Thursday, October 30, 2008

MontyNews

The official email fanletter from award-winning
children's songwriter, Monty Harper!

October 30, 2008

MontyNews 0810

Kids Music Planet

Halloween Specials!

Part I

Part II

The New Scribblemonster CD is out, including "It Could Have Been Worse," a song I co-wrote with Scribble Jim.

Listen to ScribbleRadio!

Howdy!

We've all been busy busy busy since I wrote you last in August!

Evalyn is thriving in second grade; she's reading at a seventh grade level, and also improving her writing, spelling, and manipulation of numbers. She has begun an enrichment program once a week, and brings us fascinating tales of adventures on the playground every day.

Lisa is finishing up the judging process for the Children's Music Web Awards, and turning her attention back to her Kids Music Planet podcast (see below).

We all enjoyed a great trip to the shores of Lake Michigan for the Children's Music Network national conference in September, where I met and interviewed one of my heroes, Bill Harley, and Evalyn performed the Sally Rogers song "What Can One Little Person Do" to a standing ovation.

I'm not a big dog person, but I finally relented and let Lisa and Evalyn get a "Yorkipoo" puppy. They named her Nutmeg, and Lisa just brought her home this morning. So that's the start of a new adventure!

What have I been up to? I just finished recording a jingle for Zoomers Skate Club in Marion, OH. And I've been immersed in three big new projects: The Program Room, my podcast for librarians; the Born to Do Science Cafe; and a new CD, which I'm writing and recording with my friend and creative partner, Mr. Billy. I'm very excited about this collaboration; we are both doing some of our best work!

Stick around for:

  1. Two Kids Music Planet Halloween Specials - Download them now!
  2. Upcoming Live Concerts, Cafés, and Conference Calls
  3. News from the Daily Blog - Scribblemonster's new CD!
  4. Thanks!

Two Kids Music Planet Halloween Specials

Two new Kids Music Planet Podcast episodes are now available for Halloween!

Each one presents a collection of fun Halloween-themed songs, including an "Evalyn's Pick" at the end. These would make perfect soundtracks for Halloween parties, or for your trick-or-treating if you'll be driving from place to place, or if you're at home handing out treats.

To download the two new Halloween specials, visit the Kids Music Planet Podcast site, look them up on iTunes, or just click here:

If you have any trouble, email me back and I'll help you out.

By the way, these are the first two episodes that Lisa created entirely on her own - she even did the editing! She has been growing more and more confident and less dependent on my production and technical help. This will help her put out episodes more regularly in the future. We're very proud of Lisa around here!

(Well, I did contribute the words for her computer-sung show ID spots - those are very cool, well worth the effort to download the show, all on their own!)

Upcoming Live Concerts, Cafés, and Conference Calls

I've been having a blast lately with my new projects, learning all about different art forms and different scientific pursuits, as well as writing songs and performing.

The Science Cafés are here in Stillwater. They are designed to be fun and informative for the whole family. I've been working closely with the guest scientists to improve our delivery of the content each time, to make it more accessible. Come discover what it's like to be a scientist!

The Program Room Podcast is designed for librarians, but anyone who works with kids will find useful tips, ideas, and resources. The podcast includes interviews and discussions that were recorded live. You're welcome to join the live conference calls. If you're interested, write back and I'll send you an invitation, or click here for instructions on how to call in.

Upcoming Events

  • Monday November 3, 1:00 PM Central: "The Program Room" live phone interview with Rozz Grigsby, Education Director for the Oklahoma Children's Theater, about how to lead theater games with kids.
  • Tuesday November 4, 6:30 PM: "Born to Do Science Café" with Dr. Mostafa Elshahed, the Microbe Hunter. At the coffee shop in hastings, in Stillwater, OK. Don't forget to vote first!
  • Friday November 7, 1:00 PM Central: "The Program Room" live phone interview with Dianne de Las Casas, nationally renowned storyteller and author, about how to encourage children to tell their own stories.
  • Tuesday December 2, 6:30 PM: "Born to Do Science Café" with Dr. Jennifer Byrd-Craven, developmental psychologist. At the coffee shop in hastings, in Stillwater, OK.

News from the Daily Blog

  • 10/28/08 - It Could Have Been Worse: The new Scribblemonster CD, Songs With No Character, is here! It's a fantastic CD of songs for the whole family, edgy and fun, and I co-wrote one of the songs.
  • 10/17/08 - Sunnybrook: I've been visiting classrooms around town to honor students who were top readers in the Stillwater Public Library's 2008 summer reading program. I donated ten visits as prizes. I've done five so far and they've all been great fun! See also:
  • 10/10/08 - Café Attendees See the Light!: This link will take you to my Born to Do Science blog, for photos from the second cafe, which went really well. I performed a new song, "The Molecular Eye," and we learned about Dr. Wouter Hoff's research into how bacteria can see and respond to light.

Thanks!

Monty

Monty Harper, Award-Winning Children's Songwriter
monty@montyharper.com • (405) 624-3805 • www.montyharper.comReadingSongs.com

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