Tag Archives: Music

Back to School with Name Your Tune

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From a very young age, children learn, grow and develop through and with music. As adults, we all hum the tune of the ABC song as we’re doing our filing “ABCDEFG…” (see, you’re doing it right now). Using music on a consistent basis with children can both teach and reinforce key concept and socialization. The best part is that they don’t even realize that they’re learning as they go through the motions. As you’re getting your pre-schoolers ready for school, think about how you can incorporate music into your daily routine that will excite, engage and prepare them for the day.

Each of the songs on Name Your Tune was chosen for what it would bring out in a child including learning, playing and engaging.

Songs for learning key concepts:

  • There are Seven Days ~ the days of the week
  • The Rainbow Song ~ colours
  • Mr. Sun ~ weather
  • There’s a Hole in the Garden ~ nature

Songs for playing & interacting:

  • If You’re Happy and You Know It
  • Head and Shoulders
  • Wheels on the Bus
  • Old MacDonald

One of the best things about music is that it’s always with you. Once you learn a song, you never really forget it. As a parent or care-giver, it is your greatest and most transportable tool because you always have it with you and can pull it out whenever you need an activity or a pick-me-up.

Adding Name Your Tune to your child’s music collection you get all of the above and more.  With Name Your Tune, each song is uniquely personalized to include the child’s name in every song, making them feel special and proud. What a great way to start the new school year.

Order Name Your Tune for the special pre-schooler in your life with the coupon code PRESCHOOL and receive $5 off your order. (Offer expires September 30, 2012)

Introducing Carter and Cash ~ Mom draws inspiration from The Man in Black

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Things that I love: family, music and baby names that have a great story behind them.  When I met Christella Morris, whose blog is called Crawl The Line, Mom of two boys named Carter and Cash, I knew that this was a story that I needed to hear.Christella is a fan of music and since she was a little girl, loved Johnny Cash, whose music she came to love through her grandmother who raised her from an infant. Long since before she had kids, she knew the names she was going to choose for them, regardless of their gender – Carter and Cash.

Giving these names to her boys goes deeper than paying tribute to The Man in Black and his wife, June.  “I think their story, their relationship, is a great example of overcoming every obstacle to find yourself in another person. Johnny in particular overcame so many things: hardships, addiction, his past, to become a widely known and critically acclaimed artist. He had the ultimate comeback in music. I think their life and family is a great example of sticking to what you want, no matter how hard it gets.” It’s not just about the music, it’s who they were as people and a couple that also inspired her.

It came as no surprise to her family and close friends that she chose these names and for the most part, when she introduces her boys together as “Carter and Cash”, people immediately make the connection.  Sometimes, she notes, “about ten minutes into a conversation they’ll stare blankly for a minute and then be like ‘ohhhh I get it!’”

The name of Christella’s blog, that she started while pregnant with Cash, is likewise inspired by Johnny Cash. A friend had given her some onesies that said “Crawl The Line”, a reference to the movie about Johnny and June “Walk The Line”.  She explains, “When I was coming up with names for the blog, Crawl The Line was so fitting since being a parent is teaching your children how to walk the balance of life, or “walk the line.” We also all start with crawling, so it doubles as a cute name that suits my kids perfectly and a metaphor for us growing together.”

A big question that I posed to Christella was about what would she name a third baby? While she admits that she thinks that their family of four is complete, you can “never say never.” Since all of their names start with a “C” – her husband’s name is Colin – she’ll start there.  Christella and Colin both share a love of music and so thinking about naming another baby, they go down that path with the following ideas: Crosby ( paying tribute to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), Chanson, pronounced Chan-Son (“Song” in French) and Cecilia (Simon & Garfunkel song.)

Other musically inspired names that we have come across at Name Your Tune include:

  1. Jagger
  2. Hendrix
  3. McCartney
  4. Lennon
  5. Jude
  6. Marley
  7. Cohen
  8. Presley
  9. Dylan
  10. Caroline

As sure as night is dark and day is light, I keep my eyes wide open all the time for your story on baby names.

Email me with YOUR story at candace@nameyourtune.com

 

About Christella:

A twenty-something blogger and marketing maven extraordinaire, Christella loves all things teal, especially when they’re from the dollar store! Christella has two boys only 18 months apart, Cash (2) and Carter (8 months) and writes daily on her blog Crawl The Line. Her family is also currently in the midst of filming a show airing January 2013 on the Oprah Winfrey Network, Million Dollar Neighbourhood. You can find Christella on Twitter @Christella_Says

Top 10 Celebrity Name Changes

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Top 10 Celebrity Name Changes

…FEATURING ALBERT EINSTEIN (NOT THAT ONE)

There are 100s of celebrities who have changed their names because they needed something easier, shorter, more exotic, less ethnic.

