Monty's Children's Music Blog

Richmond Residency - Spring 2016

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 15:04:00 -0500

Subwoofer Microphone?

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Mon, 7 Mar 2016 19:34:00 -0600

Song In Progress - Put a Little Love (working title)

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Fri, 4 Mar 2016 09:44:00 -0600

Welcome Back

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Thu, 3 Mar 2016 13:24:00 -0600

Skelly and Jack star in "Halloween Candy"

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Thu, 8 Oct 2015 09:04:00 -0500

Howdy friends,

My wife, Lisa, and I have been working long hours on a secret project which we started a year ago; now it's ready for your eyeballs, just in time for Halloween!

Today we bring you "Halloween Candy," a stop-motion animated film featuring the instrumental song "Skeleton Dance" from my Halloween Madness EP. We've always wanted to see this piece of music animated with dancing skeletons, and finally decided to just do it ourselves. Lisa and I worked out the story together. She took charge of art direction and dance moves; I took charge of technical details and pushing little bits of cardstock around beneath the camera.

We achieved the eye-popping colors using florescent ink under an ultraviolet light mounted inside a cardboard box. We laid out the figures at the bottom of the box and mounted the camera on top. My shooting sessions achieved a certain rhythm: move the figures, step onto the stool, click the camera, step down, move the figures, step up, click the camera, step down... Time slowed for me as five seconds of motion became four hours of shooting, and all the while I'm wondering - what will this look like when I play it back? I was always amazed when the individual shots came to life. Just like they say in those Disney "how animation works" documentaries - it's magic!

We put lots of fun details and references into the story, so we think it bears repeated viewing. In fact we can't stop watching it ourselves, though we may be a bit biased. See if you can recognize some of the dance moves Lisa choreographed!

Many thanks to my Patreon patrons, whose contributions help keep us going!

If you like, please click "like" and share with your friends. Thanks!

Halloween Madness by Monty Harper

New Options on FlyingSpaghettiMusic.com

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 09:34:00 -0500

FlyingSpaghettiMusic.com

Some of you know I've been releasing new songs under the label "Flying Spaghetti Music" via the crowd-funding platform Patreon. The closest analogy I can think of is it's like a subscription service. You pledge $1 or more per song, then you automatically get each new song delivered to your inbox. Patreon charges you only when there's a new song available.

I've been experimenting with this, posting songs about once every month or two. (Below is a YouTube playlist of the songs I've released to date.)

So far I'm loving it. My Patreon patrons are supporting me for a total of $81/song right now. It's not a lot of money, but it feels great to know that I have people waiting and excited to hear the next song I record.

If I can get my total up to $350/song, I'll start to break even on my recording costs. If I can get it up to the $1500 - 2500 range, I could start shifting my main source of income from performing to recording.

Not that I want to give up performing altogether, but having the option to lean more on recording would be a dream come true for me. It would mean a more predictable and steady income, less stress, and more time for my creative work, especially writing new songs. It would also help my work reach a larger, more wide-spread audience.

Patreon allows artists to set up a rewards structure, incentivizing patrons to pledge more than the minimum. I recently polled my patrons and found out that they didn't care about most of the rewards I was offering. Their typical motivation is to help bring more of the sorts of songs I make into the world. One more reason to love Patreon!

The rewards they did care about were related to getting the music. So my new options are focused there.

Patreon suggests that $1, $3, and $5 are the most common pledge amounts. So I wanted to make the $5 level a no-brainer.

For $3/song, I offer a download package with the new song plus some extras. For $5/song I'm throwing in a CD download of your choice from my back catalog. That's $5 for a new song, bonus material, and an entire CD. I think it's a great deal. We'll see if I get any takers!

I'd love to have you on board! You'd probably buy my music anyway at some point, right? :-)

FlyingSpaghettiMusic.com

Kimberly to the Rescue...

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Mon, 3 Aug 2015 15:12:00 -0500

Okay, here you go... Old site on top, thanks to Kimberly Chapman, who knows how to find things. (Nothing on the web is gone forever, I should know better than that!) And.. the new site on the bottom. Don't tell me which you like better. The new one is better. It just is.

