Tis the Season!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – Halloween! The leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter, and giant skeletons have popped up all around the neighborhood. This year brings a whole assortment of new music to celebrate the season. Here is just a sampling of the creepy, silly, haunted new treats just waiting to jump out at you. Have a song or video for Halloween that you would like to share? Pop it into the comments.
Let the Halloween hijinks begin with a jazzy number from New Zealand’s own Itty Bitty Beats, brought to life in this wonderfully witchy lyric video.
The ghoulishly good times continue with The Halloween EP from Patrick Adams. This collection of four songs includes one original fiendishly fun tune and three magical, mystical songs that answer the question, who are you going to call when somebody’s watching you??
What’s one activity that everyone looks forward to doing leading up to Halloween? Why, carving jack o’lanterns, of course. But what happens when you’re walking through the woods on Halloween night and you see “Jumping Jack-O’-Lanterns” and other startling sights? Listen to this slightly scary cumulative song from Esther Crow to find out.
Are your kids still trying to figure out what to be for Halloween? Check out Esther’s video from a couple of years ago for homemade costume inspiration.
Still looking for fall-themed songs to add to your storytimes or family listening playlists? Try out Little Miss Ann‘s version of the classic “Five Little Pumpkins” and the new video for Laurie Berkner‘s call and response song “Hayride.”
To kick things off, here is “
From defending the Earth to celebrating the Earth, next up is the third album from St. Louis’s own 
Finally, here is a 
As a child, whenever I heard adults use the phrase, “where does the time go?” I always thought, “I don’t know where it goes, but it sure goes slow.” Now, as an adult, I too wonder where the time goes, and why it goes so quickly. It feels like Halloween was just yesterday yet the first day of 2025 is only two weeks away. I had every intention of writing several posts over the course of the past month highlighting various new holiday songs, but alas, best laid plans and all. Instead, here is one bigger post to celebrate the sounds of Christmas. 
I have been looking forward to Esther Crow’s new album Listen Lead Love ever since she debuted the singles “
Esther Crow brings audiences another Earth conscious video in “Christmas Socks (Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose),” her follow up to October’s “Homemade Halloween.” This time around, Esther and her sock puppet friends encourage viewers to explore ways to repurpose items like jam jars, coffee tins, and wrapping paper into gifts and decorations. Esther never shies away from her message, but wraps it in a fun melody with a 1950’s flair (featuring a kazoo solo!!) that will have listeners chanting “recycle, reuse, repurpose!”
As a child of the 80s, I grew up having a great appreciation for homemade costumes. My mom was incredibly creative (If you showed her an egg carton, she came up with half a dozen uses for it. Show me an egg carton, I see an egg carton.) – she could knit, crochet, paint ceramics, and most importantly, sew. Whether it was a new blouse or dress, doll clothes, or holiday decor, she could do it all. And when it came to Halloween, my mom’s creativity and skill really got a chance to shine.
It’s Earth Day! Celebrate this rock we call home with a new, high-octane tune from Esther Crow. Disheartened by ever-growing landfills that contribute to the climate crisis and inspired by purging some of her own “stuff,” Esther wrote this song to encourage families to be greener and consider donating items they no longer want rather than tossing them in the trash. Produced by Dean Jones, this call-and-response rock song which features Esther’s eight-year-old son on mandolin and violin, gets the message across in a gloriously frenetic way. After jamming along, listeners will surely be left with the desire to take a good hard look at all their “stuff.” 
Be Mindful, Be Kind
Beautiful Beats
Regional Superstars You Should Know
Rockin’ Rhythms
Unique Musical Stylings
Visiting with Old Friends
With a Little Help From My Friends
Esther Crow
Written in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, Esther says of “Hard to be Happy,” “I was hoping to find a way to reach the very young, and to highlight the importance of empathy for others and acceptance of ourselves. I continue to struggle with the fact that people are persecuted for the color of their skin, or for whom they love.” To that end, the video features a conversation and duet between Bernie the Bee and Moonice the Cow, two of Esther’s signature paperbag-style felt puppets. In “Hard to be Happy” Moonice is struggling with the fact that instead of being black and white, Moonice is red and purple, while Bernie is coming to terms with being a bee who loves anchovies instead of flowers. While each character is facing challenges and things that make them sad, they know that they will be ok because they have each other.