Tracy Bonham

Tracy Bonham releasing 'Young Maestros Vol. 1' inspired by Sesame Street, Schoolhouse Rock, etc

Alt-rock icon Tracy Bonham is releasing a new album for kids, though it’s not exactly “children’s music.” It’s an “outgrowth” of her Melodeon Music House music education program, which “is inspired by the educational programs of the 1970s; Electric Company, Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and Schoolhouse Rock.”

The album, Young Maestros Vol. 1, comes out April 16 (pre-order), and we’re premiering lead single “Me Symphony” and its video. Here’s some background, via press release:

“Me Symphony” is the first single from Tracy Bonham’s new album entitled Young Maestros Vol. 1. For this endeavor, Tracy has teamed up with Melodeon Music House, her brand new music education program, to release a series of albums with educational content.

The song starts with a funny account of Tracy losing all of her various instruments as she traverses the globe performing. She wails; “I lost my tuba in Aruba, I lost my pian-a in Indiana” with her usual lyrical wit, contorting the words to make them rhyme.

Before the song kicks in with the New Orleans style Preservation Hall romp she realizes that she doesn’t need any instrument at all in order to put on a good show. Tracy is telling her audience that anyone can make music and anyone can get past limitations. This a story of empowerment. It encourages freedom of expression and the bravery it takes to improvise especially when put on the spot. It harkens back to some of Tracy’s influences growing up as a young child in the 1970s such as Free To Be You And Me and Sesame Street.

“I grew up with crippling insecurity as a child, especially when it came to expressing myself. I would hide behind my mother’s legs if anyone approached me. The stage, on the other hand, was my place to express myself and not hide in the shadows, or behind instruments. If I can impart one thing to children it is that you do not have to hide or have the perfect instrument, or the perfect circumstance, to feel empowered and strong and use your voice”.

Tracy also gave us a little more background on the project, including how it started with a conversation in a bodega in Brooklyn:

Living in Brooklyn and being surrounded by engaged parents who care about music education has been a huge inspiration for this new album. In fact I met my co-producer, Josh Margolis of Gowanus Music Club, in a bodega on a corner in Brooklyn. We started talking about our love of music theory and the importance of good music education and we soon found ourselves working together. That friendship spawned the collaboration with jazz bassist and soon to be business partner, Rene Hart, creating Melodeon Music House which is the upcoming educational component to the album.

Watch the video here: