Author: Confetti Park

  • Storytime: Juju the Good Voodoo by Michelle Hirstius

    Storytime: Juju the Good Voodoo by Michelle Hirstius

    A book cover for JuJu the Bood Voodoo Doll

    Are you ready for the creation story of Juju the Good Voodoo Doll?

    In a cabin in a bayou one foggy night
    Marie the VooDoo Queen was casting spells
    on dolls that were good,
    and some that were a fright.

    One little doll she saw at a glance—
    purple hair, big black eyes
    and a gold dress.
    could this be the very one, by chance?

    “You are special…. you are the one!” and so Marie mixed the spell of good deeds for this doll.

    This is how the story of Juju the Good Voodoo doll begins her role casting spells of good deeds on others who need help. This is the very first in the adorable series by Michelle Hirstius.

    “Voodoo, Hoo Doo, You do! Juju knows voodoo, and I’ll put a good spell on you.” From here, you can follow her adventures in books both written and illustrated by the very talented and creative Michelle Hirstius, who lives in New Orleans.

    Confetti Park is so delighted to share some of Juju’s other adventures in our Storytime feature too! Listen along as Juju saves Christmas in da Bayou (and meets Cajun St. Nick) and as Juju Meets the Rougaroo—it’s a perfectly hair-raising tale spooky tale featuring the Louisiana swamp monster. All these books are ideal for young readers and impart lessons about being nice and doing good.

    From the author’s website: “Juju is adorable and will enter your hearts as she comes off the pages of this delightful tale. Children and adults will fall in love and enjoy reading the origin of where Juju came from and what she is set out to see and what “good deeds” are to come.  This book lets children learn something known a negative can be positive. Juju is also different and unique and that’s OK. You can be YOU!”

    Check out all the adventures of Juju at http://www.michellehirstius.com/

  • Storytime: The Fairy Fox of Bossier by Iran Martin

    Storytime: The Fairy Fox of Bossier by Iran Martin

    Grand's Fairy Tales by Iran and Henryell Martin
    Grand’s Fairy Tales by Iran and Henryell Martin

    In this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, we hear “The Fairy Fox of Bossier” by Iran Martin, from his book Grand’s Fairy Tales.

    Father and son are on a walk through the forests of Bossier to gather wood. They leave mother home cooking their supper, and she warns them not to be late.

    “I remember mother standing over her cooking pot, as was her custom, spicing a little of this, and a little of that,” recalls the son.

    While the men are walking, pushing their rickety cart, the father talks of a place where the limbs drop from trees, making for easy gathering. They continue searching for this place, and keep walking farther and farther, always thinking it is just a little bit ahead.

    “Soon we were overcome by weariness, and sat down to rest,” says the son. “The sun was fast sinking behind silvery shreds of dark shadows. And not any wood had been found.”

    “Then, unexpected music swelled our senses with harps, flues, fiddles and the like….Suddenly, a wide berth of emerald colored glass appeared…from an open door within a giant majestic tree. We spring from the ground upward, pushing our cart aside, and took thoughtlessly through its opening.”

    So begins an adventure of dancing with elves, sprites, gnomes and other magical woodland creatures, all watched over by the Fairy Fox of Bossier.

    The men, who are enchanted by the music, pass a thrilling time dancing. But they do not realize that in this magical place, time has no meaning. They do not realize that ten years of mortal life have passed by! Only by petitioning the all-knowing and all-powerful Fairy Fox of Bossier will the men be able to return to the wife and mother, who was last seen cooking their supper by the wood fire.

    Their eyes are opened by their adventure to the meaningfulness of family, domesticity, and creature comforts. Also revealed: the precious gift and strange nature of time.

    Iran and Henryell live in Bossier City, in north Louisiana. They are native New Orleanians who moved to north Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. “The Fairy Fox of Bossier” and all of the tales and fables in Grand’s Fairy Tales are steeped in Louisiana folklore and imagery of the forests, bayous and other water ways of our beautiful state. And many of them offer a moral for the reader to take away.

    Also: Listen to Iran Martin read “The Beaver’s Tale of Greed.”

    Buy Grand’s Fairy Tales on Amazon.

    Iran & Henryell Martin
    Iran & Henryell Martin
  • Storytime: Patti Pig, Please Clean Your Digs by Cindy Foust

    Storytime: Patti Pig, Please Clean Your Digs by Cindy Foust

    PattiPig Cover book coverIn this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, we hear Patti Pig, Please Clean Your Digs, narrated by the author, Cindy Foust, mastermind behind the Alpha-kidZ book series.

    Patti Pig, Please Clean Your Digs  is the “P” book in the series, of course!

    Patti’s bedroom “is messy, to say the least. In fact, be careful looking under her bed, in case you come across a big hairy beast!”

