Quick Hits: 123 Andrés Teaches Alphabet, New Little Miss Ann Video

Nobody remembers the first time they heard the "Alphabet Song," but everybody knows it. It's just ingrained in world culture, something that transcends language barriers. 123 Andrés, comprised of the husband-wife team of Andrés Salguero and Christina Sanabria, don't cover the Alphabet Song on their new CD, CANTA LAS LETRAS, but it's not really missed.

Crafted as a musical learning tool for children to learn letters and letter sounds in Spanish, CANTA LAS LETRAS focuses on cheerful rhythms and melodies. The CD resulted from the partnership between 123 Andrés and curriculum designer Benchmark Education Company. The songs and their accompanying videos will be used in dual-language classrooms across the country this fall. So prepare yourself for more than a little repetition, as the 26 basic tracks all start the same way. "Hola Christina...." "Hola, Andrés..."

The 38 tracks (yes, 38 Spanish tracks) teach each individual letter, soft and hard letter sounds (C and G) as well as diagraphs and consonant blends. For basic reading and instructional purposes, 123 Andrés are right there to provide a friendly, comfortable lesson plan. As opposed to some other recent kid's music from Nathalia and Alina Celeste, CANTA LAS LETRAS is not really a bilingual release – this hour-plus of music and alphabet is strictly Spanish, so plan accordingly.

CANTRA LAS LETRAS is available from 123Andrés' website, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.

Little Miss Ann (and friend Amy D) are back with a new video for "The Senses Song," which teaches children about each of the five senses (as well as some alphabet letters that correspond to each sense):

I hear, I hear with my ears.

So many things to hear, start with the letter M

Like music and mama's boys, mockingbirds and melodies

Come listen with me.

It's been a few years since the last Little Miss Ann CD, and this track may be a hint of things to come. "The Senses Song" was guided by the steady hand of über-producer Dean Jones, so you're guaranteed good sound quality.

Here is the video for Little Miss Ann and Amy D's "The Senses Song":

Nathalia and Alina Celeste, Bilingual Separately and Together

A pair of bilingual children's music releases came across my desk at virtually the same time. Since they address many of the same themes (albeit in subtly distinct ways), I decided to put them side-by-side in one article. Colombia native Nathalia has released her fourth CD, EN LA RADIO and Alina Celeste shows her Cuban family influences on LOVE IS TE QUIERO.

Both performers came to children's through through educational backgrounds; Alina teaching music in the Miami-Dade County public schools and Nathalia doing the same in Los Angeles. The powerful allure of writing and performing original material as a platform to promote positive messages brought Nathalia to the stage and Alina to YouTube and a host of venues, from a petting zoo to a renaissance faire.  

For EN LA RADIO, Nathalia uses the premise of the songs existing all over the dial, so to speak, in English and Spanish, with ID breaks along the way. To show the range of the spectrum, "El Monstruo Verde" shares the stage with its English equivalent, "The Green-Eyed Monster." The CD starts with the summery "Sounds of the Seasons," and blurs the bilingual demarcation with "Amor Amor," a lilting acoustic song. "Little Hermit Crab" tells the tale of a tiny crustacean tot, but you know who Nathalia is really talking about. Families can engage in English or Spanish or both languages, while it's easy enough to piece together what you may not completely understand.

Alina Celeste's LOVE IS TE QUIERO has a more razor-focused concern: the power of love through sharing and singing music. "Clap Hands" is innocently simple, while "Vaca Lechera" recounts a magical milkshake-giving cow (written in 1943 by Fernando Garcia Morcillo).

"Love Is" kicks off the CD coveying different ways to display affection, such as opening up a rainbow when it's raining. "I've got nothing to say here, since nothing much rhymes with up," Alina adds. "Te Quiero" delivers a similar sentiment in Spanish. But the point is made, nonetheless. "Stardust" talks about things being bright, and no, it's not the Hoagy Carmichael number (Willie Nelson if you want to get more current by about 40 years).

There is a burgeoning and under-served demographic for bilingual children's music. Lucky Diaz and Sonia de los Santos help to fill that void, and these two performers are certainly up to the job. Alina has the Florida panhandle (and a nation of YouTubers) at her disposal. And Nathalia has the West Coast ready for her CD rollout. Armed with guitars and goodwill, they are prepared to make your kids smile and sing along, in two languages.

EN LA RADIO is available May 31 from Nathalia's website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

LOVE IS TE QUIERO is available from Alina Celeste's website and Amazon.

Here is a recent video of Alina leading a singalong for "Zoom Zoom I'm Going to the Moon":