My kids like a very wide array of music, but not your typical nursery rhymes. In an effort to cultivate this musical curiosity I searched for different types of children's music. I found a book one day, called "Un dimanche à Kyoto" ("Sunday in Kyoto", the English version, which has Patrick Watson interpreting a few songs, hello!). It was accompanied by a CD on which very prominent local artists were featured interpreting Gilles Vigneault's music (Gilles Vigneault being one of the biggest icon, and most amazing songwriter and poet from Québec). More

You've no doubt heard Auto-Tune — it's implemented in just about every pop song to both obvious and not-so-obvious effect. You may even be familiar with the term, thanks to performers like T-Pain who've made a career and an app out of it. But did you know that Auto-Tune was created by a research scientist who worked in the oil industry? We look at a brief history and also show you where you can download Auto-tune software to use on your home computer. More

I fully admit being late to the K-Pop party. But, like millions of others, I was totally amused by Psy's hit video and song. I belt out "Oppan Gangnam Style!" in the car while I'm driving and have even attempted the equestrian-style dance move he's now made famous (It wasn't pretty).
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iPhone cables and wall-mounted TV wires are commonplace concerns, but here's a cord-control beast of a different color: What does a guitarist do to give order to the cables and cords that control their effects pedals? Most of them will save up and splurge on a $100+ pedal board. But the really creative ones will make their own from IKEA for $89 less. More

When I've visited homes for house tours, there has often been music playing, and I'm continually struck by how distinctly that music influences my interpretation of the space. We all know that music can set a mood, but can it also set a style? More

Musically inclined kids are likely to start young on pots, pans and toy instruments, but what to do when they graduate to the real thing? Small space dwellers might have to shut down junior's wish for a double bass, but there are plenty of real instruments that don't take up a ton of room or cost a fortune. Secondhand is always our first choice, but when buying new here are ten of our favorites that aren't too big or too spendy. More

When first approached about reviewing an album of East Asian folk songs for kids (and kids at heart, of course), I was a bit reluctant. After all, what do I know about Asian music? But I realized that is exactly the point. In order to learn something about a culture, you have to start somewhere. The two best starting points I can think of are food and music. And although the title of Elena Moon Park's new album, Rabbit Days and Dumplings, would be a great name for a cookbook, it is the music within that will feed you. And it is quite a feast indeed. More

Living with a music lover has tuned me in to the many ways of incorporating musical items and decor into the home. Here are some elaborate designs I've come across, along with a few smaller recycled products. More

Nope.

As a musician who convinced his very pregnant wife to stay out late at a pub where his friend's band was playing just so their baby could be exposed to live Irish music in utero, that is a hard statement for me to make. But after spending a blazing hot weekend chasing my daughter around a festival where the music was basically delegated to background noise, I have to say if I had to do it over again, I would have taken her to a park instead. I'm pretty sure she would not have noticed the difference. More

Science is a deep well to draw from when writing songs for kids. Their insatiable curiosity and desire to know something that other people do not makes room for subjects that might not normally get put to music. Like fossils and phytoplankton, for instance. This new album not only teaches kids about science, it donates the proceeds to Girls, Inc., an organization that works to improve science education for girls.
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