Ezine Vol. II, No. 3

The Column for February 2nd
Music to my Ears

If my 21 month old son had an ipod his playlist would include Laurie Berkner, Dan Zanes, Hi-5 , the All American Rejects , Ro drigo y Gabriela and the Shins. His current musical taste is an eclectic mix of Mom and Dad’s indie rock favorites and the guests on Jack’s Big Music Show. He is quite the music fan and shows an appreciation for everything from Beethoven to the Beatles, emo rock to jazz. Thank goodness for all the new kiddie bands coming out now, because I can’t imagine having to listen to Barney, Raffi and the Wiggles day in and day out.We like to expose our children to all kinds of music so they can be open and yet discriminating. When he was just a few months old, we went to see the orchestra at the Kimmel Center and he managed not to cry for 20 minutes! And at a free outdoor rock there was Happy Feet, where he and his 5 y.o. brother sat transfixed by singing and tap-dancing penguins for nearly three hours.My son’s love for music goes beyond listening. He feels it in his bones. At his Music Class, he is an active participant, singing, dancing and bangin’ on the drums. His favorite instrument is the guitar. Tired of his Little Tikes pretend-guitar, he’s taken to strapping on big brother’s electric Fender. And with a look of fierce concentration, he plucks and strums a Milo original. This goes on for about a minute and then he lifts his head to acknowledge the audience and raises his hand in a fist. Rock on, dude! -- MT

FEATURE: DAN ZANES: A Musical Treat
It's House Party Time

I often try to stay away from making New Year’s resolutions; for fear that I will not live up to the commitment. However, this year I made a vow to do more Family-oriented activities. So as I flipped through the January’s edition of Metro Kids, my eyes widened as I came across an event not to be missed. I felt like someone had just given me the opportunity to score the golden ticket. To make sure that I was on the same page as to what my children considered to be a fun Family activity, I posed the question to my 5 year old. “Kim, would you like to go see Dan Zanes?” I thought that I would have to follow-up my question with an explanation as to who he was & what songs he sings. However, Kim turned toward me with the biggest grin ever and said without hesitation, “Yes!” “He is on Playhouse Disney.” “He sings “Malti”.” Then he broke out into his rendition of “Malti”. It was too cute for words. Of course my 2 year old, Nicholas, tried to sing along. Okay, I thought, the Kids were sold. Now I had to convince the Husband. I waited until the Kids were asleep and then proceeded to present my case. It didn’t take much coaxing to get him to say, “Yes.” He actually knew of Dan Zanes and that his music is often featured on the Disney channel. I quickly signed on to the Rutgers Camden Center for the Arts site & scored 4 tickets to the concert at The Gordon Theater. We are not exactly within arms reach but we will be in the building. There is an excitement building in our house. Everyday I am asked, “When are we going to see Dan Zanes?” My reply, the same as yesterday and the day before that, is “Sunday, February 25, 2007 at 1pm.” “Are you excited?”, I chime. “Yes, Yah”, they respond in unison. Then, Kim breaks out into his rendition of “Malti”. Nicholas always follows suit by singing his own version of Mah-ti as he calls it. I would have to admit that our all time favorite Dan Zanes song is “All Around The Kitchen.” It is contagious. You don’t want to stop singing it. It makes you want to get up and dance. We can’t wait to “Catch That Train!” with Dan Zanes and his circle of Friends. If you want to learn more about Dan Zanes and his music, visit www.danzanes.co m. -by Ngina Berry-Williams