We talk a lot about the importance of sharing high-quality diverse books with children in libraries and early childhood education, but books aren’t the only tools that we use to support early learning. Singing, dancing, and playing along to music helps children build phonological awareness, learn new words, move their bodies, and even connect with their emotions. As we work to ensure diverse voices are included in our programs and classrooms, we can look beyond only books to the literal voice and ask ourselves, “How diverse is my repertoire of children’s music?”
Stories, Songs, and Stretches!® programs use children’s music in two main ways: to inspire physical movement, and to provide opportunities for social-emotional learning. My playlist includes popular children’s musicians that will be familiar to many – Jim Gill, Laurie Berkner, and Bari Koral, among others. Noticing the overwhelming whiteness of my children’s music selections, however, has provided an excellent opportunity. It’s prompted me over the last year to seek out more children’s musicians of color. This discovery process has led me to some of my new favorites, both for energizing a group with movement and for pausing to take a breath.
It’s unfortunate that as I scan the growing body of kids music specific to yoga movements and mindfulness practice, I don’t find BIPOC voices. This doesn’t mean they aren’t out there; it does likely mean that they don’t have the same access to production, distribution and marketing as others. If you know of anyone I’m missing, PLEASE share! I’d love to know, use, and elevate these artists!
The great news is that there are many BIPOC children’s musicians whose songs fit perfectly with the intentions of Stories, Songs, and Stretches!®Here are some artists whom I love, and how I use some of their songs. Who are your favorite diverse children’s musicians? Share them with us here!
Culture Queen
Jessica Hebron, aka “Culture Queen,” is a prolific and highly accomplished fine arts performer who released her first album of children’s music, I Like the Me I See in 2016. My favorite jam is “Super Shaker Song.” It’s super energetic and gets every body part ready to move! I love to use it as a warm-up song or in the middle of a Stories, Songs, and Stretches® program along with egg shakers. Follow up with a moment of mindfulness, pausing to notice how the body feels after such movement and how those physical sensations change with some slow, deep breaths.
Mista Cookie Jar and the Chocolate Chips
LA-based CJ Pizarro, aka Mista Cookie Jar, offers positive jams that will get toes tapping and faces smiling for kids and adults adults alike. My favorites are “Gratitude” and “Kindness is the Way.” Use them for free-form dancing, grab some scarves or instruments, or practice some yoga shapes you’ve used throughout your program. Then make some time to talk about the lyrics as you transition from the song to your next element; in Stories, Songs, and Stretches!® this would likely be a listening story that reinforces the same social-emotional skills introduced in the song such as Gracias / Thanks by Pat Mora or A World of Kindness from Pajama Press.
Nathalia
A long-time favorite of mine for bilingual (English/Spanish) storytime, Colombian-born and LA-based Nathalia uses her experience as both a musician and an early childhood educator to create bilingual music that flows with ease and that will get everyone moving, regardless of their home language. A perfect example of this is “Animal Bop” which blends English and Spanish seamlessly, introducing animal names and movements that are a perfect fit for using age-appropriate yoga shapes. The gentle “Sueño Feliz” is a lovely background song for savasana, or a brief period of rest and relaxation, at the end of a Stories, Songs, and Stretches!® program. BONUS: The lyrics for each album are freely available to download from her website!
Elena Moon Park
Newer to me is Korean-American and Brooklyn-based Elena Moon Park, whose albums share her interpretations of East Asian folk music as well as original children’s songs. “Let It Come, Let It Go” beautifully conveys the inevitability of change; the seasons, our feelings…all things change. What a wonderful tool this song is for sharing this core mindfulness principle with young children! We all have thoughts and emotions but they don’t define us; we can let them come and let them go. The ability to understand this is critical in the formation of self-awareness (the foundation for all social-emotional learning). You could easily make up your own movements to go with this song, or use the chorus of “let it come, let it go” as a cue to take a deep, slow breath. Add pom poms as a way for kids to connect to their breath visually; what happens to the pom pom when you exhale?
Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band
If multiple Latin Grammy award-winning Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band isn’t already in your kids music rotation, add them now! Absolutely one of my favorite kids groups. “Like Never Before” is especially meaningful for me; it was one of the staple songs that I would play and sing with my daughter while bouncing her as an infant and watching those first smiles and giggles emerge. It’s a wonderfully empowering song; what will you do with this day like never before? Encourage adult caregivers to be in the moment dancing or watching their kiddos move to this song, fully noticing all of their child’s individual nuances. This itself is a mindfulness practice for adults, and a wonderful way to bond with their child(ren) in the present moment. Snuggle up after for a listening story such as All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant. Their interpretations of traditional Latinx children’s songs are stellar, and great to use for movement breaks in any storytime, classroom or home. My favorite is definitely “Piñata Attack,” a version of the traditional “Dale, dale, dale.”
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
Finally, the prolific and Grammy-winning Secret Agent 23 Skidoo delivers hip hop that uplifts and educates with rhymes and beats that adults will love as much as their kids. “You’re It” is an awesome choice for getting a group moving at the beginning of your Stories, Songs, and Stretches!® program. It perfectly sets the tone that for the next 30 minutes or so we are going to have fun, celebrate who we are, and build each other up in body, heart, and mind.