    Patti’s twin brother, Paul, doesn’t understand how they are so different. He is so neat and clean, and her room is, well—a pig pen!

    “I can’t help if I’m a little untidy,” pouts Patty.
    Anyway, who but Paul minds a little gum on the bed?
    I don’t have time to squabble with my brother.
    I need to plan my birthday party instead.

    When Paul funds out Patti is planning a slumber party for their birthday, he offers to help her clean her room. The twins learn a lesson about teamwork—and Patti learns that a clean room is worth the effort.

    Cindy Foust lives in West Monroe, Louisiana. She launched the Alpha-kidZ: Reading Adventures A-Z book series in 2003. Each letter of the alphabet gets a feature story and a feature creature who has an adventure.

    Austin Alligator, Elephant Emmy Lou, and Freddy Fox… these are some of the characters who face a challenge and find a solution. All of Cindy’s books offer lessons in character development and conflict resolution, told in engaging rhyme.  And the books are brightly and colorfully illustrated (by different artists). Cindy says that personal experiences and inspiration from family and friends provided the basis for each of the stories.

    Look for all the books at http://www.alphakidz.com, and look for an interview with author Cindy Faust in a future episode of Confetti Park!

  • Westward ho! Kids radio show “Confetti Park” moves into California, New Mexico, Pacific Northwest

    Westward ho! Kids radio show “Confetti Park” moves into California, New Mexico, Pacific Northwest

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 2, 2017
    Contact: Kathryn Hobgood, (504) 650-1238, kathryn@bienvilleray.com

    Westward, ho! Kids radio show “Confetti Park” brings Louisiana music and stories to California, New Mexico, Pacific Northwest

    Kids variety show and podcast from Louisiana airs on weekend mornings

    Several new states on the West Coast can now enjoy a weekly half-hour children’s radio show called “Confetti Park.” The show, hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray of New Orleans, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. There are skits, poems, jokes, clapping songs, brief interviews, children’s voices, and a weekly story time. All shows are evergreen, and can be played throughout the year.

    The West Coast community radio stations currently carrying Confetti Park are all members of the Pacifica Network, and include:

    (For a full listing of stations that carry Confetti Park, and broadcast times, visit https://confettipark.com/podcast.)

    “I hope, through Confetti Park, to showcase the diversity, depth and universal appeal of Louisiana culture, and also, to show that kids music can be really good,” says host Katy Ray. “May the families across the nation be filled with joie de vivre and a little appreciation for the bayou state as they listen to the stories and songs.”

    Background of Katy Hobgood Ray

    Ray, who works in communications at Tulane University in New Orleans, has a master’s degree in musicology from Tulane and is a former producer and host for Red River Radio, an NPR-affiliated public radio network in north Louisiana. She directs a children’s choir in New Orleans called the Confetti Park Players who won a Parents’ Choice Award for their first album.

    With support from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University, Katy traverses her home state to unearth music and folktales, local legends and spooky stories, colorful family memories and overlooked histories.

    For the weekly segment Confetti Park Storytime, she features published children’s authors as well as interviews and encounters with everyday people on the street. Children’s voices are often used to share poems, contemporary jump rope jingles, hand-clapping games and other playground chants.

    A podcast version of the show featuring shorter clips, storytime segments, and interviews is available on iTunes, iHeartRadio, and other major podcasting networks.

    Community radio stations interested in carrying Confetti Park should contact confettipark@gmail.com.



    CONFETTI PARK
    Confetti Park is a children’s media workshop in New Orleans. We create books, mobile apps, music, videos, and special events geared toward celebrating and growing the wonder and magic of childhood. For more information, visit https://confettipark.com

  • Charlotte Hunter recalls working for a radio station to buy her first guitar

    Charlotte Hunter recalls working for a radio station to buy her first guitar

    radui

    Enjoy this music memory from Charlotte Hunter, who lives in Caddo Parish near Caddo Lake.

    Charlotte recalls how much she wanted a Gibson guitar when she was a teenager.

    “The first job I ever had was on a little radio station in Minden. I was fifteen. The guy told me if I would do a spot for him, every afternoon, that he buy that guitar for me….I had that radio show until I got my Gibson guitar….. we did mostly USO tours and airbases and things like that when we did gigs.”

    Charlotte recalls that as a child, her home was filled with music. He dad played the fiddle, and her mom played the guitar and bass.

     

  • Music Medley: Dino Mania!

    Music Medley: Dino Mania!

    dinosaur doodleConfetti Park: A music medley from Louisiana… kids songs about dinosaurs!