Brand New Website

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Mon, 3 Aug 2015 14:29:00 -0500

Darn - I didn't take a screenshot of the old website, and now it's gone forever. I'm unexpectedly emotional about that. I keep reloading the page but for now it just says "coming soon." Dealing with my nerves by writing to you.

It's the end of an era for me. I learned html back when the World Wide Web was a brand new fad, so I could make my own website. I was one of the very first children's musicians to have one (if not the first - sure, let's just say I was the first, why not?) Back then it was mostly text formatting, and if you included a photo, you had to wait and watch it load in one pixel at a time (practically).

Over the past twenty or so I've kept my own site updated, including porting it to different formats and different hosts, but it's all been my own doing. Yes, the thing had grown into a sprawling mess, but it was my mess.

But over the past few years the technology has left me behind. These days your site needs to be responsive, so it can re-shape itself for iphone screens, and that kind of programming is beyond me.

So... I've entrusted my new website to HostBaby's Site Builder system. It limits me in what I can do, but that also forces me to simplify, simplify, simplify. I'm still "doing my own site" in a way - but now I'm in charge of content and they are largely handling the format and look with their automated system.

Bad news is - all my old files will disappear. I have them all backed up, but things like old podcast episodes will no longer be available. Over time I can replace and repair those links, wherever they may be (iTunes, my blogs, etc.), but my online presence is a sprawling mess, so I'm sure someone somewhere will click on an old file of mine and find it missing every day from now until the end of time, leaving many people slightly annoyed and infinitesimally disappointed. What a legacy.

The good news is - HostBaby makes it really easy to employ music on your site, so there is music music everywhere. If you want to spend a day listening to everything I've ever recorded (nearly) - you can do so now, straight from my website. Also, it should be a lot easier for me to keep things updated, and that, in theory, will create more time for me to post here on my blog.

A...nd, there it is! My new site is live now. Old one is gone forever. On we go...

MontyHarper.com

Pet Rock

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 15:19:00 -0600

What do your pets long to do in the middle of the night when the moon shines blue? Crank out some old-school rock n roll music, of course!

My brand new song, "Pet Rock," is now available on YouTube, CDBaby, and iTunes!

This is the first of many songs to be released through FlyingSpaghettiMusic.com, a new venture powered by Patreon. At Patreon you can help support my music-making by pledging to pay $1 per song as new songs are released.

I'm really excited about "Pet Rock!" - it's one of the best-sounding songs I've recorded, owing its awesomeness to an unlikely collection of talented musicians who never set foot in the same room together!

The story begins with a surprise visit from fellow children's artist, Mr. Billy, a rock guitar virtuoso. When he came to Oklahoma this past August and offered to spend some time recording, I felt like a kid in a candy shop, but with only one quarter, because we only had time for one song!

I didn't have to think hard about which song to tackle. I'd had this song in mind for him for years. "Pet Rock" was inspired by my neighbor's dogs keeping me up at night - I imagined they thought they were performing rock n roll music. The song has a raucous kind of an Elvis-y vibe and I knew Mr. Billy was the perfect person to help me do it up right.

Next I brought Mr. Billy's tracks along on a client session at Bell Labs in Norman, hoping we'd find a bit of extra time. Sure enough Trent Bell, the engineer there, was able to squeeze in a session with drummer Nathan Harwell. They synced right up with Mr. Billy’s guitars to give the song a rock solid beat.

I told Billy about the drum session and somehow finagled him into adding a bass track for me from his home studio in Appleton, Wisconsin. Billy used his U-bass - an electric bass ukulele, if you can wrap your brain around that - which sounds a bit like an upright. He said it was the best bass performance he’d ever recorded. No doubt! It’s playful and confident, perfect for the tune!

Oklahoma visual artist Julie Plant provided all the whimsical figures you see in the video. Her dog playing the saxophone made me realize that I really needed a sax part to round out the arrangement. So I turned last minute to my friend Chris Wiser, AKA funky keyboardist “Boom” of the Sugar Free Allstars. I happen to know Chris is also a teacher and player of many reed instruments. His sax parts put the final sizzling touch to the mix.

