Raffi & Lindsay Munroe Release 'Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times'

Craft Recordings announces Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times, a brand-new release from world-renowned children's entertainer, Raffi, and award-winning singer and songwriter, Lindsay Munroe. As the title suggests, this imaginative collection of songs offers a fresh, whimsical, and tender take on classic nursery rhymes, including "Three Blind Mice" (re-imagined as "Three Kind Mice"), "Ring Around the Rosie" ("Ring Around Sweet Roses"), and "London Bridge Is Falling Down" ("London Rain Is Falling Down").

Set for release on May 6, Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times is currently available for pre-order on CD and digital, while listeners of all ages can stream "Three Kind Mice" today below.

The concept behind Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times came from Pam Gittleman, a preschool music teacher of more than 20 years and a member of the 2020/2021 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative. In her classroom, Gittleman noticed that her young students were increasingly unfamiliar with traditional nursery rhymes. "It came as no surprise that young parents, teachers, and caregivers were avoiding these rhymes because so many of them are inappropriate and outdated for today's children," she says.

And so, Gittleman sought to do better for younger generations by revitalizing classic rhymes with updated lyrics that not only nurture a sense of caring and compassion, but also promote social and emotional intelligence. "While you'll recognize many of the beloved characters from traditional nursery rhymes, these are not the same rhymes that our parents and grandparents recited," Gittleman explains. "Rather than three blind mice whose tails get cut off and a baby that falls out of a tree 'cradle and all,' there are now three kind mice who help each other get some cheese, and a baby in a cradle who is visited by a loving brother and sister."

Gittleman received enthusiastic feedback from her students, their parents, and her fellow educators, but she was eager to share her work on a wider level-and she had the ideal creative partner in mind. "I could think of no one with a broader reach as a voice for kindness and fun than Raffi," she declares. A longtime fan of the artist's music and activism, Gittleman adds that Raffi's Child Honouring Principles (which include Emotional Intelligence, Respectful Love, and Conscious Parenting) were "consistent with the underlying research I had studied in creating my rhymes. It was clear we were on the same page when it comes to what is important to support the development of young children."

Raffi was enthralled by Gittleman's idea and set to work to bring her lyrics to life, serving as the album's composer, producer, and vocalist. While many of the updated stories on Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times already had simple, well-known melodies, others were quite short or had no melody at all. In order to turn the rhymes into singable songs, Raffi wrote original music wherever it was needed. The artist also enlisted his protégé, Lindsay Munroe, to perform alongside him on every track-her bright, crystal-clear soprano complementing his familiar, soothing voice. Additionally, two of Munroe's children lent their vocals to several of the songs.

"These songs offer a breakthrough-a re-visioning of old and outdated nursery rhymes," says Raffi. "I loved working with these updated lyrics and creating some new melodies for them. Lindsay Munroe's voice has a charm all its own and her daughters' voices add to the joy of this album."

Lindsay Munroe adds, "It was such a joy recording these charming, new nursery rhymes with Raffi. They promote kindness, empathy, and gratitude, and I'm happy to lend my voice to such a wonderful album. My daughters Emma and Mem were thrilled to sing on some of the songs too. We had such fun creating this album and I hope you enjoy it and sing along!"

Arguably the most influential and successful children's entertainer of the last 50 years, Raffi has delighted successive generations of kids (and their parents) with his playful, exuberant personality and his irresistibly infectious songs. The Canadian artist has released more than 30 albums, including such beloved titles as Singable Songs for the Very Young (1976), Baby Beluga (1980), Bananaphone (1994), and, most recently, Dog on the Floor (2018). Collectively, he has sold over 15 million albums, while his music has seen nearly one billion streams across all platforms.

Beyond the studio, Raffi is an award-winning author, who has written more than a dozen books for children and adults. He has also emerged as a respected advocate on behalf of children, lending his voice, insight, and experience to a number of crucial issues through the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring, a unifying vision with the child at its heart by which societies can re-order their priorities to restore our planet and build community.

Praised by the Washington Post as "the most popular children's singer in the English-speaking world," Raffi is a recipient of the Order of Canada-the country's highest civilian honor. A multiple GRAMMY® nominee and Juno winner, Raffi has also been recognized with a United Nations Environmental Achievement Award and the Fred Rogers Integrity Award, among countless honors over the decades.

Lindsay Munroe is an award-winning singer, songwriter, and mother of three children with autism. For years, Munroe shared her love of music with her children, using it as a tool to help them learn rhythm and melody concepts, motor skills, pre-literacy and language skills, and social-emotional and self-regulation skills. Before long, the Massachusetts-based artist began sharing her songs at local libraries and pre-schools, before launching her popular Sing-Along with Lindsay series on YouTube.

In 2019, Munroe attended a Raffi concert that would change the course of her career. There, she met the legendary entertainer, who encouraged her to write a song for families of children with autism. Several songs and many conversations later, the two artists joined forces in the studio, with Raffi not only producing and contributing to Munroe's NAPPA Award-winning debut, I Am Kind, but also releasing the record on his label, Troubadour Music, in 2020. One year later, the pair reunited for Munroe's acclaimed follow-up, Frogs and Birds, while they released a special rendition of "Silver Bells," for the 2021 holiday season. Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times is their third collaborative album.

Listen to the new single here:

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