taking things to another level with "Exercise," which lis literally jumping jacks and other calisthenics set to music.
Of course, the tracks themselves are pre-recorded and live performances are another thing. But the super-charged fun zone doesn't let up, and between parties and dancing (including "Luau," which is Hawaiian partying), KIN keeps audiences on their feet, even when they're heading off to "Dreamland." It's all positive, fast-moving power pop, and it's like a Disney Junior party coming from your sound system. If your kids are up for a party soundtrack, Kids Imagine Nation has TWO thoughts for you.
Here is their video for the song, "The Pirate Neighbor":
Speaking of pirates, Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers don't just talk the talk, they walk the plank. Well, at least they sing about it. The group isn't just singing about the pirate life – they do an entire dress performance that mixes history lessons and cultural references into what defined pirates past the stereotypes that have come to define them.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A PIRATE is 10 tracks that demonstrate the lives and times of the buccaneer lifestyle. Of course, it's mostly sanitized for impressionable young minds. And the ecological message is strongly emphasized, with "Treasure Through the Trash" and "Treasure the Sea" essentially making the same point:
We brought our shipload of detritus to dispose of on dry land But as we neared the shore we only saw more rubbish on the beach’s sand There was paper and plastic and styrofoam there where the swimmers should be So we took out our rakes to correct the mistakes of messy humanity
I'm going to steer clear of seagoing-related puns [mostly]. Judging a group strictly on their music is the task at hand. Mason and company are accomplishing a commendable achievement, in bringing the era of sea roving plundering and peril to life. IF YOU WANT TO BE A PIRATE offers a cautionary tale of blowhard-y nostalgia and equates it to treachery in the era of technology. Lest ye be warned, as the parrot flies.
