|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Two New Children’s CD’s Listening to some of the music written, produced and packaged for children these days, gives the impression that adults must think children are stupid. There are some wonderful exceptions out there, but they are few and far between. Did all of the musicians who didn't have what it takes to make it in the mainstream industry decide to go into children's music? If so, that could explain the inane, homogenized music that people produce for kids to listen to that also drives new parents to ban all things purple from their homes! So, when Verdict Records got involved in the children's music business they decided that kids weren't stupid and neither were parents. Verdict Records has now produced two albums for infants and toddlers. “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: An Album of Classical Lullabies” and “Hangin’ Out with My Baby” will be released nationally on October 11th, 2005 through Sumthing Distribution out of New York. Linda Vester of Fox News says, "My daughter, Meredith (age 2), calls ["Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" her "cloud music" and simply won't go to sleep without hearing it each night." "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: An Album of Classical Lullabies" is a selection of classical lullabies written by Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Schumann and other composers beautifully arranged for guitar and violin and played by Eric and Susan Davis. Parents will be thrilled to find this combination of classical music that we know stimulates a child's brain cloaked in entrancing melodies that soothe a child to sleep. Dad, Glenn Greenberg, says, "Hangin'Out With My Baby" is a fun album… I find most children's albums annoying, but not his one. "Hangin’ Out with My Baby" is a CD for parents with infants & toddlers that takes them through their day together making daily routines more fun than ever. The songs on this CD have several different styles from Pop ballad, ‘50’s Rock, acappella swing, to one song with a Caribbean flavor, written by Dwayne Arvinger, and performed by Dwayne and Lee Arvinger. Verdict Records first got the idea of making music for children when Producer and Founder Rod Clemmons' friends and fellow musicians started to have children. Suddenly, the importance of quality music for children was in the forefront of his mind. Many conversations about the lack of music education in public schools, poor musicianship in the most highly marketed children's music, and the importance of starting children off with music education at a young age ensued. Then one of his best friends, teacher and singer/songwriter, Dwayne Arvinger asked Rod to produce an Album of songs that he had written for his children. Rod's first thought was "if I do this, it's not going to be cheesy", he said. Well, he did it; thus began Verdict Entertainment's Children's Music division, ChildMusicOnline.com. Verdict Records’ children's music artists have amazing credentials both in performance and music education. Eric and Susan Davis, featured on “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep: An Album of Classical Lullabies” have been performing as a violin and guitar duo for the past nine years. Eric, awarded the first Masters Degree in guitar from the Juilliard School, has performed both as recitalist and as soloist with orchestra in Europe, South America, as well as throughout the United States. He is comfortable in virtually every style of guitar, and remains an active performer and session musician in the New York area. Susan Davis attended Indiana University as well as the Mannes College of Music in New York City. She is equally at home as a violinist and vocalist having played and sung in classical, jazz and pop music idioms. Both Eric and Susan are music educators on Long Island, New York and are strong advocates for strengthening music programs in our schools. Susan is currently a faculty member of the music department at Smithtown High School West in Long Island recognized as one of the 100 Best Communities for Music Education and in 2005 was the only school in Suffolk County to receive recognition as a Grammy “Signature School.” Susan was recently nominated for inclusion in “Who’s Who among America’s Teachers 2005.” Dwayne Arvinger, a part-time actor who wrote and performed the songs on “Hangin’ Out With My Baby” has worked for NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services as a foster care caseworker and as a NYC teacher. After reading about the Family Leave Act he and his wife, Lee, agreed that they would share daycare responsibilities for their son. When it was his turn he began to make up songs to help him and his son get through the day. The first song was ‘Diaper Change’, which helped both father and son survive the drama trauma of changing numerous stinky diapers. ‘Time to Get Dressed’ helped Dwayne to be patient while trying to get a squirming body into unwanted clothes. Dwayne Arvinger now has a Masters Degree in Elementary Education and better understands that his instincts to sing songs to his son actually helped build a healthy attitude about life’s daily hardships, and the music helped increase his son’s cognitive thinking abilities. Hangin’ Out With My Baby and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: An Album of Classical Lullabies will be released nationally starting with Borders Books and Music on Tuesday, October 11th, 2005 with many live in-store performances by the artists. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |