Upcoming Performances for Children

Wow!   The month of May is upon us and we are gearing up for some great children's performances in the Des Moines area.  I hope to see you and your family out and about to do the "Criss Cross Applesauce" with us....  :)  

Here are some of our upcoming events...  see you there!

• Wednesday, May 4th - Come out and get your "wiggles and giggles" on at Simply for Giggles in the East Village at 11 a.m.   We're celebrating a CD release party of "Criss Cross Applesauce" and need your voices there for a great sing along and interactive children's music!

• Saturday, May 7th - come on out to the YESS Duck Derby at Jordan Creek - we'll be playing music from 12-2 out by the pond, and get "quackin" before the duck race starts in the afternoon.  Proceeds from the Duck Derby benefit the children of YESS (the Youth Emergency Shelter and Services)

• Friday, May 13th - time to participate in Fun Friday, a great family music making and sing along event, starting at 10 a.m. at KangarooBoo in Valley Junction.   Looking forward to the "Pitter Patter of itty bitty babies and toddlers feet" at this event, as we play more of our originals from our children's CD, "Criss Cross Applesauce" which KangarooBoo is now carrying in their store!

• Saturday, May 14th - the Downtown Farmer's Market -- help us kick off the spring season for the Downtown Farmer's Market from 7 a.m. - 12 p.m. with great music to entertain your family!

• Sunday, May 29th - Every Family Rocks!   This is Des Moines premier music festival for families, to benefit Employee and Family Resources (EFR).   Our entire Formey family will be performing at this event from 1- 2 p.m., along with other headliners Justin Roberts, the Battersby Duo, and  They Might Be Giants.   Check us our family's music at:    http://www.everyfamilyrocks.org/

"Criss Cross Applesauce"

This has really been a truly amazing week!   "Criss Cross Applesauce" was completed & ready for pick up.  The first 300 copies have been made, and I'm currently in the process of taking orders right now.   The most amazing part of this process is how children are responding to the music.   It was so sweet to walk into Uncle Sam's Childcare Center today and hear the music playing in the infant room as I entered the center.   When I dropped my son off in the Pre-K room, little children were dancing to one of the songs on our CD also.   This week at "Simply for Giggles" the children there responded so well to "Criss Cross Applesauce,"  "Pitter Patter" and "Little Red Barn."   It's an exciting time, and I can only imagine what God has in store for this dream of mine to leave a legacy for my family and for countless children that will hopefully enjoy the music from this CD.   I feel truly blessed!

Hello Around the World!   Literally.... over the past week I have been traveling to Oxford, London, Antwerp, Brussels and Paris for my training job.   It is interesting to see another part of the world and how my European friends interact with each other.   While I am here on business, I am listening to the children's CD my family is producing and getting ready to release this spring.   It gives me a taste of home, and makes me happy to hear my children's beautiful voices singing.   I can't wait to finish the mixing and mastering process, and see what the final product sounds like.  It's been a great labor of love, and something I've always wanted to do to leave a legacy to my children and countless others that I have taught through the years.

 

The following song is fast becoming one of my favorites on the CD.  It's called, "Hello Around the World" and seems only appropriate that I share it with you during a week that I am traveling to a new place in the world.   Enjoy!

Hello Around the World

By: Denise Forney

Oh, the world is becoming a smaller place
Everywhere we go

Anywhere that we might travel

We can say “hello”

We say, “Hola” (repeat - Oh-lah) to my friends in Spanish

We say, “Bonjour” (repeat - bohn-zhoor) to my friends in French

We say, “Hejsan” (repeat - HEY-sun) to my friends in Swedish

We say, “Ni hao” (repeat - nee how) to my friends in Chinese

Oh, the world is becoming a smaller place
Everywhere we go

Anywhere that we might travel

We can say “hello”

We say, “Jambo” (repeat – JAHM-boh) to my friends in Swahili

We say, “Aloha” (repeat – Aloha to my friends in Hawaiian

We say “Konnichiwa” (repeat Ko-nee-chee-wa) to my friends in Japanese

We say, “Czesc” (repeat - Chesht) to my friends in Polish

Oh, the world is becoming a smaller place
Everywhere we go

Anywhere that we might travel

We can say “hello”

We say “Annyong” (repeat – ahn-yohng) to my friends in Korean                                         

We say “Privet” (repeat – preev-YET) to my friends in Russian                                 

We say “Namaste” (repeat nah-MUS-stay) to my friends in Hindi
and “Shalom) (repeat sha-lome) to my friends in Hebrew

Oh, the world is becoming a smaller place
Everywhere we go

Anywhere that we might travel

We can say “hello” 
We can say "hello"

Ready for Kindergarten!

Yes, I have a new 5 year old!   My baby boy, Jacob turned five this past week... and he is ready to take on the world!   His language skills have just exploded in the past month and he is talking all the time... and starting to "read!"   Listen in on Jacob's version of "Five Little Monkeys:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz2g4E4TpAM

So yes, Jacob is starting to read, he can write his name, he's even showing in starting to tie his shoes!  whoo-hoo!   So in honor of all these achievements, we've written a song called "Ready for Kindergarten."  This will be released on the CD that's coming out in the spring.   Jacob sings lead on the song, and does a great job... you will have to listen for him.... it's great!


