There be pirates in New Orleans! There be pirates in Confetti Park! On November 1, 2015, the Confetti Park Players release their album of original songs inspired by life in Louisiana. “We’re Going to Confetti Park” has twenty-one magical tracks, including the hit song “Watch Out for the Pirates” by Greg Schatz, featuring a full pirate chorus. The album is available at https://confettipark.com/music.
You can also buy the album at Louisiana Music Factory in New Orleans and on Amazon.com
The Confetti Park Players is an all-ages children’s chorus in New Orleans. Our home base is in Algiers, on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. Led by songwriter Katy Hobgood Ray, the Confetti Park Players meet weekly to sing, make rhythms, share Louisiana traditions, and practice the craft of songwriting.
This video features the our friends and pirate mentors, the NOLA Pyrates! Filmed in Pirate’s Alley by Ava Santana-Cassano.
Anthony Dopsie of the Zydeco Twisters. Photo by Sally Asher
In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear from Anthony Dopsie, accordion player with Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters.
Anthony explains his role in the band (“I put the choo choo to the boogaloo!“) and he shares a childhood memory about growing up in a musical family. The Dopsies are Louisiana royalty—Anthony’s father was Rockin’ Dopsie, Sr., famed zydeco accordionist. (Check out this interview with Anthony’s brother, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr.)
Says Anthony: “What got me into music was I started knowing that my dad was famous. He was just my Daddy, you know…. But when I got older and started seeing my dad on TV, and all the kids would want to come by, I said, ‘Well, that’s my dad, and I want to be like him one day!’”
Anthony also offers some good advice to kids about how to carve out your own niche in this world. Take a look around, and think about who you are, where you come from…..what are the things you really love—that maybe you take for granted? Maybe the answer is right in front of you.
“I really love my music. I really love my culture,” says Anthony. “I advise all the kids today to never forget where you come from. It starts off as a kid…. we all started from a flower. You keep watering that flower, one day that flower is gonna grow.”
What colorful, beautiful flowers we grow in Louisiana!
Confetti Park is a community radio program out of New Orleans. We feature local storytellers and songs that kids love, songs created for kids, or created by kids, right here in Louisiana.
This medley of kids music shows the diversity of Louisiana musicians. Songs featured in this episode, in order:
The Confetti Park podcast and radio program, hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. It showcases songs that kids love, songs created for kids, and songs created by kids. Sparkling interviews, in-studio performances, delightful music medleys, jokes, local author storytime, and a little surprise lagniappe make for an entertaining show!
Every year when the leaves start to fall, I visit my Grandpa and we have a ball.
With snoballs, streetcars, beignets, and the Dome, New Orleans is a place he is proud to call home.
So begins this adorable love letter to New Orleans, as told through the eyes of a child who is visiting her grandfather.
Many of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and wonderful attractions of the city are featured in this aural tour of New Orleans. From the Audubon Zoo to City Park, from the Mississippi River to the Lake Pontchartrain, Patricia Reece of Slidell, Louisiana gathers up the aspects of New Orleans that she has learned to cherish through a loving, nurturing relationship (and friendship) with her grandpa.
For Patricia and her grandfather, nothing can beat Gumbo, Fried Cheese, the Saints and Drew Brees.
Author David E. Ray holds his new children’s book, The Little Mouse Santi, as well as his main inspiration, his son Louis. Photo by David Lee Simmons / NOLA.com
Children’s Author and LSU Alumnus David Ray to Sign The Little Mouse Santi at LSU Barnes & Noble Before Homecoming Game on October 24
Louisiana-native children’s book author David Eugene Ray will be at Barnes & Noble to sign copies of his award-winning children’s book The Little Mouse Santi on October 24 from 1-3 p.m.
David Eugene Ray, an LSU alumnus and children’s book writer living in New Orleans, will be in Baton Rouge on Saturday, October 24 to sign copies of his award-winning children’s book The Little Mouse Santi as part of LSU’s numerous Homecoming activities on campus. The book signing will be held at the Barnes & Noble at LSU, 2 Union Square, from 1-3 p.m.
Winner of a Moonbeam Award, Mom’s Choice Awards gold, and a Kirkus star, The Little Mouse Santi is a beautifully illustrated story that explores one of the most important aspects of a child’s life—the search for identity. Santi wants to be a cat, and even though all the other mice laugh at him, he follows his dream. This timeless story ends with a whimsical twist as Santi learns a valuable lesson about self-determination while also learning he is not the only dreamer!
“A clever picture book with an unexpected punch line that will delight young readers.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“…an extraordinarily entertaining read.”—Midwest Book Review
“VERDICT A: A sweet and appealing book that speaks of the need to confront one’s fears in order to realize a dream.”—School Library Journal
About Confetti Park The Little Mouse Santi is published by Confetti Park, a children’s media workshop, podcast, and weekly radio program based out of New Orleans. Author David Eugene Ray, a.k.a. @Aquarium_Dave on Twitter, is a former schoolteacher who now works with animals at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans. This is his first publication. The gentle and lovely illustrations in The Little Mouse Santi were created by Santiago Germano. For more information visit confettipark.com
Enjoy this story and song, “The Candy Land Ball,” which will be on the upcoming children’s CD We’re Going to Confetti Park. The CD features Katy Hobgood Ray & the Confetti Park Players singing fun Louisiana-inspired songs. There are guest performances by many wonderful New Orleans musicians, and a solo by Mr. Okra! More
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“Candy Land Ball” was written by Katy Hobgood Ray, Janet Hobgood & Ted Lindsay. Musicians on this recording: Tom McDermott, piano; Michelle Nelson, background vocals; Rick G. Nelson, strings; Matthew Perrine, tub; Katy Ray, vocals. Kids chorus: Elisa McDonald, Charleston McLean, and Hrilina Ramrakhiani. Watercolor illustrations by Emanuela Serafina.