    This medley of kids music shows the diversity of Louisiana musicians. And today’s music medley features songs about dinosaurs! Songs featured in this episode, in order:

    When I Was a Dinosaur – Trout Fishing in America
    Joke of the Day – Pterodactyl Pee
    When I Was a Dinosaur – Chenille Sisters
    If a Dinosaur Was My Best Friend – Philip Melancon
    Dino Story – Louis Ray
    These Are the Dinosaurs – Judy Caplan Ginsburgh
    I Want a Dinosaur – Ph Fred
    A Myrtle Place – Zachary Richard and Lafayette Kids

    Check out this narrated story about a dinosaur….  Lophi Learns to Fly by David Eugene Ray.


    The Confetti Park 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!

    Subscribe on iTunes

    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.

    Current broadcast schedule:

    Community radio stations, interested in carrying Confetti Park? Contact Katy Ray.

  • Storytime: Alycat and the Thursday Dessert Day by Alysson Foti Bourque

    Storytime: Alycat and the Thursday Dessert Day by Alysson Foti Bourque

    Alycat and the Thursday DessertIn this episode of Confetti Park, we hear Louisiana children’s author Alysson Foti Bourque narrate her adorable award-winning book, Alycat and the Thursday Dessert Day.

    Alycat is an adorable kitten whose whole week has been spent daydreaming about dessert day at school, when she gets her favorite: ice-cream filled popsicles! Poor Alycat…. He daydreaming causes her to be last in line, and she misses out. After a little tantrum, Alycat has an epiphany. She realizes she can make her OWN dessert! Imagination saves the day.

    We love this book from Alysson Foti Bourque, of Sunset, Louisiana. It’s so fun to see Alycat grow, and her can-do spirit bounce back when she is disappointed. Alycat discovers that trying new things can lead to fun adventures and tasty inventions.

    The book contains sweet, delicate illustrations by Chiara Civati and a recipe for Alycat’s new dessert! It makes the reader want to try new things, too. 🙂

    Expect more from Alycat…. the Cute kitten Alycatnext adventure in the series is Alycat and the Monday Blues! Buy it in local bookstores, on Amazon and B&N, and at the Alycat website.

    Thank you, Alysson Foti Bourque, for sharing your wonderful story with Confetti Park.

    Allyson Bourque
    Allyson Bourque
  • Students at Arden Cahill Academy share their love of Louisiana culture

    Students at Arden Cahill Academy share their love of Louisiana culture

    Arden Cahill in the spotlight!

    In this episode of Confetti Park, we meet some of the teachers and students at Arden Cahill Academy in Gretna, Louisiana, and hear some of the original poems and essays created by students in the seventh and eighth grades under teachers Nick and Rick Mithun.

    Nick Mithun teaches French, while Rick Mithun teaches history. They are the grandsons of Arden Cahill, the woman who founded the school in 1968 along with her husband, Harry. Currently there are four generations of Cahill family members involved at the school—the youngest just enrolled in the infant center.

    Education rooted in the arts

    Arden Cahill envisioned an early childhood education center rooted in the arts, and rooted in Louisiana French culture,  in a country-like atmosphere. The legacy of her dream is fulfilled today in a twelve-acre campus shaded with oak and cypress trees along Bayou Fatma in Gretna. At the back of campus, there is a country farmyard with animals that children interact with daily, and an equestrian arena with horseback riding lessons. Music, art, and theater classes are core parts of the curriculum, and all children learn French.

    Confetti Park’s Katy Hobgood Ray interviewed Nick and Rick Mithun and some of their students, and gathered their poems about life in Louisiana. Listen

    Thank you to all the teachers and students at Arden Cahill for sharing your great work on Confetti Park! To learn more about this wonderful school in Gretna, Louisiana, and its deep focus on French culture and the arts, visit ardencahillcademy.com

  • Music Medley: Pink Carnation

    Music Medley: Pink Carnation

    Pink-Carnation-pink-colorConfetti 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, inspired by life here Louisiana. This medley of kids music shows the diversity of our state sound.

    Songs featured in this episode, in order:

    Also featured in this episode, a music memory from Cameron Meshell and the storytime feature Little Laveau, a magical bedtime story by Erin Rovin.

    The Confetti Park 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!

    Subscribe on iTunes

    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.

    Current broadcast schedule:

    Community radio stations, interested in carrying Confetti Park? Contact Katy Ray.

  • Music Medley: Pirates on the Deck

    Music Medley: Pirates on the Deck

    pirateConfetti 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, inspired by life here Louisiana. This medley of kids music shows the diversity of our state sound.

    Songs featured in this episode, in order:

    Also featured in this episode, a music memory from Foots Quinn of Bogalusa and the storytime feature Tale of a Spitball by Ms. Chocolate.


    The Confetti Park 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!

    Subscribe on iTunes

    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.

    Current broadcast schedule:

    Community radio stations, interested in carrying Confetti Park? Contact Katy Ray.

