… run around, run-run around! Run around, run-run around! Run run run, run ‘til you’re chosen / make like a pop-pop-pop! Popsicle, frozen …

To this song:

So what’s wrong with this picture?

Well, first of all it’s a children’s CD. And second of all? My kids are not in the car with me.

The lyrics are from Freeze Tag, the first track of the Tag, You’re It! CD by The Not-Its! and be warned, it’s infectious stuff.

This CD is the perfect storm of pop goodness for kids, and it’s everything that is great about pop music—catchy songs, lyrics that don’t make you have to explain things to your children, smart instrumentation—and nothing that is bad about pop music—such as inappropriate lyrics, tween singers dressed like strippers, etc.

Why is the music so good? It’s because of the incredible abilities of the band.

The Not-Its! are fronted by singer Sarah Shannon, who has street cred through her stint with the 90s indie band Velocity Girl. Rhythm guitarist and singer Danny Adamson spent his time in the 90s playing with Seattle-area punk bands. Bassist Nori Hoeft has a degree in ethnomusicology (a fast way of saying “the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts”), Tom Baisden is the lead guitarist and punk musician who doubles as a teacher for special needs kids and drummer Mike Bayer also teaches drums. I know; this is a group of interesting people who happen to also be really great musicians. Who make awesome music for kids. I love them.

Listen to all the songs and learn more about the band members on their website.

The band also just release some videos for their songs (found here (http://www.wearethenot-its.com/videos/index.html), that are worth checking out.

How sad is it that we need a month to discuss bullying?! But bullying is a real problem for people of all ages. I don’t know if bullying is more pervasive than it was when I was a kid (a way long time ago), but there are certainly more opportunities for our children to be bullied.

Well, I say nip that in the bud, and early.

The Big Bully CD addresses the issue of bullying through music. Geared for kids ages 4-11, each song is written to address bad behavior, discover the reason for that behavior and help kids with finding coping mechanisms to deal with bullying if it should transpire. And the music deals with the cyclical nature of bullying, recognizing that today’s bully was yesterday’s victim, and we all must work together to break that cycle.

My 7-year-old loves this CD and has absconded with it to her room, where it currently resides in her Hello Kitty CD player. She is a 2nd grader and I know that her school’s counselor comes to each classroom frequently to discuss the problem of bullying, how kids can identify it, avoid it and help their peers. I think this CD works because music is a great messenger. When I want my kids to remember something important, we usually make up a song to go along with it; so why not encourage our kids to be the best people they can be through music?

Visit Recess Music’s website to find your copy of Big Bully today.

And a healthy respect for music. Good music.

Nay, Great music.

Because, frankly, when we were having these talks? The popular musical landscape was not awesome. This was the mid-90s, post-grunge, and the musical landscape was rife with bubblegum pop. Britney Spears on the cover of Rolling Stone. Boy bands clogging the airwaves. During this time, we retreated to the safety (and unadulterated awesomeness) of our own music collection, and we discussed the kinds of music we hoped our kids would like. Artists like The Who, Queen, The Rolling Stones, the Beatles.

And most of the artists we discussed can be found in The Rock & Roll Alphabet, written and compiled by Jeffrey Schwartz and featuring photos of rock royalty from the Chuck Boyd Photo Collection. Boyd was a photojournalist who became one of the most trusted and well-liked photographers in the business. A true fan of music, he worked with Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Led Zeppelin, KISS … and so many more. Schwartz is a music historian and teacher who set these photographs to words, to reinforce alphabet skills and serve as an introductory rock history lesson.

From Aretha (Franklin) to (Frank) Zappa, the book features amazing performance photos of musicians with a little history on each featured artist (such as “L is for Led Zeppelin and the songs of Plant and Page.”) that will hopefully spur your little one into asking questions about these characters they see on the page, about these songs that are mentioned. And pretty soon, before you know it, your seven year old isn’t asking for the latest manufactured pop star; rather, she’s asking to hear The Hollies. Or Van Morrison. Or Tina Turner.

Click the pop-out player below to launch a playlist of songs inspired by the artists and titles featured in the book. Find your own copy of The Rock & Roll Alphabet at your local bookstore or online book retailer such as amazon.com for around $15.

Oh, and my kids? They listen to their fair share of current pop music, but it’s mixed with a lot of classic rock, punk and old country.

To learn more about the book, click here. To learn more about the Chuck Boyd photo collection, click here.

It’s only logical that they want to see what the fuss is all about. While they won’t be using the same apps as I’m using (they’re just not that into Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest yet), I do want them to have apps that appeal to them.

And, let’s face it — apps that appeal to me, too. Because, let’s face it, if they’re playing a game then chances are, I’m going to hear about it later, hear it while they’re playing it or get a crash course in using it myself when they can’t figure out the features on their own (they’re young and slightly technologically-imparied).

Enter the StoryChimes app, which has downloadable story books and songbooks featuring classic music (the $2.99 app comes with 2 songs). Well, that’s a win-win. Because anytime you take something new (like an app) and combine it with awesome music, that makes a Music Mama happy.

StoryChimes digital storybooks based on the music of John Lennon & Paul McCartney, including All You Need is Love, Let It Be, and my own personal favorite, Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da that let your kids listen and watch the story or interact with activities on each page. Older kids will also love the play-along piano and the karaoke options.

Some of the screen shots of the StoryChimes Songbook songs “All You Need is Love” & Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”

Keep in mind that these songs are not performed by the Beatles, but rather by a variety of other musicians and singers, giving the songs a slightly different feel than what we (as parents and music loves) may be accustomed to.

The StoryChimes app is available in the App Store and has versions for iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad; songs are $2.99 each, and there are also other songs and books available.

