Loose Leaf Notes

-The following first appeared in The Floyd Press in April 2017.

Kari Kovick is making a new CD.  The local artist/educator and Heart of the Child Social Emotional Music Education director has enlisted the help of producer Ken Whiteley, an award winning Canadian roots musician who writes songs, performs and has produced over 135 recording projects for numerous Blues, Country & Bluegrass, Celtic, Children’s, Folk, Gospel, R&B, Swing and World recording artists.  “When I heard his music, I knew that was the sound I wanted.  There’s a sense of humor and engagement in what he does, and it’s not overly produced,” she said.

Kovick has been sharing her interactive Social Emotional Learning (SEL) music programs with children at Blue Mountain School and with babies and toddlers at The Floyd Country Store for 17 years. She’s been working with pre-schoolers and young students at Floyd’s elementary schools since 2008.  Using fun songs and hands-on musical play, she engages children and teaches them skills to identify feelings, regulate their emotional responses and choose peaceful behaviors. Musically, Kovick is primarily a vocalist. She plays guitar and writes songs, some of which will be on the new CD.

Kovick and Whiteley have been communicating about the project since 2014.  They met through a mutual friend from The Children’s Music Network, a resource that celebrates the positive power of music in children’s lives and where Kovick finds songs for her curriculums. Kovick’s choice to work with Whiteley was validated when she went through her favorite children’s music CDs and was surprised to find that he had produced most all of them.

Last October, Kovick traveled to Whiteley’s Toronto studio, where they laid down the record’s bed tracks, which Kovick describes as “the foundation upon which we can overlay overdubs.” “It was so affirming to take songs that I’ve written and have only performed a cappella with the kids and then have them arranged.  Ken could hear in his head what would make them better. He brought in incredible studio musicians,” she said.

“The job of a producer is to represent the vision of the artist and that’s what I try to do,” said Whiteley when in he was in Floyd in early April to record the voices of children, some of whom Kovick has known since they were babies in her music programs.

“I’ve been making music for a long time, over 40 years,” Whiteley said.  “When I first started working in the field, children’s music was a blank slate. I approached it as a blank slate.” He went on to describe how he incorporates his wide tastes and is open to all music possibilities when performing and recording songs for children, “so that the music is not shortchanged for children.”

“The idea is to make the best music possible,” Whiteley continued.  “At the same time there are special qualities for making music for children, especially young children, where the material and intent is both engaging and, without being didactic, reinforces positive values.” The weekend recordings took place at the studio of Luke Thomas (Kovick’s nephew) on Music Road.

It was hard picking the songs for the CD because she loves so many, Kovick said.  The record will feature the best of her SEL material, including her own songs, “I Wish My Daddy Was Here,” written to soothe a distressed child at a camp where Kovick was teaching music, It’s  Not My Fault and On and On.  “On and On was written during the recording of Kovick’s Peace by Peace, a collection of songs performed by her and her students as a fundraiser for two local families with children fighting cancer. When one of the children died during project, Kovick channeled her own grief through music. The song begins: “Life comes up and life lays low and in between is when we grow.”

“I’ve made my own homemade CDs and as fundraisers for the town. Every thing I’ve done has been one more step,” said Kovick.  The children involved in the new CD (ages 5 to 11) were raised on the songs included on it, which is why it was important for Kovick to include their voices. “It’s all about relationship.  I want the world to hear children’s music that is based on real relationships.”  Kovick also spoke of wanting to see Floyd be a hub for Children’s music.

The working title for the CD is “It’s You I Like,” which was written by Fred Rogers and is also included in the collection. Other songs that Kari described as some of the kids favorites include I’m Not Scared (Bob Blue) Red, Yellow, Orange, Brown (Patti Gille), I Did It Myself (Kathy Hirsch-Pasek and Mona Goldman Zakeim).  She sees other CD projects in the future with different themes, such as gardening songs or silly songs. Adult musicians that participated were Stella Trudel, John Sutherland, Marcia Winters, Bob Grubel and Kari’s husband Michael Kovick.

Kovick will return to Toronto in June for mixing and editing. She expects the CD to be ready sometime in August and to hold a CD release party in the fall. The CD will be available at the Floyd Country Store and songs will be available online.  She plans to further promote her music programs and attend and give demonstrations at Early Childhood conferences, incorporating her CD as part of her materials packet.

It’s not just for kids,” Kovick said about the CD. “We all need to hear these messages.  I need to give the kids these messages and remind myself of them, that ‘you’re okay. You’re doing okay just the way you are.’

Post Note:   Heart of the Child Music Education depends on fundraising and grant writing to continue its many community service projects.  For more information visit Kari’s webpage HERE or contact her at kariok@swva.net.