These are the ones whose stories I love:

Miley Cyrus – born Destiny Hope Cyrus

A happy kid, she was given the nickname “Smiley Miley.” It stuck. She officially changed her name in 2008.

Geddy Lee – born Gary Lee Weinrib

Gary had a friend who—upon hearing his mother calling his name with her heavy Polish accent—thought she was saying Geddy. His friends all started calling him Geddy, and eventually, even his mother called him Geddy on purpose. That is how the leader of Rush got his name.

Albert Brooks – born Albert Einstein

When asked about why he changed his name, his answer is simply “Do I even have to answer that?” In January 2011 he told Esquire magazine, “I was on the defensive as soon as I got to the first class where they took roll. ‘Albert Einstein?’ All the kids would be snickering. It’s one of the three most famous names on the planet. You might as well be called Jesus Christ. Or Moses. The thing is, I liked the name Albert. I just couldn’t use it with Einstein. So I changed the last name when I thought I could really accomplish something, and I didn’t need that name to be funny.”

Ann Rice – born Howard Allen

In a question and answer session with fans on her website, the author answered the question about her name, “My birth name is Howard Allen because apparently my mother thought it was a good idea to name me Howard. My father’s name was Howard, she wanted to name me after Howard, and she thought it was a very interesting thing to do. She was a bit of a Bohemian, a bit of mad woman, a bit of a genius, and a great deal of a great teacher. And she had the idea that naming a woman Howard was going to give that woman an unusual advantage in the world.” She became Ann when asked by a nun on the first day of school what her name was and first the first thing that came to her was Ann.

Cary Grant – born Archibald Leach

When he arrived in Hollywood from England in 1931, he changed his name to Cary Lockwood based on a character he had played on stage. Upon signing with Paramount Pictures he was told that his chosen name was too close to another actor. They gave him a list of surnames to choose from. Legend has it that he chose Grant based on what his initials would be—C.G. He thought them to be lucky given the success of Clark Gable and Gary Cooper.

Michael Caine – born Maurice Micklewhite

When choosing his stage-name he first settled on Michael because he liked the way it sounded. Rumour has it that he settled on Caine when he saw a cinema marquee for “The Caine Mutiny” and he liked the way it sounded. He has joked that had he looked in the other direction, his name might have been Michael 101 Dalmations.

Judy Garland – born Frances Ethel Gumm

She and her two sisters used to perform vaudeville shows at which they received muffled laughter from audience when their names were announced.  Judy chose her name based on a song that she favoured at the time. There are several stories about how Garland came to be: the trio were hailed as being more beautiful than a “garland of flowers” or that it was chosen to flatter a drama critic, Robert Garland, hoping to receive good reviews.

Elvis Costello – born Declan Patrick MacManus

Costello was his great-grandmother’s maiden name that his father adopted as a stage name for himself.  In his early career, he went by DP Costello. Upon signing his first record contract, his management team decided to drop the “DP” in favour of rock ‘n’ roll’s most famous icon.  For a newly signed artist, no matter how talented, that is a lot to live up to.

Elton John – born Reginald Kenneth Dwight

Early in his music career he chose his new name by combining the names of two bandmates of first group—Bluesology—sax player Elton Dean and frontman Long John Baldry. Really, not the most dramatic story for one of the most dramatic and colourful performers in music history. It does, however, say a lot about honouring relationships that are meaningful to him.

Alicia Keyes – born Alicia Augello Cook

Undoubtedly one of the most talented R&B peformers of her genereation, she started piano lessons at the age 7, was accepted at the Professional Performing Arts School at 12 and graduated as valedictorian at 16.  Her chosen surname, is a tribute to her passion and first love—her piano.

 

Originally published at Yummy Mummy Club

Baby Names and Band Names

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MY CONVERSATION WITH 2012 JUNO AWARD NOMINEES, SLOAN AND F**CKED UP

It’s Juno weekend in Canada and we’re getting ready to honour and celebrate our country’s diverse and talented music community. Last week was Canadian Music Week and I had the chance to talk with two musical Dads. Chris Murphy, father of two boys, is from Toronto-based Sloan, who won Best Alternative Album in 1997 for One Chord To Another, and is nominated this year for Best Rock Album forDouble Cross. Josh Zucker, father of one little girl, is from the Toronto-based hardcore punk band, F**cked Up, whose band’s very name is problematic. They are up for the Juno for Best Alternative Album this year, for David Comes To Life. I asked them about their kids’ names and, of course, I had to talk to them about the interesting choices for the names of their bands.