Speaking of which, for mixing and mastering I called upon children’s music producer James Coffey of Blue Vision Music. It’s great to get a fresh pair of ears in for the final phase of a project, especially one with Jim’s prodigious experience and know-how. Jim's final mix rocks! I think you’re gonna dig it!

Many thanks to my Patreon patrons at FlyingSpaghettiMusic.com - your support makes new recordings possible!

Wiggle Out Loud

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 21:37:00 -0500

Yesterday was the second "Wiggle Out Loud" children's music festival in Oklahoma City. We are lucky to have this in our state - it's the only major children's music festival that's free to attend, and it includes great local, regional, and national acts! I was privileged to start things off, then Lisa, Evalyn, and I enjoyed the rest of the day taking in all the great music, food and activities. Lisa took a lot of photos, so feast your eyes...

I got to kick things off!

I had a great little crowd - enough kids to have fun, but not so much there wasn't room to run around. During "Big Red Fire Truck" kids went "racing to the rescue."

That's Evalyn in the lower right, overseeing the fire truck races.

Going "Roundy Round!"

The Tyrannosaur Crunch!

Next up were the Doo Dads from Kansas City. Ken here on the keyboard was a childhood friend of mine. Weird we'd both end up performing music at the same festival!

Heidi Swedberg gave a rollicking wacky performance with the Sukey Jump Band. Say, isn't that Susan from Seinfeld? Yes. Yes it is. But she has given up the glamour of TV sitcoms in favor of her true calling - singing for kids!

"The Boogy Man" came out to dance during one of Heidi's songs. That's actually our buddy Brady Shattan, A.K.A. "Mini Elvis," under that ragmop.

The toddlers were drawn to the fountain for some relief from the heat. Actually the weather was quite pleasant, but they were still drawn to the fountain.

Adam & Kizzie from OKC are new to the children's music thing. A highlight of their set for me was their fantastic rendition of "Three Little Pigs" in song form.

Chris "Boom" Wiser, the mastermind behind this festival, and one half of the Sugar Free Allstars.

Rob "Dr. Rock" Martin, the other half, laying down a funky beat.

Boom & Dr. Rock brought several guests up to share the stage, including "Mini Elvis..."

... and one of the Choo Choo dancers from Disney Jr. Later he performed with Genevieve Goings, but we had to head home just as they were getting started. School night for Evalyn and all.

Haysville, KS and McConnell AFB

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 16:04:00 -0500

Yesterday and today we did two shows in the Wichita, KS area - one at Haysville and one at McConnell AFB.

At the Haysville Library

"This is the sun..." at Haysville

Roundy Round

Longhorn "Cattle"ac on the way home from Haysville.

At McConnell AFB

"Hadrosaur Hoot"

"Tyrannosaur Crunch"

Kindercares in Norman

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 20:29:00 -0500

This morning I performed for two Kindercare groups in Norman. I got to test out my new "Burglar Babysitter" song with both groups. It's a long one, but it definitely held their attention! Daycare shows are fun and spontaneous. I hope I get to do more!

Metro Library System Tour

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 20:22:00 -0500

Last week was our amazing tour of the Metro Library System in OKC! I had eleven shows scheduled over five days. Lisa was able to come with me four of those days. Friday I was on my own while Lisa drove to Arkansas to pick up the daughter from band camp. Hence, no photos - sorry! All the shows went really well. I think you can see from the photos that we all had a blast...

"Spring your sharpened claws!" at Southern Oaks

"Working on the mystery..."

"... of life's history" at Southern Oaks

After the show.

Midwest City evening progrm

"Spring those sharpened claws"

"This is the sun..."

Roundy Round!

Ralph Ellison - "I'm gonna play my nose like a kazoo!"

"Belly Like a Bongo"

"Acrocanthosaurus"

Kids lined up after the show to take a strum on my guitar.

