Sukey has created a wonderful collection of joyful holiday celebrations for families. The perfect soundtrack for a festive season with loved ones. Snow is Falling! has an impressive 18 tracks and includes a variety of beloved stories and songs. I got to chat with Sukey about the new project, her creative process, videos, and more in my latest edition of Beppie's Beats. Read on to learn more about Sukey!
You just released a brand new album called Snow is Falling! It's a wonderful collection of 18 songs that celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Can you tell us a bit about the project and what inspired it?
I’ve wanted to make a winter holiday cd for some time and finally did! I gave a winter concert a few years ago for families with children ages birth to six and because of the diversity in our community I decided to include songs for Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa. It was an amazing success and everyone in the audience sang and danced together as we celebrated all three holidays. It truly warmed my heart so I took the idea to my Grammy winner, Co-Producer Larry Alexander and he agreed! Your YouTube channel is full of fun videos and stories that use bright, unique mediums like felt animation. Do you pair all of your songs with animation? If not, how do you choose which ones get paired with visuals? Some of the videos are live action, like Sukey’s Circle! and others are felt art animation. I began creating images in felt while teaching in libraries and preschools and then developed stop action animations to accompany some of my songs. I enjoy creating animals in felt so many of the animations are paired up with songs that have animal themes. And for the new cd, Snow Is Falling! Songs for Christmas, Chanukah & Kwanzaa, I had fun making felt graphics for the album’s trailer as I did for the Adventures of Little Stubby cd which will come out as a picture book next year with Brandylane/Belle Isle Books!
How do you keep things new and exciting after working in the children's music industry for over 30 years? Where do you find inspiration for your songs?
I’ve actually been making music cds and videos since 2005 and have had an incredibly exciting time. The inspiration always comes from my interactions directly with children in my music and movement programs, and while performing. My background is in dance and developmental movement studies and I naturally observe how children move, learn and play. Each child's participation is the centerpiece of my inspiration. My songs have particular themes focused on developing new skills to help children experience the feeling of “I can!” What is your favorite part about making music for kids? I love music and grew up exposed to classical and folk music from childhood. The developing brain is naturally attracted to sound and rhythm and movement so music is a nourishing ‘food’ for children (and adults) everywhere. My favorite part is the look on the faces of little children when they make that real inner connection and the motivation comes ‘from within’ themselves. I never try to make children participate but rather invite them to join in. There’s a happy little child in me who comes alive when I sing and move and I feel honored to share that part of myself with young children and their families! If you could give up-and-coming artists working in your genre one piece of advice, what would that be? Since music and video have become digital it’s more demanding to try and make a living as a recording and performing artist. Also. the audience turns over every three to four years due to aging out so there’s a certain diligence in remaining relevant!
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AuthorBeppie is a 2X JUNO nominated recording artist and an award winning music educator based out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Archives
December 2023
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