What are your children’s names? What inspired their names? Did you honour a special person, place, thing, or memory?

Chris: Francisco and Santiago. My grandfather’s name was Frank, and my wife Rebeccca’s father is from Mexico City, so Francisco is the Spanish Frank. I felt we couldn’t have a kid named Frank Murphy—it would be beyond boring—”Frank Murphy…CBCNews…Glace Bay.” We were frankly relieved to have the Spanish option, as there seemed to be a reason to rule out every regular old name we could think of. Rebecca’s father campaigned hard for Arturo. By the way, his name is Arturo.

Francisco was a compromise. It felt a little goofy having such an exotic sounding name attached to Murphy. Everyone who asked his name couldn’t seem to believe it when I told them. By the time Santiago was born, I was used to Francisco’s Spanish name, so it rolled off my tongue a little easier.

Josh: My daughter’s name is Lior Isadora (paternal last name) (maternal last name).

Lior is Hebrew for “I have light.”  We thought the name had a nice ring to it and had some magnitude, while being obscure enough not to sound hippyish, like “Mountain” or “Eclipse.” My grandfather’s name was Isidore and her middle name comes from him.  He had my mother and three other daughters who were all very close with him, and we knew they would play a big role in Lior’s life, so we chose to honour him by naming her after him. Everyone remembers him as kind, humble, and generous—all values we want to instill in our kid.

Both our last names are in there too, with my partner’s name getting the ever-important final position. I’m not a fan of the hyphenation thing, because it has no future to it—like two generations down the line, those names are going to start getting a bit monstrous – but I wanted her to carry both of her parents’ names. In the end, we thought my partner’s last name following “Lior” just sounded better, but I’m also in favour of just bringing back the matriarchy for last names as a rule, because it’s simple and obviously makes way more sense.

Chris, why did you choose to name your band Sloan? Is there a story there?

Chris: Our friend worked in a factory, and his French boss called him ‘the slow one,’ and his nickname became Sloan and we stole his nickname. It’s not a great story, but I will say that I am thankful that the name is maybe not cool, but at least inoffensive. Bands who think their name is hilarious—like Toad The Wet Sprocket, or Haulin’ Oats, or JFKFC, to name but a few – might be awesome, but I will never know, because their band names are too dumb.

Josh, the obvious big question is for you, since we’re here talking about names. Fucked Up —how, why did you choose to name your band?  Did you anticipate problems getting media using your name? What has the reaction been?

Josh: The band name was chosen ten years ago, way before we ever considered this a band that could get nominated for a Juno, and way before I ever could’ve conceived that I would be answering questions about how I chose my daughter’s name, on a blog called the Yummy Mummy Club. That being said, we wanted to choose a name that millions of people a day would be inadvertently exclaiming, because back then, we believed in the power of repetition and magic and the collective consciousness. From the start, people either thought the name was pure idiocy or pure genius, or that they just heard wrong. We didn’t anticipate much media commentary of any kind, but it has been fun to see the hemming and hawing and the contortions different media have resorted to over the years—from heavy use of the asterisk to the New York Times just calling us, “The band with the unprintable name.”

***
It will be interesting to see how CTV announces them in their category. The Juno Awards, after all, is a nationally broadcast event.


Originally published at Yummy Mummy Club

It’s Blue Ivy for Beyonce and Jay-Z

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Beyonce announced her pregnancy at the MTV Video Awards with a not-so-subtle rub of her belly, garnering the most tweets about a specific subject in the history of Twitter. That record may have been shattered late last night when she gave birth to her daughter. An on-again, off-again insomniac, I was online when it started and within minutes it was a trending topic and was soon hailed as the youngest trending topic to date. Quite a fitting entrance for the offspring of  “The Queen of Everything” and “Hova.”

There has been much anticipation, speculation, and suggestion waiting on the announcement of the name of the baby of the entertainment world’s most successful couple.  Would her name be as “one-of-a-kind” as Beyonce or her sister Solange? Today, we have it—Blue Ivy. Not necessarily a “one-of-a-kind” name, but certainly rich with unique and very personal meaning.  Here’s the breakdown.
Ivy, as in IV, as in the Roman number 4.
“We all have special numbers in our lives and 4 is that for me. It’s the day I was born, my mother’s birthday and a lot of my friend’s birthdays; April 4th is my wedding date,”  she recently told Billboard Magazine. It’s also husband Jay-Z’s birthday, December 4th and the name of her 4th album as a solo-artist—’Four,’ released on June 4th.
The concept of naming after special numbers is not new to those who follow the trends of celebrity baby names. In July 2011, Victoria and David Beckham welcomed their first daughter, Harper Seven to their family. She weighed 7 pounds, was born in the 7th hour of the 7th month on the 7th day. The number 7 was David’s jersey number for Manchester United and the English national team.
Also in July 2011, actress Natalie Portman gave birth to her son named Alef—a name with much significance for the Jerusalem-born actress who feels a deep connection to Israel. Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Soul singer Erykah Badu named her son (with Outkast’s Andre 3000) Seven, now 13 years old, explaining that 7 is a divine number and cannot be divided.
I have a soft-spot for names that are this rich with meaning.  I love that some names have legacies, traditions and sentiment to pass on.