Luther - they have the greatest theater at the high school! If you want to see a Neighborhood Arts program in comfort, see it at Luther!

Del City - "Show me your claws!"

"This is the sun shining down on Earth..."

"This is the wind blowing in..."

Roundy Round!

Choctaw - "Acrocanthosaurus"

"This is the generator..."

With the adult day care group - fun to have them in the audience!!

Edmond - "Belly Like a Bongo"

Cute!

"Catch the reading bug - Nya nya nya nya nya"

"Silly Song" prairie dogs

Mouth full of bear hair!

"This is the sun..."

Roundy Round!

Alva

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Tue, 1 Jul 2014 15:39:00 -0500

Two great shows at the Alva library yesterday! Lisa and I were sans child so Lisa snuck in these photos herself in between advancing the slides.

"Shake your spiny back bone..."

"Spring your sharpened claw..."

Bat Man - flap those wings!

"Roundy Round!"

Wilburton and McAlester

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:20:00 -0500

This week we were in Wilburton and McAlester. On Monday - Alva!

The Wilburton library proudly features many metalic prehistoric creatures!

The program room in Wilburton with its "Wild About Books" carpet!

"Spring your sharpened claws!"

"Freeze! - See if you can keep completely still..."

My first audience at McAlester included many very young ones, so did some "just for fun" songs I haven't performed yet this summer, including "Belly Like a Bongo," and "Silly Song."

"I'm gonna play my nose like a kazoo!"

"Electricity!"

"Roundy Round"

"Triceratops Bop"

Get this - while I was singing "The Cat Came Back," a stray yellow cat wandered into the library. Anita picked her up and brought her to the front of the room to show her off!

Talking with some fans from Stillwater after the show.

It's the reading bug!

The second show was even more fun than the first, only - the cat didn't come back. :( This photo shows "Roundy Round" with partners!

Andover and Andale, KS

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 22:29:00 -0500

(Repairing original post from 6/22/14) Here are photos from our trip to Andover and Andale, Kansas last week. Thanks to Evalyn for taking photos during the shows! My reminder to take out the trash popped up over the slideshow in the middle of the Andover program! Thank you Apple IOS for syncing reminders to all my devices without me even having to ask. Other than that we had two great shows!

Coming up next - Wilburton and McAlester.

Andover Children's Area

Kicking off the show in Andover, KS

Ready to be dinosaurs in Andover, KS

Outside the Andale Library

Bat Man at Andale, KS

Wind Energy at Andale, KS

That's Lisa in front, operating the slide show.

Derby, KS

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 12:44:00 -0500

(Repairing original post from 6/18/14) Great day yesterday in Derby, KS!

We saw this driving through town! A TARDIS mailbox in somebody's front yard. I'll bet they get the most interesting mail.

My first audience - it was a packed house!

"Bat Man"

"Roundy Round" during the second show. We had a great group of kids and parents and I was able to do a lot more interacting with the kids!

"Roundy Round" with a partner.

In the afternoon I did a songwriting workshop with teens.

A quick example to show how to take an idea and turn it into "song language" while avoiding the dreaded rhyme trap.

Ada

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 15:51:00 -0500

I performed in Ada Thursday. We've lost count of how many summers in a row I've been part of Ada's program. At least 15! I so appreciate having places like this where we feel right at home!

Evalyn and Lisa came with me. This is one of the libraries Evalyn looks forward to visiting each year. Lisa was busy advancing slides during the show, and running the sales table after, so Evalyn came over and took some pics of me with the kids afterward.

Then we went over to check out the Blue Moon Cafe for lunch, and had some delicious fried green tomatoes!

This week - three libraries in Kansas: Derby, Andover, and Andale.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Blue Moon Cafe

Mustang, Duncan, Perkins, Meeker

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 20:54:00 -0500

Our first four programs of the summer have already come and gone! The rest of my summer schedule is here: http://www.montyharper.com/Schedule.html

I went to Mustang on my own last Thursday the 29th and helped kick their summer program off with the Sugar Free All-Stars! Lisa and Evalyn travelled with me to Duncan on the 5th for a jam-packed performance and a songwriting workshop that afternoon with the teens. Today Lisa and I visited Perkins and Meeker for two more jam-packed shows!

