The new album

My interest in Zanes and his music is of course an extension of my fascination with fun language learning, and the planning that is going into Little Pim’s CD project. What’s really great about ¡Nueva York! in particular, for both existing fans and those new to Dan Zanes, is his decision to use the album as an opportunity to work with many talented artists and musicians, including Barbara Brousal, an accomplished vocalist and frequent Zanes collaborator who taught Spanish at St. Anne’s grade school for nine years and may very well be the Spanish singer on our Little Pim CD. We are so thrilled at the prospect of working with such a talented musician on our project. But until our CD is ready, I suggest sampling ¡Nueva York! For Parents trying to teach their kids Spanish, this is a lively creative selection to add to the mix. Hasta pronto!

Dan Zanes

Kids' band Milkshake showers an audience with a "Bottle of Sunshine."

Last Saturday afternoon, Emmett and I went to see the kids’ band Milkshake perform at the new 92nd Street Y in Tribeca. Milkshake has been a longtime favorite in our household. Their line about “goat stew” in the song “Breakfast Time” makes Emmett collapse in fits of laughter. When I started thinking about putting together a music CD to complement the Little Pim series, Lisa Matthews and her merry band were at the top of my crazy wish list. I felt like I had won the kiddie music jackpot when they recently agreed to work with Little Pim.

In the audience at the show, I was reminded of all the reasons Milkshake were my top choice as collaborators. They tend to be parents’ favorites in their kids’ music collection. Their songs are cheerful and contemporary, their lyrics a great balance of cutely cloaked lessons and unabashed silliness. The band exudes a contagious positive energy and has a unique understanding of how to capture childrens’ attention. On stage, dressed as a baseball player in a tutu, Lisa batted big blow up balls for kids to catch in the audience while playing “Baseball.” During “Bottle of Sunshine,” she held up a big plastic bottle and showered the kids with thousands of squares of yellow confetti – a little kid’s dream.

Lisa Matthews and Co. play "Baseball" for the kids.

At one point Lisa addressed the audience saying, “Our drummer can count to ten in Spanish. Can anyone in the audience count to ten in other languages?” I was astounded at the number of little hands that flew up around me. Emmett was chosen to count in French, and another child in the audience rattled off one-to-ten in Spanish. A two-and-a-half year old behind me counted to ten in Chinese, effortlessly. I even heard shouts of Korean numbers, recognizing them from when I used to watch Emmett’s tae-kwon-do class yell them out together during their push-ups: “Ha-na, tul, set!”

I later joked with Lisa, asking her if she threw this element into the show for my benefit. Of course, multiculturalism is a big part of Milkshake’s winning formula, and it’s a big part of the reason I am excited and honored to work with them in the near future.