Your kids are never too young to learn about good music (kind of our mantra here at the Music Minis), and these songbooks are a great way to introduce them to classic songs that are kid-friendly.

And if your kids decide they are fans of the StoryChimes SongBook songs, the StoryChimes SongBook Volume 1 CD will be on their wish list–featuring covers of the songs included in the SongBook and others by various artists ($9.99 on iTunes).

Disclaimer: The StoryChimes Songbook songs were provided to the Music Mamas free of charge but the review is all ours.

First of all, can we address the name? That alone was enough to grab my interest. But there’s more. This three-piece band offers music that will keep your toe tapping and possibly make you forget that it wasn’t designed for you – it was designed for your kids. This collection of superhero-themed songs will make your kids happy.

Recess Monkey showcases the best angles of the Kindie rock movement – smart songs, skilled instrumentation and lyrics that are fun to sing along. Band members Jack Forman, Daron Henry and Andrew Holloway are all elementary school teachers from Seattle who have put out seven studio releases to date.

If you have a music loving kid, don’t miss out on Recess Monkey. Check out their tour schedule here and catch the Monkeys live this summer!

That happened to me this week.

With a children’s CD.

Spaghetti Eddie by Brendan Parker.

Parker is part of a growing kid-music (“kindie”) scene in my town (Oklahoma City), and his CD is worth looking for. Originally written as a gift for his Goddaughter, the CD has taken off with kids and parents alike.

Music produced for kids is effective when the lyrics are clever and not trite; when there are real instruments (guitars & drums) backing it up, and Parker’s music has that. Catchy hooks and fun lyrics make for a CD that parents just might find themselves singing along with even after the kids hop out of the car.

Parker at a recent performance; inset, the cover of Spaghetti Eddie.

Visit Parker’s website for sneak peeks of the songs and to purchase the CD. But if you find that you can’t stop singing “Kitty Cat Town,” you have been warned.

It’s just one big ball of awesomeness as far as I’m concerned!

So when I heard about the news song from Aaron Nigel Smith (one of the amazing artists in the Music For Little People group of musicians we talked about here), I was pretty excited to share it.

To celebrate National Reading Month, Aaron Nigel Smith recorded a new song and music video called In A Book, featuring Lionel the lion from the Emmy-Award Winning PBS Kids’ program Between The Lions.

Smith is a featured musical guest on Between the Lions and works with the NEA Read Across America program to promote literacy through music.  His music and movement enrichment program, FUNdamentals Of Music And Movement, serves thousands of children in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and Boston, with over 3,000 schools, centers and daycares in his network.

See the YouTube video here, on Smith’s YouTube channel, where you can also catch other videos & performances.

Hear the song here (and download it for free!), on the Music for Little People website.

That’s why I love the song The Same from Michael & Marisa’s four-song EP It’s Like That. The sibling duo wrote the song after reading about a bullying-fueled suicide a year ago. Michael (age 12), said, “We really wanted to write and record this song as a wake-up call to kids around us. We wrote this song earlier this year, after we heard about the suicide of Phoebe Prince, who was only 15. It affected us so much that we wanted to tell other kids about it, to stop something like that from happening again. And that’s how we express our feelings best, through our music.”

Marisa (age 12) added, “It’s important that, as kids ourselves, we stand up and defend our friends. We have the greatest power, and the biggest responsibility, to come together as a group and let bullies know it’s not okay to treat others this way. We have the strength to make a positive change to make the world a better place.”

The duo have been performing publicly for five years; Michael on electric guitar, Marisa on drums and both on vocals producing smart-sounding pop with a classic rock edge.

Check out the video here:

Learn more about Michael & Marisa on their website: michaelandmarisa.com

But, if you are reading this (and clearly you are), you know as well as I do that good music and kid-friendly music are not mutually exclusive. And if you like your music a little rowdy and punky, you should definitely pick the Boogers (you know I had to go to there).

This band carries the endorsement of the Ramones’ tour manager (Monte A. Melnick, who said “If the Ramones had ever decided to make a children’s album this is what it would have sounded like.”) and, much to my delight, includes a kid-friendly remake of “Beat on the Brat” with lyrics that I can listen to with my kids without worry.

The band is made up of Crusty, Greenie and Sticky Booger, and don’t let the creepy names fool you; while they will make your kids laugh, these guys are serious musicians. Let’s Go features 13 tunes, including the aforementioned remake, now called “My Baseball Bat,” and “Otto’s Orange Day,” which was inspired by the book of the same name. Bonus points for the band that my son just happeend to be reading that book when I popped this disc in the changer. He was smitten.

And truth be told, I’m loving it, too. The songs run through my head along with the songs from my own music library, and they don’t make me cringe. Yes, at my house? We love our Boogers.

Music for Little People has an insanely diverse catalog of musicians, and their CDs offer a great avenue to introduce your kids to world music. Young kids are just sponges for information and culture, and if you expose them to the variety of amazing sights and sounds that the world has to offer while they are young, it will only help to pique their curiosity as they get older. Musically, this will help them open their ears to the wide variety of music that is available in the world.

The World Travels CD that I was able to check out features artists from around the globe: from Europe to South America to Africa, your children will be exposed to an amazing wealth of musical styles and instruments through the tracks on this CD, including musicians that mom and dad will recognize (such as Buckwheat Zydeco, Los Lobos and Ladysmith Black Mambazo).

And speaking of Buckwheat Zydeco, Buckwheat Zydeco’s Bayou Boogie is a new release this week, featuring infectious melodies and featuring collaborations with popular kindie artists (like Laurie Berkner and Dan Zanes).

Another recent release is Maria Muldaur’s Barnyard Dance Jug Band Music for Kids, which harkens back to a time before modern conveniences.

Interested in these releases or learning more about other Music for Little People artists? Check out their website for all the details or to check out samples of the songs.