Ready for Kindergarten

By:  Denise Forney

I’ve learned to zip my coat

I’ve learned to tie my shoes

I can do it myself

Yeah, I know what to do

I’m a big kid now – and I’m ready for Kindergarten!

I can write my name

And all my ABC’s

I can count real far,

I know my 1, 2, 3’s

I’m a big kid now – and I’m ready for Kindergarten!

(Chorus)

I’ve been waiting for this day the whole entire year

I can hardly believe that it is finally here

So let’s scream and shout, it’s time to celebrate

I’m going to Kindergarten and it’s going to be great!

Yeah!...(yeah!)  Yeah!...(yeah!)

Yeah! - (yeah!) Yeah! - (yeah!)  Yeah! 

(Verse 2)

I’ve got all my supplies

Yep, they’re in my back pack

Got my crayons and glue

And yes, I got my snack

I’m a big kid now – and I’m ready for Kindergarten!

I give a kiss to my mom

I give a hug to my dad

They’re so proud of me

I know they’re happy and sad

That I’m a big kid now – and I’m ready for Kindergarten!

(Chorus)

I’ve been waiting for this day the whole entire year

I can hardly believe that it is finally here

So let’s scream and shout, it’s time to celebrate

I’m going to Kindergarten and it’s going to be great!

Yeah!...(yeah!)  Yeah!...(yeah!)

Yeah! - (yeah!) Yeah! - (yeah!)  Yeah! 

The Recording Experience

Wow!  I have a newfound appreciation for recording artists and engineers everywhere, as we have now been in the recording studio the past few days of our Christmas break with the three kids laying down the tracks for our children's CD of "Polka Dot, Plaid and Paisley."   It is a lot of work to put it all together, but we are sure having fun while we're doing it!  I had no idea what to expect when we went into the music studio to record.   The first process includes laying down acoustic guitar tracks to all 14 songs I've written with my family, then adding in our engineer PJ's bass guitar and drums to add dimension to the music.   Next we started adding layers of vocals:  Denise's vocals to all the tracks, Rachel and Kaitlyn (who sing on thirteen of the tracks) and Jacob, who is included on five of the tracks.   PJ's attention to detail is outstanding, and the kids enthusiasm for this project makes it all worthwhile.   When Jacob sings the lyrics to "Criss Cross Applesauce" it really melts your heart.   Especially when he gets to the part that includes, "I know I should be still and sit on the carpet.... criss cross, applesauce, hands in my lap....   but it's hard as can be, when you are only three.... harder than taking a nap!"

Looking forward to listening in on the editing and mixing process for the remainder of the week... then we'll be ready for mastering of the CD.   Thanks for following along on this journey with us.   I have a dream that there will be countless children, families, and childcare centers touched by this music.   Just doing this with my children alone has been worth the adventure!

Ready to Record!

Tomorrow's the big day...  I have the day off from work and the kids have the day off from school... so we are going to take advantage and have our first experience in the recording studio working on our original music from the children's CD called "Polka Dot, Plaid and Paisley."   I am thrilled that Rachel (almost 10), Kaitlyn (7 1/2), and Jacob, (almost 5) are a huge part of this project and will be singing the songs along with their mom.

This is so exciting, as there are now 14 solid songs that I think are going to lend themselves well for children's music.

The songs I've been writing with my family include:

• Polka-Dot, Plaid & Paisley
• Hello Around the World
• Please and Thank You
• Pitter Pitter Patter
• Seasons Change
• Clean Up
• Snips & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails
• Yoga Song
• Criss Cross Applesauce
• The Recycle Song
• Little Red Barn
• Monster Under My Bed
• Ready for Kindergarten
• Tic Tac Toe, X's and O's

Looking forward to this big adventure with my kids... can't wait to leave this legacy with them!

The Yoga Song

One of my son's Pre-K teachers, Jamie Moore suggested that I add a song to my list of children's music that focuses on yoga.   I thought that was an excellent idea, as I include "Yoga Pretzels" into the curriculum on occasion, to teach the value of exercise and relaxation to children.

So we started our yoga session today with a new song, called "It's Yoga Time."   The children really seemed to respond well to the words, the music, and the yoga actions we put together with the song.   I'm always amazed how little 2-5 year olds can absorb and understand at such a young age!    I'm hoping to make this song part of our ongoing ritual whenever we practice yoga.    I also hope this will be a great song of relaxation and peacefulness when it is added to the recording of upcoming children's songs we put on our CD.

Here are the lyrics:

It’s yoga time  –  it’s yoga time.   I’m so happy to exercise (repeat)

Take a deep breath – now let it out

Close your eyes – calm your body down

Let’s exercise and make our bodies stronger

Reach for your tippy toes – Bend and stretch

Relax your shoulders, arms and neck

Let’s exercise and make our bodies stronger

It’s yoga time  –  it’s yoga time.   I’m so happy to exercise (repeat)

Put your hands together – up toward the sky

Breathe in deeply – now let out a sigh

Let’s exercise and make our bodies stronger

Air in through your nose – Breathing in deep

Let it out slowly – you’re almost asleep!

It’s yoga time, let’s make our bodies stronger