Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Bathtub 2.0

I guess six months is just about long enough. I'm back baby! A lot has transpired in the time since this spring when I needed to take a break from writing Singing in the Bathtub to focus on 1) a new album release, Making Silly Faces 2) an East Coast tour 3) an appearance on WERS radio in Boston 4) an appearance on NBC 6 in Miami 5) our giant CD Release Concert Spectacular 6) and our first West Coast concert ever in Alameda CA! (but that's not what this blog is all about I have another website for that)

One great insight I have gained about the world of kids' music, the fans who love it, and the bloggers who write about it is that there is so much MORE going on out there than I could have ever imagined. At one point I might have considered myself an expert, I would have assumed that I was privy to the best of what is out there for the wee ones, or that I had some sort of unique perspective to offer my faithful readers. I hope that people find this blog informative, entertaining, and perhaps even fun to read, but I have to tip my hat to those out there who do this with much more regularity and dedication.

Working with Elizabeth Waldman Frazier of Waldmania PR to promote
Making Silly Faces showed me just how many resources there are for parents who are searching for the ever-illusive "Kids' music that parents can enjoy too." I have sat down to reboot Singing in the Bathtub many times during this hiatus only to think to myself, 'Do I really need to add my voice to the fray? Am I really creating content that benefits the world of kids' music? Am I a good blog author if I can't post weekly or daily even (as some of the faithful do)? Am I honoring those artists who slave away at their craft only to send me a submission which I, sadly, my never get to review?' At some point I needed to get over myself and JUST DO IT! That point is now.

The answer to all these questions and all this self-doubt is simple: Great, independent artists are making new music each day, and still Kidzbop LLC keeps turning out lousy CD's which parents seem to gobble up like the musical equivalent of trans-fats and corn syrup! If I can turn on one family to an alternative source of quality music it's worth my time and effort. To reinvigorate my passion for writing about and reviewing kids music I decided to write a mission statement for
Singing in the Bathtub 2.0:

Mission Statement: Singing in the Bathtub is a blog dedicated to promoting, discussing and reviewing kids' music and media from the perspective of a fellow musician, a teacher and an advocate for early childhood education in it's best form.

Goals: I will post a minimum of 2 updates a month. I will listen to all submissions that I receive, but I must be selective in the reviews that I post. Every group or artist that sends me a submission will receive an email confirmation, and every submission that I review will be notified when it goes live. I do not write bad reviews, it's a waste of everyone's time and as everyone's mother used to say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"

So there you have it. A labor of love that was started over three years ago has begun anew. I look forward to discovering all that is new and great in this industry and can't wait to share it with you all. Now, to provide you with something more than my pontificating, here is a bit of Christmas cheer from Me and Tracey (and Lucy):




Kids' Quote of the Day: During an ear-training lesson in my afterschool program, one student took pride in echoing back a five note phrase in perfect pitch, "I've got great ear-sight you know!" ~Evie (age: 5)


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let me be the first to congratulate you for getting back to "blogging" and really making a difference! Merry Christmas, Mr. Nick!

Anne Deysher said...

Glad you're back! I love the kid quotes, too.