Sweet Sounds Chicago
On September 22, the Children’s Music Network’s annual conference begins. Filled with presentations that further the organization’s mission to “celebrate the positive power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas and creating community,” this year’s conference promises to be an amazing experience. For the second year in a row, the conference opens with four days of virtual programming before transitioning to an in-person experience in Chicago September 27-29. There is still time to register for the virtual conference, which includes the virtual programs as well as the livestream or recordings of all of the Chicago sessions. Consider registering today – I promise, you won’t regret it!
To celebrate CMN coming to Chicago, I thought now would be a good time to highlight two albums from the Windy City’s children’s music community. First up is Back Home, the second blues album for families from Wendy & DB. This follow-up to their 2023 GRAMMY-nominated Into the Little Blue House is an acoustic triumph, and tribute to a musical genre rarely explored in children’s music. Joined by blues greats Billy Branch, Libby Rae Watson, Ruthie Foster, and Doug McCleod, Back Home is a rich exploration of the rhythms and sounds of the blues. The lyrics and melodies have a unique depth to them while encouraging listeners of all ages to fight injustices, have faith in yourself, and find your joy. Many of the songs in this collection teach important life lessons while shining a light on the stories of icons like Rosa Parks and Muhammad Ali while others such as “Put Down the Phone,” “Hemingway the Wonderdog,” and “Move Them Bones” infuse the album with a playfulness that children will enjoy. Back Home will empower and uplift listeners of all ages.
The second album is Rock Together, the debut from the new superduo Birds of a Feather, featuring Chicago’s own Little Miss Ann and Brooklyn’s Suzi Shelton. Rock Together kicks things off with the track “Birds of a Feather” which sets the tone and perfectly encapsulates the friendship between Ann and Suzi with lyrics like, “birds of a feather rock together.” The theme of celebrating and appreciating one another runs through the collection with songs like “City and Country,” the groovy “Our World,” and the folksy “State of Maine.” A veritable who’s who of children’s music joins on tracks throughout the album, but it is Mista Cookie Jar and Ronnie Boy Kids who are given a chance to shine during the fun-filled “Jump Into the Water.” The combination of a variety of musical genres, the sharing of lead vocals, and engaging/entertaining lyrics (see Tough Cat ), makes this an album that the whole family will enjoy.
Our first album today comes all the way from New Zealand. 
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Almost two weeks ago, my family (my sister, her husband, our 84 year old dad, and I) embarked on a road trip to South Dakota. None of us had been to the western side of the state before so we were all very excited. We saw all the sights along the way – the world’s largest truck stop in Iowa, the Corn Palace, Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Monument, the Black Hills and the Badlands. We also made a brief stop in Deadwood and checked out two amazing sights, Bear Country, USA and Reptile Gardens which were tucked in amongst some kitschy places but were really incredible. From the time we set off on our trip, my dad said there was only one thing he wanted to buy while we were gone – an authentic cowboy hat. As you can see, his wish was granted on the second day of the trip and he definitely got his money’s worth out of it while we were gone.
We made the 14 hour trip to and from Rapid City, South Dakota over the course of two days each way, making 
My love of languages began when I was a child; probably around the time I was in grade school, and we learned “Are You Sleeping?” in English, French, and German. My interest in French only deepened when I found this book, Fun with French, at the public library. I checked it out so many times I’m surprised they didn’t gift it to me when I graduated. My dad spoke Spanish fluently, but I studied Latin and French in high school and when I went to college, ended up getting a degree in French. Even though many years have gone by, my interest in languages has never waned. I’ve taken conversational Spanish classes specific to work in the library, and quite a while ago, even took a Russian class at the community college, just for the fun of it. While my French and Spanish skills have greatly diminished due to lack of use, it is when I hear music in those languages that I seem to recall the most. Words and phrases come back to me, dancing through my mind along with whatever melody accompanies them.
The first album up is Au Zoo (At the Zoo) – French Learning Songs from 
Last, but certainly not least, on today’s playlist is the first full-length Spanish language album from 
To continue our Pride Month celebration, today I’m shining a spotlight on the brand new video from 
Happy Pride Month! I am very excited to kick-off this June with the newest album from the Philadelphia-based trio