Star Wars Day and Grey Clouds

I could not have imagined, decades ago, that "Star Wars Day" would be a thing. I was starting my job as movie theater usher. My first day on the job was opening day for "Return of the Jedi" on Wednesday, May 25, 1983. Schools were open but students snuck out to see the first screening at 12:30 PM. 

Now, May 4 ("May the Fourth Be With You") is an informal international geek-a-thon of all things Star Wars. To celebrate, Minnesota kids musicians Todd 'n' Tina have released a video of a live performance of their song, "If Darth Vader Had an iPhone." It's a mediation of the various forms of social media, which does not seem to have pervaded the Galactic Republic. Hmm... maybe that's one thing the Empire got right. Oh – and to add to the fun, Todd 'n' Tina have included a new verse...in Wookie and Droid. Talk about being all-inclusive!

While the entire planet underwent the turmoil from a global pandemic, Australian children's artist Benny Time faced a tough diagnosis of the rare auto immune disease Primary Schlerosing Cholangitis (PSC) in 2019 (It prevents the bile ducts from processing waste). Living with a chronic illness and feeling extremely vulnerable motivated Benny to reach out to New Zealand performer Claudia Robin Gunn. Their new song, "Little Grey Cloud," features the gospel harmonies of the East Coast Inspirational Singers (USA).

Everyone sometimes feels like a little grey cloud hangs over their heads. Benny puts words and music to the concept, turning the cloud into a sentient being that creates rain when it's sad. Since, of course, "All clouds must cry sometimes," it must be okay for human beings to do the same. "Little Grey Cloud" is a wistful duet with sweeping harmonies. Come for a listen on a gloomy day or when you need to be uplifted, into the sky.

You can stream "Little Grey Cloud" on Benny's website, Amazon, and Spotify. 

New Kids Videos from Claudia Gunn, Todd'n'Tina, and Daria

Television had Game of Thrones. Film had The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Kids music has Claudia Robin Gunn's series of songs about the seasons. The latest, "Winter Snow" showcases two blue penguins frolicking in the middle of winter. They look at snowflakes, go ice fishing, shovel out their car, and have a snowball fight. Don't worry for these critters – they were blue in the previous videos, so the extreme cold didn't turn them blue. You can find more of Claudia's music on her Soundcloud page, including her "Sing Through the Year" collection of tunes. Here is the debut video for "Winter Snow":

Minneapolis-based Todd'n'Tina (songwriter Todd Millenacker and educator Krissy Mondelli) have released a new video for their song, "Silly String," featuring a classroom of kids with containers of the multi-colored string spray. What could possibly go wrong?

Bilingual folk singer Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou celebrates first responders with her pandemic kids song, "Thanks to the Doctors and Nurses." The tireless, thankless work done to protect families in the world community motivated Daria to write an inspirational anthem, in the tradition of her idols such as Ella Jenkins, Raffi, and Pete Seeger. 

Daria spent her pandemic running virtual workshops with children around the world. While working with a group of immigrant children in Australia learning English as a second language, Daria was galvanized to compose “Thanks To The Doctors And Nurses,” based on those kids' sincere expressions of gratitude for the professionals who had “saved their lives.”

Ancillary materials for "Thanks to the Doctors and Nurses" are available for families and educational programs on the Teachers Pay Teachers website. You can download lyric sheets, a karaoke version, posters, and thank you cards for classroom use that can be personalized to thank specific doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals.

Hear "Thanks to the Doctors and Nurses" at Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Watch the video for the song here:

Todd 'n'Tina Blow Up Your Kids (Figuratively)

It took the ever-inventive Chris Ballew (Caspar Babypants) approximately 15 years to burn out of writing children's music. In that time, he estimated that after more creating than 360 tunes, there were no more silly, surprising couplings of concepts that were worth assembling into another collection. I've started to feel that the end is nigh on the reviewing end as well, although the pandemic encouraged me to strive for more coverage of the under-appreciated genre. 

I keep my ears open for ideas that haven't blasted from my speakers in the past. Minneapolis-based Todd'n'Tina managed to reach that goal with their debut collection, DYNAMITE. Songwriter Todd Millenacker and educator Krissy Mondelli produced "Dermatologist Astronaut," about an overachiever who wants to blast off and help aliens deal with their bad, um, epidermis (see the video below).

Todd'n'Tina concern themselves briefly with stuff like "Silly String," "Unicorns & Narwhals," and "French Toast Day." Two different songs cover lunch choices, with "Giraffes Like Peanut Butter" and "Peanut Butter Pickle Truck." But don't worry, there's also a PSA for good dental hygiene with "Flossing Is My Hobby." They consider a social media makeover for the most formidable Star Wars' villain on the hypothetical "If Darth Vader Had an iPhone," listing most of the major platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitter:

If Darth Vader had Twitter what would he say?
To all the noble creatures that stood in his way?
Would he write in caps or mock them with memes?
Would 140 characters be enough to crush their dreams?

Treating their venture as a lark rather than a vocation, Todd'n'Tina should find a receptive local audience in the Twin Cities, as well as more fans through their YouTube channel, where they plan to post videos of other songs from DYNAMITE. If 20 minutes is about all you can take from children's music, that's enough time to breeze through DYNAMITE before you explode.

DYNAMITE is available from Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp, and Amazon.

Here is the video for "Dermatologist Astronaut":