Kathy Sherman
For more decades than I care to admit, I have played in small folk clubs and cafes, and have been able to observe the joy that music, especially songs from the forgotten past, brings out in people. Where do these songs come from? In most cultures, these are the songs that are passed down from generation to generation.These are the songs that are sung around campfires, on front porches, in houses of worship, at political rallies. These are the songs of community. These are folk songs.
There is music everywhere
Hey Mom!
The family-friendly folk of Hey Mom! began in 1995 when Kathy met Naomi Temes in a pre-school class when their boys were just months old. Discovering they both had a background in music performance and a desire to continue performing while being stay-at-home moms, they came up with the idea of creating a group that would perform for children, with a goal to entertain parents as well. With the addition of Lisa Ratner’s fiddle, harmonica, mandolin, and Jennifer Nye’s vocals and percussion to Kathy’s guitar and banjo, and Naomi’s vocals and keyboards, Hey Mom! was born. Their 2 albums, Listen to Your Mama and Singing on a Star are sure to delight even the most exhausted parents and their children.
The Good Folk Collective
The Good Folk Collective is a diverse group of musicians who originally came together to record the album Welcome to the Folk Song Cafe, a collection of “good folk songs” from the group's fictional venue, a cafe where one can go to hear music from all over the world.
The Plaka Band
Notis Contoplianos and Kathy Sherman, have been performing together as the Plaka Band for well over 20 years. Their rich repertoire of several hundred Greek songs and dances make them a much sought after duo.
Visit the Plaka Band website! here
It’s here! The Let’s Sing! Songbook
The “Let’s Sing!” songbook is a collection of “good folk” songs: all of the songs found on the “Let’s Sing! ” CD; as well as selected songs from Hey Mom!’s “Listen to Your Mama” and “Singing on a Star” .
Something magical happens when children and their grown-ups sing together; it’s a bond, a memory created, that lasts a lifetime. The music from “Let’s Sing!” as well as my other two children’s albums with my group Hey Mom!, “Listen to Your Mama” and “Singing on a Star” are tried and true folk songs that families will love. These songs help create enduring, shared musical experiences that connect generations.
I’ve included simple chords in the same key as on the albums so even beginning musicians can play along on guitar, ukulele, autoharp or piano. Of course, drums, harmonicas, banjos, kazoos and bagpipes are always welcome to add their voices as well.
The Let’s Sing! Songbook is available by visting
Kathy Sherman - the Music Teacher
Each week I have the privilege to teach roughly 300 pre-school children and their grown-ups music. Each song has a physical component as well as a musical one.
Whether it’s clapping, patting, rolling, creating a train, or a parade of ants, my goal is to create a multi-sensory experience of music that serves to enhance neural connections, expand the imagination, but most of all create a joyful community of music and movement...
Kathy's Let's Sing CD has been awarded the Creative Child Award for 2018 CD of the Year!
Kathy's Let's Sing CD won the prestigious Parent's Choice Recommendation- read their Review here.
The Let’s Sing – Kids Music Series Is Here!
Let’s Sing! Songs For Little Activists / Let’s Sing! Songs For Big Activists With this collection I tried to keep the songs as positive in spirit as possible, focusing on unity, kindness, and peace, but I also wanted to include songs dealing with our greatest threat – climate change.
This album is really a “double EP”, two shorter albums released together.
The first comprises songs that are wonderful for children to sing at schools, assemblies, marches, summer camps – anywhere they would like their voices to be heard and counted.
The second includes songs that we as adults should be singing. Some are songs from the peace movements of the 1950s and ‘60s, some are more recently written.
Read more about Let’s Sing! Songs For Little Activists / Let’s Sing! Songs For Big Activists Here.
Let’s Sing Songs From Around the World! is a collection of sing-along songs from different countries that give students and teachers a peek into other cultures and languages. Included are songs from Greece, China, France, Japan, Israel (in both Hebrew and Arabic), The Philippines, Spain/Mexico, South Africa, Ireland, Australia, Brazil, and America, as well as a Native American rattle chant. I searched for songs that everyone can sing, even if they don’t know the language. I wanted my students to feel another language in their mouths, to taste words from other cultures.
Breaking News! - Let’s Sing Songs From Around the World! has achieved the coveted Parents Choice Foundation's Parent's Choice Award and Recommendation.
Read the full Parent's Choice Foundation Review here.
Learn more about Let’s Sing Songs From Around the World! here.