Originally Published at Yummy Mummy Club

Name Your Tune’s Guide to Music this summer with your family

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1. WHAT

Music for kids does not need to be only music for kids.

It’s never too early (or too late) to share some of your favourite “albums” (because that’s what they were called when you first bought them) with your kids. Ok, if your favourites are all Metallica, ACDC and Guns ’n Roses, maybe leave them on the shelf, but there are gems in your collection to share with your children that you can enjoy on your summer roadtrips and at the cottage. Our top picks that most people have in their ‘grown-up’ music collections that you should listen to with your kids include:

  • The Beatles
  • Anything Motown
  • Abba
  • Bob Marley
  • James Taylor
  • Elton John
  • The Beach Boys

2. WHERE

Get Outside…it’s music festival season.

Summer is a great time to get out and enjoy music with your family as there are an abundance of music festivals across the country all season long. Jazz, Blues, Folk, World Music – there is something for everyone and by everyone, I include your children. You’ve taken them to see Sesame Street Live, The Wiggles and The Doodlebops, but there is nothing like a live show with a stage full of performers, instruments, singing and dancing.

3. HOW

Hear This: Hearing protection needs to be as important as sun protection.

We have all left rock concerts with ringing in our ears. For children, that same sensation can lead to damaged hearing loss that cannot be recovered.

There are products that will protect them that you might have seen before – Gwyneth Paltrow holding Apple who was wearing what look like big pink headphones that are actually noise–reducing hearing protection earmuffs. They retail for $40 and will make your music–loving–festival–going family safe this summer. I’m going to suggest that you’ll use these more than you think as they’re great at any event that is uncomfortably loud including airshows, fireworks, parades and even Sunday afternoon lawn mowing. Any noise that you have to shout over can cause hearing damage to children.

Gwyneth and Apple

Gwyneth and Apple

Where to buy: www.hearstore.ca OR www.soundgoods.ca

Peltor KID Ear Muffs are specifically designed to be lightweight and comfortable enough for babies and kids up to age 7. They effectively attenuate harmful noises without shutting out other ambient sounds. With muffs you do not have to worry about getting a good fit or the plugs falling out when you are not looking. Another benefit to KID Muffs is that they do not pose a choking hazard, as earplugs sometimes can when used by very young, unsupervised children. Available in blue or pink. $29.99

How loud is too loud?

Dangerous levels:
150 dB = rock concert
140 dB = firearms, jet engine
130 dB = jackhammer
120 dB = jet plane take-off,
120 dB = ambulance siren
120 -140 dB = Motorcycles, firecrackers

Extremely loud:
105 dB = helicopter
100 – 115 dB = iPods used at maximum levels
100 dB = snowmobile, chain saw, pneumatic drill, night clubs
95 dB = motorcycle
90 dB = lawnmower, shop tools, truck traffic, subway
90 dB = noisy toys
80–96 dB = restaurants

Very loud:
80 dB = alarm clock, city street traffic
70 dB = vacuum cleaner

Normal levels:
60 dB = normal conversation
35 dB = whispered voice

Unsafe Levels of Exposure:

110 decibels or louder: regular exposure of more than one minute risks permanent hearing loss.
100 decibels: No more than 15 minutes of unprotected exposure is recommended.
85 decibels: Prolonged exposure to any noise above 85 decibels can cause gradual hearing loss.

“Although being aware of decibel levels is an important factor in protecting one’s hearing, distance from the source of the sound and duration of exposure to the sound are equally important. A good rule of thumb is to avoid noises that are “too loud” and “too close” or that last “too long.”

- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

My final thoughts on music and your kids this summer – you don’t keep your kids out of the sun, you protect them. Don’t keep them from the music, protect them. Get outside in the sun, enjoy the music and have a fabulous summer.

For Canadians, check out www.exclaim.ca/festivals and in the US, check out www.pollstar.com to find outdoor summer music near you.