The theme this summer is science! I'm pleased to be able to present my "Songs From the Science Frontier" program at the libraries! The songs were inspired by conversations with scientists about their research, and I present them along with a slideshow that allows me to introduce the kids to the scientists and their work and lets the audience follow along with lyrics on screen. So far I've had a great response. It's going to be a fun summer!!

Lisa has been advancing the slides when she can be with me, so her photo-taking opportunities are limited. Still she's done a fantastic job grabbing some memorable moments with the camera. Enjoy!

Great crowd at Duncan!

An audience member at Duncan helps demonstrate the moves for "Bat Man."

"Roundy Round" in Duncan.

Posing after the workshop in Duncan. The pirate costume was from a recent trip to Disney!

Snap those toothy jaws in Perkins!

Roundy Round in Perkins

Doing the Stegasaur Swing, Perkins.

"Let me hear you roar!" Perkins.

Seizmosaur Stomp, Perkins.

"Spring those sharpened claws" in Meeker

Healthy Living

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Tue, 1 Apr 2014 11:59:00 -0500

Fourth and fifth graders at Will Rogers Elementary wrote these songs with help from Monty Harper during a recent residency, made possible by the Oklahoma Arts Council. The songs were inspired by the City of Stillwater's Healthy Living campaign.

Please listen and vote for your favorite below! The class who wrote the winning song will get to make their song into a video!

You can see last year's winning song video here!

Want to support my songwriting with kids and help me provide extras like this for all the kids I work with? Become a Patron!

Click a triangle to listen. Click a song title to open a page with lyrics.

Vote below. Vote for as many songs as you like. Vote up to one time per day. Tell your friends! Deadline: Friday April 18 at midnight Central time.

Healthy Living by Monty Harper and will Rogers Elementary 4th and 5th graders, Fall 2013 Healthy Living by Monty Harper and will Rogers Elementary 4th and 5th graders, Fall 2013 Healthy Living by Monty Harper and will Rogers Elementary 4th and 5th graders, Fall 2013 Healthy Living by Monty Harper and will Rogers Elementary 4th and 5th graders, Fall 2013 Healthy Living by Monty Harper and will Rogers Elementary 4th and 5th graders, Fall 2013 Healthy Living by Monty Harper and will Rogers Elementary 4th and 5th graders, Fall 2013

First Unitarian Church Fall Fair, OKC

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 07:48:00 -0500

Last Saturday I had a fun time performing outdoors for the First Unitarian Church in Oklahoma City. It was chilly in the shade so we set up in the last sunny spot as the sun went down behind the building. All other activities, games, and bounce house paused so people could gather for the show (which I very much appreciate!) I sang an impromptu song about a penguin on the refrigerator as suggested by one young audience member who came up between songs to make his request. I don't know if he had an existing song in mind - if so, now there are two! It was nice to have Lisa and Evalyn along; they don't always get to come with me during the school year. Lisa took some great photos. Here they are...

Roundy Round

I'm gonna play my nose like a kazoo!

Lisa loves to capture me with a goofy look on my face while I'm singing.

See what I mean?

New Science CD Underway

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Wed, 4 Sep 2013 21:16:00 -0500

I've started working on my next CD! It will be a follow-up to Songs From the Science Frontier.

Right now I'm making demo recordings of the songs and starting to raise funds for the studio recording and manufacturing. The general plan is to try and raise $2,000 or so for manufacturing through sales of my current CDs between now and December. (So please buy CDs for your friends and family - they make great Christmas gifts!)

Sometime around October/November we'll run a Kickstarter-type campaign to raise the money needed for studio recording. We're planning a lot of fun stuff in the meantime, and would love for you to be involved!

What kinds of prizes / rewards would you like have a chance to earn? Please take this very quick and fun survey, or post a comment. Thanks!

