I’ve been fairly quiet on the blog front as of late, so I’m very excited to tell you about first set of releases from my upcoming children’s music show, Just Play Music…
Put simply, this show is about playing music; showcasing the magic and incredible feelings derived from playing music spontaneously, while learning about basic fundamentals along the way. Kids can tap along, sing along, even play along…but what you are seeing is what you’re hearing: mistakes, good notes, bum notes, false starts and all.
Ultimately, the goal here is to showcase to kids (4-14) that playing music (and understanding a little bit about techniques & fundamentals) simply makes you better: it makes you feel better, live better, perform better in school, smile more…and it’s just fun to play too.
The Cover of the first EP
The official release of the show itself won’t be for some time, but several pieces of the puzzle came together earlier than expected, so it’s a real pleasure to be able to share them with you here. I managed to sneak out a Christmas single too (this past December)…a cover of one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs from Dr. Seuss…
Back when I was a songwriter (in my early Nashville days, mid-90s) I was often told that my songs (and in turn, a good portion of my musical songwriting style) were geared towards kids; bouncy, uplifting, melodic, and in the words of one publisher, “…a little too positive.” Yeah. Someone actually told me that.
In any case, though I shunned it at the time (in my early 20s) I started the process of investigating just what was out there in the genre of music/music TV programming for kids and tweens. I have extremely vivid and fond memories of Sesame Street, the Electric Company, Schoolhouse Rock, and another unnamed show (simply because, I can’t remember the name) that aired wickedly-early on Saturday mornings (probably on PBS): it featured all kinds of cool, live jazz, rock and fusion performances, taught me about modes (Dorian, Aeolian, Mixolydian, etc) scales (jazz harmonic minor among others) and the sheer cool of analog synthesis, all of which I’ve retained with RainMain like clarity, to this day…and I wasn’t even 8 years old.
So cut to 2012, some 30 years later, and I’m just at the beginning of realising this vision I had over fifteen years ago. In fact, the coming together of the final idea came about during my sabbatical last year (see my posts on ‘Post-Sabbatical, Prime Lenses’). The name, the ‘theme’, the mission, the mantra…all came to me, literally in a dream…including the words to the Theme song…(which you can find on iTunes and Amazon). Funny how that happens…but that’s the thing about music; it doesn’t play by any conventional rules, and inspiration can occur anytime, anywhere.
Here’s a snippet from an episode featuring classic blues picker, Fuzzy Island playing an old standard from Henry Clay Work, circa 1876.
As mentioned, everything that you see and hear in the show is performed live…and that of course means that not all the notes are perfect…but that’s the idea. Making music isn’t about perfection (ahem, autotune, cough)…it’s about the groove; it’s about the feelings you create when you’re ‘locked in time’; the feelings you have when a melody overwhelms you; the feeling that makes you want to dance, or laugh, or cry; the ability to create happiness and sadness with a single change in harmony…it’s magical, and educational. Parents can watch it, kids can watch it. And while there are the occasional ‘fast cut’ here and there, you won’t find any unnecessary visual filler: simple sets (sometimes, impromptu setups), white backdrops, and microphones dangling in the distance. The visuals are kept simple, as the music speaks for itself…and I believe it does. I hope you do too.
Just Play Music™
Blog on.
