Me and good friend and Master Teaching Artist Sue Trainor.

This week we’ll be rolling out a new once-monthly segment called smARTbeats, featuring Teaching Artists on the Young Audiences of Maryland roster. Listeners will learn about the artists’ work, arts integration, and how the arts can reach students in the classroom. I’m a Teaching Artist with Young Audiences and Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts and I’ve seen first-hand the positive effects the arts can have when applied to the curriculum in schools. I like to say it lends a certain “stickiness” to what children learn. It’s fascinating, and I think listeners will find my conversations with these artists worthwhile, especially parents and kids here in Maryland. Our first artist is Master Teaching Artist Sue Trainor.

Our Adult Kids this week are none other than They Might Be Giants who I think are great examples of musicians who straddle the fence between adult and kid music. Besides their over fourteen recordings for adults, TMBG have released five CDs for kids, all of which have been certified gold. Today, we’ll hear “Elephants” featuring Danny Weinkauf (coming to WTMD’s Saturday Morning Tunes on May 20th), and the oldie but goodie kid-friendly “Istanbul”

Thanks to Galler for the great recommendation of Simon Panrucker – I love his manic hi-energy kid-friendly tunes. And as always, a big shout-out to Sam Sessa, Young At Heart’s producer, for getting each show together in time and making it sound all shiny. If you have any song requests or suggestions, please write us: [email protected]

Best,
Lisa

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST:

Walking With Spring – The Okee Dokee Brothers
Saturday In the Park – Chicago
Fruit Song – Simon Panrucker
Peaches – Presidents of the United States
Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
Moon Star Pie – Lisa Loeb
Moonbeam – Nilsson
Man On the Moon – REM
The Tale of Mr. Morton – Skee-Lo
Litta Bitta You – Andrew & Polly

SmARTbeats: Interview with Sue Trainor
God Danced (the Day You Were Born)
It’s Electric

Adult Kids: They Might Be Giants
Elephants
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)