Wiggle Out Loud

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Tue, 3 Sep 2013 22:33:00 -0500

Oklahoma's first ever day-long kindie music event, Wiggle Out Loud, was a sensation! I was given the honor of kicking the whole thing off and I had a nice little crowd to sing for. Thanks everyone who came out to see me!!!!

Kudos to Chris Wiser of the Sugar Free Allstars, the driving force behind the event! He introduced me as the "Grandfather of Children's Music in Oklahoma." Later he claimed that he meant to say "Godfather." I'm not sure how much difference there is. Point being, I was doing children's music before any of these other upstarts!

The most amazing meeting occurred just before my program. A dad and daughter whom I had never met before came up to say hi. As it turns out, I had heard the girl Willow's voice calling in a question on a podcast just the day before. The podcast is produced in California, so I never expected to meet anyone connected with it at a show in Oklahoma! But what's more, she was having a similar experience, because my voice was also in that very same podcast episode! I'm talking about Aaron's World Episode 35 - Meridian. Willow asked for her favorite of my songs, "Acrocanthosaurs!" Of course I played it for her and she joined me on stage. Very cool!

Lisa and I spent the rest of the day watching our vocational grandchildren show off their musical prowess. Children's music sure has come a long way! Secret Agent 23 Skidoo and his daughter MC Fireworks blew me away with their smart and meaningful children's rap. And the Verve Pipe were just flat-out awesome!

All the acts did a great job, of course, and the audiences were fantastic. It was amazing to play at a festival where the people came to hear great family music. (As opposed to being an add-on to whatever the main idea is, which is the usual festival situation.)

Lisa took some photos, below - I guess she has a natural bias toward photos of me! Who can blame her? I did take one shot myself of the Verve Pipe drummer. They let kids come up on stage and beat on the drum kit during the last song. When I approached the stage to take a photo I wasn't sure if I'd get a clear shot, there was such a huge crowd of photographers already there. I guess it's just not something you see at every concert!

Oh, and the last photo is me with ten-year-old Elvis impersonator Brady Shattan! Yes, you read right. The kid is a ball of fire! He wants to be a children's musician when he grows up. Ha, ha - me too!

On Stage

Big Red Fire Truck

"Spring Your Sharpened Claw"

Roundy Round

Fans

Verve Pipe drummer surrounded by kids, all bashing his drums during the last song of their set, "I'm a Believer"

With Brady Shattan, aka "Mini Elvis"

Name-Your-Price Downloads for my Birthday!

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 13:41:00 -0500

It's my birthday!

I'm celebrating with name-your-own-price downloads for 48 hours on my BandCamp page!   The music you'll find there includes:

• Songs From the Science Frontier + two additional science songs
• Halloween Madness
• Reading Songs Volume I + additional reading songs
• Talk Like a Pirate Day
• All my residency songs, written with 4th and 5th graders

Proceeds will kick off the fund for recording my next science CD!!

Please download some free music - I want you to! - and share with your friends. Thanks!!

(Sale ends Aug 23 at 10 AM CST)

Last Summer Program - Clearwater, KS

monty@montyharper.com (Monty Harper) — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 23:05:00 -0500

Hard to believe that today was our last library program for the summer! It's been a great summer! Thanks to everyone who came out to see a show, and to all the libraries who hired me to perform! Hopefully we'll see you again next year!!

Lisa and I were on our own today while Evalyn stayed with grandma so she could do art camp and a swim lesson. We had a super show at the library in Clearwater, KS! Then we headed over to McConnell Air Force Base where I sang for nearly an hour to a group of energetic five-and-unders. Both the shows were so much fun! More days like today, please!

Our camera batteries gave out, but not before Lisa managed to grab a few photos at Clearwater. At McConnell she had to resort to her iPhone. Here they are, enjoy...

Nearly all the kids wanted to come up for the dinosaur song, and it was a small crowd, so I decided they could have the stage and I would sing from the audience. I don't often get to see the back of my own head. Hmmm...

This is at McConnell AFB. During "Library Bookaneers" we formed a line and marched around the room!