A Mind of Your Own

 

A Mind of Your Own. Performed by The Bright Siders. CD. Approx. 39 min. Smithsonian Folk Ways Recordings. 2021. CD: $20.00. Ages 5—10.

The brain child of Kristin Andreassen, songwriter, and Kari Groff, MD, child psychiatrist, and ten years in the making, this album’s goal is to help children connect to their emotions. An excellent line up of vocalists  perform the 11 original songs, some featuring lovely harmonies: The War & Treaty, Kristin Andreassen, Ed Helms, Kaia Kater, Oh Pep!, Gaby Moreno, Joey Ryan, Gabe Witcher, Zara Bode, Aaron Jonah Lewis, and Punch Brothers. In addition several children add their enthusiastic voices to the songs. The instrumentalists perform with excellence on various guitars, bass, mellotron, fiddle, banjo, violin, mandolin, organ, piano, drums and percussion. Bluegrass, pop, classic rock, and hard rock are only a few of the musical styles performed. Eight brief spoken skits introduce some of the songs. “The Song About Songs” explains that what makes a song a song is that you sing it and feel good. When children are having “The Mad Day,” they learn to calm down by taking deep breaths, letting them out slow, and letting the anger go. “Sad Is Not Forever” advises children to do something they think is fun to chase away the lonely blues. Make new friends while keeping the old “Forever Friends.” When you feel left out and excluded, “You Do You,” because you are cool anyway. “Vamos a Jugar” features a Spanish speaker and an English speaker sharing with each other the names of playground equipment in each language. Although life may seem like “Jumping Through Hoops,” you can always come out the other side. “Oops! I Made a Mistake” and can’t get it out of my brain. “The Moon & the Stars & Me” are watching over the world until the sun comes back. “Bully This” explains that bullies are not brave or cool, and that you are not their walking mat. The album ends with a reprise of “The Song About Songs.” The accompanying booklet includes activities that parents can do with their children that relate to each song, making this album an excellent resource for parents; while the appealing, catchy songs and skits will be enjoyed by both generations.

Website: https://www.thebrightsiders.com/