Music, Education, and Technology

The Barenaked Ladies released their debut children’s record this past Spring and the response has been very positive by parents, kids, bloggers (including me), and the media.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it seems lots of well-established mainstream artists are crossing over into the children’s music market. However, I strongly believe to be a children’s artist is to be a role model and there are responsibilities that go with playing in this genre.

This week, BNL lead singer Steven Page was arrested for cocaine possession.

They’ve canceled their Disney tour and probably hosts of other family shows. I don’t envy the parents who have to explain to their children “why” the show they were looking forward to is canceled.

I hope, going forward, artists will avoid participating in the children’s music genre if they can’t be responsible role models to kids.

Everybody’s doing it. Crossing over to the kid’s music scene seems to be a right of passage these days for rockers with a toddler or two at home. Dan Zanes (formerly of the Del Fuegos), They Might Be Giants, and many others have made the leap. On May 6, the Barenaked Ladies joined the fray and released their debut children’s record, “Snacktime.”

“Our collective kids now outnumber the band more than 2 to 1,” explains vocalist/guitarist Ed Robertson. “We set out to make a record that would be entertaining for them…not strictly a children’s record, but a record that children would really enjoy. Making the focus about what our kids like was a truly liberating process and fun for the whole band.”

Here’s a music video based on their kid’s song entitled “7, 8, 9.”

I’m a big fan of BNL and also of high-quality music for children. To me, this album represents the best of both!