Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer and Dan Zanes Are Making Some of Today's Best Music for Children

1 July 2003 | Child's Play

By Jim Steinblat

Music plays a multi-faceted role in the lives of people of every age -- as entertainment, ritual, communication, socialization and education. For the very young, lyrics and melodies are crucial elements in the development of nearly every basic life skill. In recent decades, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of music in the lives of children and families and, accompanying it, a re-energization of creativity in the writing, performing and recording of music for kids. Among ASCAP members in the vanguard of those who are putting quality, care and art into children's music include Washington, DC-based duo Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer and New York rock & roller Dan Zanes.

With more than 25 years of combined experience on both the folk and children's music circuits as performers, songwriters, multi-instrumentalists and producers, Cathy and Marcy have amassed eight Grammy nominations (including three this past year alone) and a slew of other awards and honors. "Music for families and kids has been a parallel career for us in addition to playing folk and country. We've never done just one or the other," says Cathy. Indeed, one of this year's Grammy nominations was for their "adult" album, Postcards, released on their own Community Music label.

Music for kids and families is not just a sideline, but a serious pursuit for Cathy and Marcy. "Our underlying agenda has always been to open kids' minds to different kinds of music," explains Marcy. "When we do a swing tune, we bring in a band of experts -- a horn section, if we need it. We try to present different styles on every recording as well as we can."

For Cathy, the musical content has definitely evolved over the years: "In the 70's we played a lot of Appalachian, old-timey, bluegrass stuff." Since then, however, adds Cathy, "we have created a large body of original songs using the old folk styles as well as more contemporary forms and applying them to a lot of theme projects that address things we see as important."

Those projects range from their 1998 album, Changing Channels (Rounder), which focuses on helping children deal with violence and inappropriate material in the media, to to their brand new Rounder release, Bon Appétit! Musical Food Fun, which encourages healthy eating habits. "We've taken our skills as musicians and songwriters and tried to see where there are needs," says Cathy. "Parents talk to us at concerts all the time and tell us what they could use some help with."

Marcy loves the fact that many of their young fans end up with a lasting interest in music themselves. "We know that kids who listen to our music are growing up to play," she says. "We get feedback."