Song Spotlight – “Chickadee” by Katie T

For children and adults, having to do things on our own may be scary, but many times that is the only way for us grow and progress. For emerging children’s artist Katie T (Kansas’s Katie Todd), this is a very personal message. With over a decade of experience teaching music to elementary school children, Katie is now taking the plunge and releasing her own music. “Chickadee” is her first single and a real delight. On the surface, the tune is a simple, jaunty song about a bird that contains repeating lyrics and action movements that would work well in storytime, but when you listen a little closer you realize that there is an important message about perseverance and how special it is to encourage one another on to success.

According to Katie, the inspiration for “Chickadee” came from a conversation that she had with her dad earlier this year. Seeing her feeling discouraged, he told her about a chick coming out of its shell and how it needed to break out all on its own in order to survive in the wild. With that story as the basis for her new song, Katie went on to pen a tune that she hopes reminds listeners that, “We have to do hard things and sometimes that means taking a break, taking a breath, and when WE are READY (not anyone else’s expectations) we can step up and try again and listen to the encouragement of those around us to make it through.” Just like that chickadee, Katie T has broken out of her shell with this single. I look forward to hearing more from this new voice in children’s music.