The Confetti Park Players is an all-ages children’s chorus in New Orleans, free to all kids! Our home base is in Algiers, on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. Led by songwriter Katy Hobgood Ray, the Confetti Park Players meet weekly to sing, make rhythms, share Louisiana traditions, and practice the craft of songwriting. Learn more
The Little Mouse Santi is the winner of a Moonbeam Award!
Confetti Park is honored and so delighted to announce that our first published children’s book, The Little Mouse Santi, has won a Moonbeam Children’s Award!
The Moonbeam awards are dedicated to the notion that reading to and with your children will inspire them to become lifelong readers and learners.
Author David Eugene Ray and illustrator Santiago Germano have won a Bronze Award for best picture books for children 4-8 years old in 2015. Their adorable book The Little Mouse Santi is about a little mouse who dreams of being a cat.
The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, which is in its 9th year, are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to celebrate children’s books and life-long reading.
Each year’s entries are judged by expert panels of youth educators, librarians, booksellers, and book reviewers of all ages. Award recipients receive gold, silver and bronze medals and stickers depicting a mother and child reading and silhouetted by a full moon.
New Orleans jazz vocalist Jayna Morgan shares a music memory from her childhood in this episode of Confetti Park.
Jayna, who sings with the Sazerac Sunrise Jazz Band and the Swing Setters (among others), recalls the happiness of sharing music with her mother. When Jayna was a child, they would go fishing together, and whenever they would sit on the wharf, her mother would sing to her.
Sharing songs as a family can build a lifetime love of music, as we have seen with Jayna. She is a very active entertainer on the South Louisiana scene. In addition to performing with several bands, she is also a booking agent at 11th Commandment Records, owner of Fleur Decuers, and her in her spare time, a swing dancer and Lindy hopper.
On October 9 and 10, Confetti Park host Katy Hobgood Ray will be at the Renzi Education & Art Center (445 Egan St.) and at the Red River Revel in Shreveport to record musicians, storytellers, folklorists and others, including children. Please contact confettipark@gmail.com to schedule an interview.
The Confetti Park radio program and podcast features children’s music and stories from Louisiana. Recorded music, field recordings, in-studio performances and interviews with musicians, authors, folklorists and other cultural representatives from across Louisiana are incorporated.
Katy curates commercial recordings as well as personal songs that well-known musicians may have created for their own kids, as well as small projects from after-school programs, churches and community groups. Each show is sprinkled with field recordings and childhood music memories of Louisiana musicians, as well as occasional bits of Louisiana folklore.
The radio program version launched on April 4, 2015 in New Orleans on WHIV-FM and is supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.
Confetti Park is currently broadcast on community radio stations in New Orleans (WHIV 102.3 FM) and Hammond (KSLU 90.0FM) and is being offered to other community radio stations around Louisiana for free. Segments of the show are available in a free podcast on iTunes. Visit https://confettipark.com for more information.
Confetti Park is a community radio program out of New Orleans. We feature local storytellers and songs that kids love, songs created for kids, or created by kids, right here in Louisiana. This medley of kids music shows the diversity of Louisiana musicians. Songs featured in this episode, in order:
The Confetti Park podcast,hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. Sparkling interviews, in-studio performances, delightful music medleys, jokes, local author storytime, and a little surprise lagniappe make for an entertaining show!
In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear a childhood music memory from David Rosser, a talented guitarist and multi instrumentalist who lives in New Orleans. Dave shares about how his big brother was one of his greatest musical influences—and how they bonded and he learned from listening to records—especially the Beatles!
Dave has toured the world several times with different musical groups. He also produces, records, and mixes at his studio, Chateau Daveaux. Among those who he has performed and/or recorded with are the Afghan Whigs, the Twilight Singers, Mark Broussard, Ani Di Franco, Gal Holiday, Terry McDermott, Mark Lanegan Band, and the Gutter Twins.
Westwego’s own Mel Lecompte, Jr. explores this conundrum in his colorful children’s tale, The Ice Cream Cow. Here he narrates for Confetti Park! Available for purchase on Amazon
Living on a farm with her friends the Chocolate Chip Chicken and the Soda Pop Duck, the Ice Cream Cow has a problem. While there are many things she can do — such as hop like a kangaroo — the poor cow does not moo. Kids will love the rhythmic tale of the cherry-topped, polka-dotted bovine and the quest for her true voice. Savvy parents who read this story to their little ones will enjoy scanning the illustrations for inside references meant to keep big people’s eyes in the book and not on their watches.
Mel is an elementary school teacher, an award-winning journalist and cartoonist, a musician and an entertainer (check out his band Mel and the Moodoggies), and a dad who writes and illustrates his own books, including T-Boy and the Terrible Turtle.