  • Andreas Sahar shares about a musical childhood and following the call

    Andreas Sahar shares about a musical childhood and following the call

    Andreas Sahar Andreas Sahar, of New Orleans, is a musician, songwriter, and the artistic director of Totally Square Records.  In this interview with Confetti Park, Andreas talks about his record label, about his earliest childhood musical memories, and about nurturing a love for music within his own young children.

    Wimmerpot

    From Andreas’ childhood recollections is the enchanting nickname his grandmother gave him: “wimmerpot.” He discusses this nickname in the interview… and from his website:

    “My grandmother made up the word,” explains Andreas. “Roughly translated from German, her moniker for me was something along the lines of “stewing teapot,” a reference to the constant humming I did while playing with my Legos or train sets. At four years old, music was already brewing inside my head, escaping in bouts of sonorous steam while I fiddled with my toys.” More from his website

    Totally Square Records

    Andreas discusses with Confetti Park the unique concept behind Totally Square Records, which features pop and pop rock music. The featured artists have more than captivating hooks, intriguing melodies, and tight harmonies in common—they also share a commitment to serve as positive role models to their fans.

    “What we do is we sign recording artists who agree to stay out of trouble, to stay away from all the tabloid catchers, and focus on making great music,” Andreas explains.  He then goes on to introduce some of the artists featured on the label. (Enjoy clips of the following artists from the roster of Totally Square Records in the interview.)

    • “Anamaria Angel has a great pop rock feel…She is a fantastic artist.”
    • “I’m also really excited to work with Justin and Alina, a brother and sister team. It’s amazing watching and hearing them work together.”
    • “We also have an artist by the name of Nicole Raviv, a fantastic vocalist. She was raised in Canada and Israel. She goes back all the time to Israel to put on some really big shows.”

    Outside of the label, Andreas creates his own music—which runs the gamut of styles from pop singles to long-form symphonic pieces and musicals.  Much of Andreas’ musical creativity is inspired by his spirituality. (Listen to some samples.)

    Andreas and daughter Ramona, who is already showing a love for songwriting
    Andreas and daughter Ramona, who is already showing a love for songwriting

    Passing on the love of music

    Andreas also enjoys collaborating with his children, twin boys and a daughter, on music.  Here is a song called “Rock ‘n Roll Star” that features a hook that his five-year-old daughter Ramona came up with.

    “She just started singing it and I immediately screeched to a halt whatever I was doing and listened and started banging it away on the piano,” says Andreas. “It’s such a catchy little hook!”

    Andreas’ advice to parents who want their kids to find a creative outlet is, first and foremost, let them breathe and have room to find their own passion.  And once you see their passion, nurture it!

    “Kids will have their own spark and their own interest, and you can pick up on that,” he says. “If you do see a spark, and a genuine interest, I say feed it!”

  • Kids radio show “Confetti Park” debuts on WRFA-LP 107.9 FM on Saturday, April 15

    Kids radio show “Confetti Park” debuts on WRFA-LP 107.9 FM on Saturday, April 15

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | April 11, 2017
    Contact: Kathryn Hobgood, (504) 650-1238, kathryn@bienvilleray.com

    Kids radio show “Confetti Park” debuts on WRFA-LP 107.9 FM on Saturday, April 15
    Kids variety show and podcast out of New Orleans features children’s music and stories

    On Saturday, April 15 at 8 a.m., a weekly half-hour children’s radio show called “Confetti Park” will debut in Jamestown, NY on WRFA-LP 107.9 FM.

    “Confetti Park,” hosted byWRFA-LP_logo Katy Hobgood Ray of New Orleans, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. There are skits, poems, jokes, clapping songs, brief interviews, children’s voices, and a weekly story time.

    “I hope, through Confetti Park, to showcase the diversity, depth and universal appeal of Louisiana culture, and also, to show that kids music can be really good,” says host Katy Ray. “May the families in New York be filled with joie de vivre as they listen to the stories and songs.”

    Ray, who works in communications at Tulane University in New Orleans, has a master’s degree in musicology from Tulane and is a former producer and host for Red River Radio, an NPR-affiliated public radio network in north Louisiana. She directs a children’s choir in New Orleans called the Confetti Park Players who won a Parents’ Choice Award for their first album.

    With support from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University, Katy traverses her state to unearth music and folktales, local legends and spooky stories, colorful family memories and overlooked histories.

    For the weekly segment Confetti Park Storytime, she features published children’s authors as well as interviews and encounters with everyday people on the street. Children’s voices are often used to share poems, contemporary jump rope jingles, hand-clapping games and other playground chants.

    A podcast version of the show is available on iTunes.



    CONFETTI PARK
    Confetti Park is a children’s media workshop in New Orleans. We create books, mobile apps, music, videos, and special events geared toward celebrating and growing the wonder and magic of childhood. For more information, visit https://confettipark.com