African Alphabet School Concert
by Graeme Sacks, a freelance guitarist, jingle writer and co-composer/producer/arranger/engineer of (amongst other things) kids music in the “African Treehouse” & “Goggatjie” series
As a composer I tend to spend a lot of my time in isolation, cooped up in a recording studio. I was aware that my CDs were selling, but they were being bought by faceless, nameless people. It’s always difficult to know if anyone really likes the music, and what kind of impact the albums are making. So it was a great surprise for me to see 140 kids enthusiastically belting out my lyrics on a stage 
last week!
A few months ago, I received a call from the principal of St Dominic’s pre school. She asked for permission to use some of the songs from my CD “The African Alphabet” for the school’s end-of-year concert. A week ago, my songwriting partner and I were invited to the concert. We were expecting a little nursery school concert with a few kids on stage. Instead what we saw was a fantastic production comprising around 140 kids, well rehearsed and wearing the most beautiful costumes. Lions, elephants, hippos, kudu and even a life-size cardboard taxi! And the entire show was based on the African Alphabet CD. Quite an emotional experience for me!
Whenever we receive an email or a phone call from someone who has bought one of our albums, it makes it all worthwhile. It’s really nice to know that your music has made some kind of an impact, no matter how small.
So next time you read a book or hear a song that moves you, take some time to send a note to the artist. It gives us motivation to keep on making music, and you’d be surprised at how happy it will make someone!
Click here to view video clips of the St Dominic’s concert:
Click here to view photos from the concert
Graeme recently released a new kids CD entitled “African Numbers“, another invaluable teaching tool for parents and teachers.
Modern lullabies for babies reviewed
by Tanya Kovarsky mother of baby Max, a magazine editor, and 8-time Comrades Marathon runner. Aside from her family and friends, she considers chai tea, her Blackberry, running shoes, baby jogger, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee and Twitter among the great loves of her life. Follow Tanya on Twitter @TanyaKovarsky
PUTUMAYO KIDS: AFRICAN DREAMLAND
I’ve long been a fan of the Putumayo World Music (particularly Africa and Reggae), and I wasn’t disappointed by African 
Dreamland, a collection of gentle and calming songs from ex Africa. The album kicks off with our very own Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Nomathemba,and is followed by equally rhythmic and enchanting sounds from Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Guinea, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, Mali and Cape Verde. The songs are beautiful and relaxing, and we found them a good part of our bedtime routine. I think the album’s appeal extends beyond children, and I found it as enjoyable with my little one, as I did relaxing after a dinner party with friends. Visit Putumayo Kids to find out more.
Good to know: A portion of the proceeds of the sale of this CD will be donated to NextAid (a non-profit organisation that helps African children).
BABIES LOVE COLLECTION
It’s widely known that classical tunes have a huge impact on the cognitive development of fetuses and babies, so when it comes in the form of Michael Jackson, Abba, U2, Madonna and The Rolling Stones, then that’s music to my ears! (and my baby’s). The Babies Love Collection features the “best of” certain artists in classical form, and it’s brilliant for adults and babies. As if to test the soothing nature of the albums, my baby had a few midnight wake-ups, and this music definitely calmed him – and me – and seemed to lull him back to sleep a lot easier than usual. If you’re wondering how amazing I Can’t Get No Satisfaction, or Don’t Stand So Close To Me sound in classical form, then you must give Babies Love a listen. Beautiful stuff. Click here to find out more about Babies Love
BEAUTIFUL LULLABIES: BY ED JORDAN AND ALAN GLASS
Just as I was wondering how Beautiful Creatures could possibly add another album to their collection, along comes Beautiful Lullabies, which is a 
collection of their top lullabies from all their albums, and so worth having. Lovely lyrics (words included in the CD insert) and beautiful tunes make for a great album, and they’re catchy – I found myself singing some of the choruses days after! As with the other CDs, I loved the “localness” of this CD, and the fact that it’s “parent friendly” – no cheesy tunes or lyrics here. I look forward to singing along and winding down to this CD through the toddler years and beyond. Click here to find out more about Beautiful Creatures
