Music for All Families: “And Mom and Kid”

As regular readers will know, I’m a big fan of They Might Be Giants and their great new kids’ album Here Comes Science. They also did a fun song called “And Mom and Kid” for Rosie O’Donnell’s recent HBO special A Family Is a Family Is a Family. (While I had some criticisms of the film, and Shannon raised some very good others, the music is still pretty fun.)

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Travel Songs from Erin Lee and Marci

Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family.

Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org.

I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album image or name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview most of the songs without leaving Mombian.

It seems like March is always a month to travel. Some schools have a March Break and some families are just sick of winter and head South! So whether you are heading to a resort or your relatives, here are some great songs to sing en route. Read the rest of this post »

A Lesbian Olympic Soundtrack

Thanks to the industrious folks at After Ellen, we now know there are four (count ‘em, four!) out lesbian athletes in this year’s Olympics, and no gay male ones.

That didn’t stop Olympic organizers from having k.d. lang perform at the opening ceremonies, or prevent NBC from using Melissa Etheridge’s “This Moment” for the closing montage of their Sunday night coverage.

This got me thinking (though perhaps my brain was addled from watching the speedskaters earlier—mmm, speedskaters): Many of Melissa’s songs seem to match up well with Winter Olympic sports, to wit:

• “Bring Me Some Water”: Cross-country skiing.
• “Like the Way I Do”: Pairs skating.
• “You Can Sleep While I Drive”: Bobsled (drivers only).
• “Brave and Crazy”: This could fit a lot. Ski jumping and halfpipe snowboarding come to mind.
• “An Unexpected Rain”: Downhill skiing (at least so far this week).
• “Nowhere to Go”: Short-track speedskating.
• “Touch and Go”: Short-track speedskating relay.
• “Precious Pain”: Pretty much any of them.
• And for the athletes who don’t medal, we have “Stronger than Me,” “I Could Have Been You,” and “No Souvenirs.”

Too much lesbian sporty geekiness? Naw. No such thing.

I am a member of the Amazon Associates program, and get a small referral fee from all purchases made at Amazon.com via links on this site. You are under no obligation to purchase through them.

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 98

Helen and I tackle financial literacy for kids and the origin of piggy banks. We then explain why indie rock band They Might Be Giants is becoming the Schoolhouse Rock for a new generation—and why the band has a special connection to LGBT families. On a somber note, we mourn the death of Brendan Burke, the gay son of Brian Burke, general manager of the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. Brian Burke had several months ago spoken out strongly in support of his son and against homophobia in sports.

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Snow Songs from Erin Lee and Marci

Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family.

Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org.

I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album image or name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview most of the songs without leaving Mombian.

This blog is being written from two completely different locals: Marci is in her hometown in sunny Florida and Erin Lee is in her hometown in Canada. Erin Lee’s been there six days…and it’s snowed for six days! So, of course, snow is going to highly influence this month’s column. Read the rest of this post »

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 96

Helen and I share two new CD’s of lesbian- and gay-inclusive kids’ music (about which more here). We then discuss arranging playdates when you’re the only LGBT family in the school. Plus: extra sprinkles!

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

LGBT-Inclusive Kids’ Music Hits a High Note

(Originally published with slight variation as my Mombian newspaper column.)

Nothing warms a gay or lesbian parent’s heart like seeing representations of our families in children’s media. Two new kids’ CD’s set those representations to music.

The first, The Super Secret Seashell Cave, is an audio-only album by the team that produced Dottie’s Magic Pockets, the first live-action DVD for kids with lesbian and gay parents and their friends. (See my review of the DVD here.) Seashell brings back the fun-loving cast of the DVD, including lesbian-mom Dottie and her puppet friends, to take children on a musical adventure in search of the eponymous cave. Along the way, they meet new friends, including a squeaky squirrel, a beetle with two moms, and a monkey adopted by a baboon.

Creator and writer Tammy Stoner developed the storyline from a tale she made up for her own six-year-old son. There is little specifically “about” lesbian or gay families in it, although there are clear gay and lesbian characters. In this way, however, the album avoids the pedantry of Suzi Nash’s Rainbow Sprinkles, an earlier (2005) CD for kids with lesbian and gay parents, which includes lines like, “It doesn’t matter that my moms are gay/’Cause they’re the best in town.’” Rather than feeling like a “special” album for kids of gay and lesbian parents that still sets them apart, Seashell feels like what the whole next generation of children’s music should sound like—inclusive, fun, and revealing of the society around us. Read the rest of this post »

Songs About Hopes for the New Year from Erin Lee and Marci

Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family.

Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org.

I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album image or name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview most of the songs without leaving Mombian.

Happy New Year Everyone!

We can’t wait to see what the New Year will bring. We thought we’d start 2010 off with a bang and so we approached this month’s column a little differently than previous columns. We asked our musical friends at Kindiefest what their hopes, dreams and goals would be for 2010 and if they had any songs that reflected that. We were blown away by the songs that were shared with us. So we’ve an abundance of heartfelt tunes and wishes to pass on!

Enjoy! Read the rest of this post »

Family Songs from Erin Lee and Marci

Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family.

Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org.

I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album image or name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview most of the songs without leaving Mombian.

One of the cool things about being a performer who sings for children – come December you get to celebrate every holiday, not just the one your own family celebrates. Hanukkah, Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day– you name it, we sing about it.

What all these holidays have in common is the joy of sharing them with family and friends. So here are some beautifully written songs by award-winning singer/songwriters about all of the wonderful people in our lives. These are some of our favorite songs that celebrate love, family and friendship. Read the rest of this post »

Family and Food Songs from Erin Lee and Marci

Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family.

Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org.

If you’re in or around Philadelphia this coming weekend, you can also catch them at the World Cafe Live on Saturday, November 7, at 11:30 a.m. See the venue Web site for details; here’s an excerpt of what it says about the duo:

The Indigo Girls meet The Smothers Brothers and sing for kids – that’s Erin Lee & Marci. . . . Disney’s Family Fun Magazine calls them “irresistible!” and Time Out New York named their live performance at Madison Square Park as the “Best Family Event” of the summer.

Their original songs reflect a kid’s eye view of the world that is sometimes poignant, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, but always right on the mark. Their first CD, Someone’s Gotta Wanna Play, was awarded Best Recording 2005 by the Children’s Music Web, the national music award chosen by children. Their follow-up, Snowdance, was debuted on Rosie O’Donnell’s R Family Cruise to Alaska, and went on to win two ASCAP Awards for excellence in writing and the Family Choice Award for 2006.

I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album image or name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview most of the songs without leaving Mombian.

It’s Thanksgiving! To us, that means two things: Family and Food. So here’s a song about each: Read the rest of this post »