MontyNews

The official email fanletter from award-winning children's songwriter, Monty Harper!
April 21, 2009

MontyNews 0409
New CD for Summer Reading!





Howdy, Stan!

I was just re-reading my last message to you - from six months ago! Where did the time go? A lot has happened. Let me update you...

Last time we'd just gotten a puppy, Nutmeg. She's about full grown now, and has an odd thing for chewing up Kleenex. She's pretty smart though. Lisa has taught her to sit, lie down, stay, fetch, and (when she's in the mood) roll over.

Last I wrote, Evalyn was reading at a 7th grade level. Now it's 9th grade! She improves about one grade every quarter She is still thriving in 2nd grade and is currently working on a science fair project, studying how different colored light affects plant growth.

Lisa has been taking a dance class for exercise, helping out in Evalyn's classroom, preparing her garden plot, helping me some with summer bookings (see the list below), and working behind the scenes on her Kids Music Planet podcast.

I successfully completed thirteen "creativity" workshops for librarians throughout Kansas and Oklahoma. I shared my take on why and how to involve kids in the arts. Hopefully I planted enough new ideas and instilled enough confidence that many many kids will experience something unforgettable this summer - they will create something great!

I enjoyed those workshops so much that I'm contemplating offering them on a regular basis to teachers and librarians. What do you think? Are you a teacher or librarian (or parent) who can weigh in with an opinion? Is there a demand for more information on how to incorporate creativity into your work with kids?

The other thing I mentioned last time was that I was starting work on a new CD with my partner, Mr. Billy. The CD is finished, it's awesome, and we are just waiting for copies to arrive from the manufacturer! You can pre-order your copy now! More information below...

Stick around for:

1. Let's Get Creative - Brand new CD from Monty Harper and Mr. Billy!
2. Summer Library Programs
3. News from the Blog - Follow me on Twitter!
4. Thanks!

Let's Get Creative

For the past six months or so, I've been collaborating with my friend Mr. Billy on a new CD. I'm excited to finally be able to tell you all about it!

Mr. Billy is a masterful rock guitar player and is brilliant at arranging and recording songs. We worked together long distance to write and record twelve new songs centered around the arts theme for summer reading 2009. During Spring Break Mr. Billy drove down to Stillwater with his daughter. While our girls played together we finished up the last few tracks for the CD.

This is the first time we worked together on an extended project. Our talents compliment one another perfectly, and we both feel like our new CD is our best ever. So let's get to it. Here is a track by track tour:

1. "Be Creative at Your Library"
A theme song for the 2009 summer reading program, featuring my vocal and Mr. Billy's wailing guitar and vocorder at the end.

2. "Reading Makes Me Want to Dance Out Loud"
My favorite title! This song was a real collaboration; we both sing on it, along with some kids from Mr. Billy's neighborhood. The arrangement is frenetic - you can't help but dance!

3. "My Video Camera"
This was the last song written for the CD, and one of our best hopes for fame and fortune. Our original idea wasn't working, and Mr. Billy suggested writing about video instead. So I whipped up a new song and sent him a demo. His reaction: "love the song, hate the bridge." After re-writing the bridge (good call), we both got very excited. The song is an infectiously happy pop tune that you won't be able to get out of your head.

4. "Stage Fright"
This was a beautiful collaboration. Another unplanned gem. We were to have a song about putting on a play, but this idea came to me instead so I wrote it out and made a very sloppy quick demo recording, thinking Mr. Billy would shoot it down. But he loved it, and sent back a full blown totally rockin' production that absolutely blew me away!

5. "Dance Dance Dance"
This is a funky little track that encourages kids to move to the music in creative ways.

6. "Rock & Roll, Read All About It!"
This one is a whirlwind history lesson about all the creative people who shaped our favorite genre of music through the decades from the fifties to the future. It features a rocking vocal from Mr. Billy, and he gets to show off quite a bit on guitar as well.

7. "Don't Look, I'm Making a Book"
We had to include at least one of my signature story-type songs. This is the story of a girl who becomes so engrossed in her book-making project that she is nearly lost altogether. It features a super cute vocal performance by Evalyn.

8. "The Ants in Your Pants Dance Song Song"
This is me being too clever by half, with the ants in your pants dance song to end all ants in your pants dance songs! It was so awesome fun to write the driving guitar lick hook, which I can hardly play, and then receive Mr. Billy's masterful recording of it by email. This one has a definite Beatles vibe to it.

9. "Belly Like a Bongo"
Mr. Billy and I trade vocals back and forth on this silly celebration of music. Listeners are encouraged to imagine and play different parts of their bodies as various musical instruments. The recording features me on kazoo, kalimba, bongos, and maracas, plus a real live trombone, performed by Philip Flick.

10. "Refrigerator Art"
This is a catchy little tune, sung by me, about what to do with all those crayon masterpieces.

11. "Get Creative"
Our title song, featuring some awesome guitar-work and vocal harmonies by Mr. Billy.

