
Egyptian demonstrators sing protest songs in Cairo's Tahrir Square in February 2011 History knows: the performance of political song is a shockingly potent vehicle for change. Lyrics which call out the flawed policies and actions of the powerful raise consciousness even as their catchy choruses help them stick in the mind, the better to turn communities towards mindful action and peaceful protest. The act of singing together creates solidarity and strength, nurturing deep feelings of belonging among the converted and bringing new voices to the fold. Combine [...]

For the childless outsider, the distinction we make between family-friendly kidfolk and music-for-kids may seem a false dichotomy. And, to be fair, comparison of one to the other is tricky - while children's music is arguably a stylistic subgenre or genre set unto itself, the kindie label is applied across many genre categories to describe a family-oriented sense and sensibility, one framed by both a particular intersection of topical content-appropriateness and a particularly multi-layered approach to performance and arrangement. But just as the difference between Barney and old Sesame Street episodes is self-evident to [...]

I don't sing my children to sleep as much as I used to. Now that they're older, and need more time to wind down after long days at school and play, bedtime has by necessity shifted to something more solo, wherein we read a story or two, kiss their brows, and then leave them to their own devices, letting them read or listen to audiobooks before they drowse into dreamland at their own pace. It's good to give our children the space to find their own rituals as they grow; important, as a [...]

I was one of those arty middle-class music-and-theater kids - you know, the ones who spend their free periods in the band room, stay after school to paint sets, seem utterly disconnected from the mass media-driven marks of popular consumer culture, and demonstrate a complete and utter lack of coordinated ability in running shorts. But it wasn't just desire or common interest that kept me there. Natural talent, a strong ear, and an ADHD sufferer's tendency to misplace my instrument had led to formal voice lessons and private choruses as a child (lose [...]

As I've noted several times before, I'm not big on year-end omnibus posts, and the concept of countdowns, with their hierarchies and exclusionary undertones, challenges my generous sensibilities. There's so much greatness out there, the perfect song and songsmith for every one of a thousand nuanced moods and whims; to choose one over the other would be as wrong as asking me to rank my students by favorite, thus neglecting the dormant potential, the unique potency, and the epiphanic moments inherent in each. But it's been a rich year here at Cover Lay [...]