How It Began

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By Candace Alper
Published Monday, October 4, 2010

In working toward today’s launch over the past year, I have found myself looking back, recalling how it all began.

I am a Mompreneur in its most classic definition. My daughter, Hannah, was born in January 2003 and, like most Canadian moms, I looked forward to a full year of maternity leave with my baby girl. I loved everything about being a new mother and took it all in. I joined Mom & Baby groups, I went to Movies for Mommies and I looked forward to my husband coming home from work to enjoy our time together as a family.

By the time summer came, I was thinking about what it would be like to go back to work. We had been looking into daycare for Hannah and the reality started to sink in that my days with my daughter at home were numbered.

It was a time when “mompreneur” was not a buzzword and there was an abundance of inspirational success stories like there are today. Conversations about what I could do to be at home with our daughter dominated everything. One evening over dinner, the idea of Name Your Tune began to take shape.

We are a musical family. Eric has always worked in the music business. It is his passion. It is in his blood. His grandfather founded and owned one of Toronto’s landmark blues nightclubs. Our first date was a concert. His first gift to me was an acoustic guitar. Our first road trip was to see my favourite band. The first Mom & Baby group I joined was a music circle. We sang to Hannah all the time and it was when we noticed how she lit up when we would slip her name into as song that our idea grew into something more.

And so it began: a crazy idea about producing a CD featuring the child’s name in every song. We are a musical family – but not in the Guthrie way. Neither one of us can play an instrument or sing (Eric playing the drums in a band in high school doesn’t count nor does signing along with the Indigo Girls when I’m alone in the car with the volume turned up so loud that I can’t hear myself and I never did learn how to play that guitar).

We began to put together our wish list of talented friends who could bring our concept to life. One by one, they came over for dinner and one by one, they all responded in the same way, “Fun! I’m in!” We chose the songs and I started to rework them to include Hannah’s name.

We successfully presented a business plan to an investor and I took a crash-course in music production. Four months in a home recording studio, 700 names, 9 songs and countless late nights at the computer later, we had our initial recordings.

November 29, 2003 was my first gift show and our big debut. I made 30 CDs that day while people shopped around at the show.

At the time, we didn’t know where we were going with Name Your Tune. All we knew was we needed it to work in order to pay the bills and replace my pre-Hannah income. I did every gift show I could – at schools, churches, synagogues, community centers…wherever. People loved it. They called to order more and then their friends called to order.

Eric is a publicist in the music business and knew that our next step was to put it “out there”. We sent a copy to a friend at Today’s Parent and received our first review.

We look back now and realize how far we’ve come. When it began, Name Your Tune didn’t have a website. We took orders by email and by telephone and our business was all through word of mouth. That first review listed our email address “nameyourtune@sympatico.ca” and our home phone number.

Next we sent Name Your Tune CDs to the hosts of Breakfast Television in Toronto. They were running segments every Wednesday morning about hot, new and innovative products. I received a phone call on a Monday they were going to feature Name Your Tune on Wednesday. Within 36 hours we had a website.

There have been many other exciting turning points for Name Your Tune since then, including media, celebrities, retailers, customer testimonials, shows, four new songs and the addition of thousands of names to the original 700 names we started with.

The turning point that stands out for me on both a personal and professional level is when my best friend and her husband joined Name Your Tune as partners. Jessica and I met on the first day of nursery school and have been best friends ever since. With 35 years of friendship behind us we are now partners in business. Jessica and Mario bring fresh energy, knowledge and passion to Name Your Tune.

Other than planning a surprise trip to Walt Disney World for my daughter, what I’m about to tell you has been the hardest secret I have ever had to keep. Today, October 5th, 2010, I am excited to open my vault and share the news!

After a year in the making, we are proud to announce the release of our second volume: Name Your Tune 2.

We are proud that our Name Your Tune performers, Paul, Lenny, Barbara and Tim who have been with us since the beginning have again shared their dynamic talents with us. For Name Your Tune 2 they are joined by new talent that includes Erica Ehm, Dana Glickman, Jennifer Valentyne and Scott Stratten.

A special note of thanks to my friend and graphic designer, Lindsay Brewda of Grace Announcements, whose creative talent you see all over our new website. Not only did she collaborate with me in designing our personalized placemats and wall art, but she helped me to make my vision for our new website a reality. I hope that you enjoy looking around and shopping here and if you think it looks good, it is in large part because of Lindsay.

We dedicate Name Your Tune 2 our daughter Hannah, my nephews Jack and James, Jessica and Mario’s daughter Beth and also to all of you who are reading this and who have shared Name Your Tune with your family and friends over the last 7 years.