12. "Somebody Dreamed a Dream"
This dreamy Pink-Floyd-Inspired ode to the act of creation is the perfect ending song for bedtime listeners. This one features my vocal, but the real star is Mr. Billy's incredible floaty guitar and keyboard work.

Our CD is available for pre-order at: www.misterbilly.com/creative

It's worth a visit to Mr. Billy's page to grab a gander at the CD cover, too. It's a take-off on High School Musical, featuring Evalyn, her friend Hope and Hope's cousin, Miranda, two of my nephews, Dawson and Corban, and Brittany and Garrett, whom we know from the science cafes.

I should also mention Paul Fleming's awesome work turning Lisa's photo into a great eye-catching cover, as he has done for all my CDs!

Pre-orders will be shipped out in early May. I can't wait for you to hear it!!


Summer Library Programs

My summer schedule is filling up nicely with more than forty programs on the calendar. I hope you'll come see me at the library! Here's the list as it currently stands.

April 2009

4/24/2009
Marlow, OK - Central High Elementary at 2:00 PM


May 2009

5/1/2009
Prague, OK - Prague Elementary at 1:00 PM

5/7/2009
Dale, OK - Dale Elementary at 9:30 AM

5/8/2009
Stillwater, OK - Sangre Ridge Elementary at 1:30 PM

5/12-15/2009
Ft. Worth, TX - Tour of six elementary schools

5/27/2009
Perkins, OK - Perkins-Tryon Elementary School at 9:45 AM


June 2009

6/1/2009
Sand Springs, OK - Harry Pratt Library at 1:00pm & 2:00pm

6/4/2009
Ada, OK - Ada Public Library at 10:30 AM

6/4/2009
Coalgate, OK - Coal County Library at 2:00 PM

6/5/2009
Wellington, KS - Wellington Public Library at 10:00 AM

6/8/2009
Seneca, KS - Seneca Free Library at 10:30 AM

6/8/2009
Holton, KS - Beck-Bookman Library at 1:30 PM

6/9/2009
Cushing, OK - Cushing Public Library at 6:30 PM

6/10/2009
McAlester, OK - McAlester Public Library at 10:00 AM & 1:00 PM

6/11/2009
Hollis, OK - Hollis Public Library at 10:00 AM

6/11/2009
Altus, OK - Altus Public Library at 2:00 PM

6/15/2009
Healdton, OK - Healdton Community Library at 10:00 AM

6/15/2009
Davis, OK - Davis Public Library at 2:00 PM

6/16/2009
Atoka, OK - Atoka County Library at 10:00 AM

6/16/2009
Tishomingo, OK - Johnston County Library at 2:00 PM

6/17/2009
Lawton, OK - Lawton Public Library at 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, & 1:30 PM

6/18/2009
Skiatook, OK - Skiatook Public Library at 1:00pm

6/18/2009
Tulsa, OK - Schusterman-Benson Library at 3:00pm

6/19/2009
Woodward, OK - Woodward Public Library at 2:00 pm

6/22/2009
Owasso, OK - Owasso Public Library at 1:30pm & 2:30pm

6/23/2009
Hartshorne, OK - Hartshorne Public Library at 10:30 AM

6/23/2009
Wilburton, OK - Latimer County Public Library at 2:00 PM

6/29/2009
Okeene, OK - Okeene Public Library at 10:00 AM

6/29/2009
Watonga, OK - Watonga Public Library at 2:00 PM

6/30/2009
Enid, OK - Enid Public Library at 2:30 PM


July 2009

7/2/2009
Stillwater, OK - Stillwater Public Library at 10:00 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:30 PM

7/13/2009
Norman, OK - Norman Public Library at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM

7/16/2009
Perry, OK - Perry Carnegie Library at 10:00 AM

7/16/2009
Fairfax, OK - a location to be determined at 2:00 PM

7/20/2009
Cherokee, OK - Cherokee City County Library at 10:00 AM

7/21/2009
Emporia, KS - Emporia Public Library at 7:00 PM

7/21/2009
Rose Hill, KS - Rose Hill Public Library at 2:00 PM

7/22/2009
Marion, KS - City Auditorium at 10:00 am

7/26/2009
Oklahoma City, OK - Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library at 2:00 PM

7/30/2009
Weatherford, OK - Weatherford Library at 10:00 AM

7/30/2009
Weatherford, OK - Memorial Student Center Ballroom - private program


November 2009

11/13/2009
Springdale, AR - Arts Center of the Ozarks at 9:15 AM, 10:45 AM, & 12:45 PM





News from the Daily Blog


* 12/19/08 - Smart e Bear: My song, "The Cat Came Back," from the Paws Claws Scales and Tales CD was selected to be included on the Smart e Bear, a new plush toy that plays music. The rest of my songs can be downloaded to play in the bear as well.


Actually, I haven't been posting to my blog like I should! However, I have been Twittering. Twitter is a "micro blog" service - I post short updates about what I'm up to usually once or twice a day.

You can follow my "tweets" on Twitter, or on Facebook, or on my blog, where you'll find them in the right-hand column.


Thanks!

Thanks, Stan, for subscribing to MontyNews. I appreciate your interest in my music!

- Monty



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