Hot on the heels of winning a 2014 New York Emmy® Award for Best Children’s Programming, Alex & The Kaleidoscope, with Alex Mitnick at the helm, has a splendid itinerary of colorful musical adventures in store for kids with the September 25 release of their new album, Get On Board!
Alex & The Kaleidoscope’s songs unfold like storybooks, captivating young minds and stirring their imaginations. Get On Board! invites children to observe and celebrate the world around them. Associating the pleasure of a sweet tune with an interesting insect or the color and shape of a shark, singing along to a song about delicious garden vegetables, or dancing to a funky rhythm while hearing a list of recycled materials — all of these make connections in a child’s mind that will last a lifetime.
Honored over the past eleven years with 18 national awards, Alex Mitnick’s work has earned kudos from some of the most discerning critics in the children’s entertainment arena. Jeff Bogle of Out With The Kids lauded Alex’s “groove-oriented, world music-infused, rich & textured rock-n-roll.” Kathy O’Connell, host of WXPN’s Peabody Award-winning radio show, Kids Corner, praised Alex & The Kaleidoscope for “musical depth combined with witty lyrics that talk directly to kids.”
Setting the pace for Get On Board! is the “Alex & The Kaleidoscope Theme Song,” which manages, in just 60 seconds, to cover three different sounds, tempi, and styles, unified by the lilting friendliness ofAlex Mitnick’s warm voice. The question, “Who’s that comin’ down the track?” receives some fun (and funky) answers on the album’s title song, “Get On Board.” Next, the band slides into a mood of great mystery, painting a deliciously creepy sound picture on “Insect Tourists.”
Other highlights include “Outside,” a Rolling Stones-type rock anthem showcasing the “built in smile” that has become a signature of all Alex Mitnick vocals, “Recycle,” a funky, ’70s-style reminder to stop pollution by becoming part of the solution, and Alex & The Kaleidoscope’srendition of the classic African-American spiritual, “Oh, Won’t You Sit Down,” which is marvelously done, with a spirited, authentic ring and perfect electric guitar instrumental break.
A graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Alex Mitnick is dedicated to both teaching and performing. In addition to touring the nation and producing award-winning television shows and recordings with Alex & The Kaleidoscope, Alex has spent the past fifteen years honing his unique teaching style, incorporating percussion, games, movement, and, as he says, “lots and lots of singing” into a fun and engaging musical experience. Since 2000, Alex has directed the music program for children eighteen months through eighth grade at the Princeton Montessori School in Princeton, New Jersey.
Full episodes of the award-winning Alex & The Kaleidoscope TV show can be seen on YouTube, Kidoodle.TV, AmebaTV, Toon Goggles, and Battery Pop.
I received an advanced copy of this CD and as with other music by Alex & The Kaleidoscope…this is a CD full of upbeat & lively music and is a whole lot of fun for children ages 4-8! I highly recommend!
Get On Board! will be available at iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and on the Alex & The Kaleidoscope website, HERE.
Visit Alex & The Kaleidoscope’s website HERE.
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Alex & The Kaleidoscope on YouTube.
Self Disclosure: I received a free CD to facilitate this post.
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