The Confetti Park Players appeared on the WWL-TV Morning News on May 11, 2016! The band played five songs throughout the morning hour from 8-9 a.m., and Sally-Ann Roberts interviewed director Katy Hobgood Ray. She asked Katy questions about the band’s new CD, We’re Going to Confetti Park!,which recently won a Parents’ Choice Approved Award. We had such a wonderful time at the station—what a treat for us to see a news station from the inside, and to perform for our city on live television. We are also so honored to have met Sally Ann and Eric Paulsen, who are famous and beloved icons of the New Orleans community.
Enjoy this clip of the group playing “Buttermilk Drop,” followed by the interview.
Confetti Park is affiliated with The Children’s Music Network, which celebrates the positive power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas, and creating community.
The Children’s Music Network maintains a blog series to shed light on its partners. This is a Q&A with Katy Hobgood Ray.
The Confetti Park Players had their New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival debut on Saturday, April 23, 2016. And it was wonderful. But there were a few curve balls….
The Confetti Park Players is a children’s chorus based in Algiers Point. We like to do fun, interesting collaborations with New Orleans musicians. We have been doing live performances since October 2014—our first public performance was at Charles Gillam’s Folk Art Fest in Algiers. Since then, we have performed at churches, nursing homes, parties, Euclid Records and Louisiana Music Factory, and French Quarter Festival! We’ve recorded at real recording studios (Marigny Recording Studio and Word of Mouth) and filmed music videos with pirates. Our debut CD came out in November 2015 (and won a Parents’ Choice Award!). Playing Jazz Fest is our latest exciting milestone.
Preparing for stage performance in a blue box
The kids are amazing, and have been working so hard learning all the songs, choreographing dances, and brainstorming fun props. For months, we have been prepping for stage performance by practicing inside a box created by blue painters tape. The adult musicians started practicing with us throughout the month of April. We were ready—and as a special treat, I had (months ago) reserved a party bus to carry us from the West Bank to the Jazz Fest gates for the big day. Everything was ready to go….
Friday—the day before the festival—I get a call from our dear bass player. He’s just been diagnosed with pneumonia! Oh no! We love our bass player, who’s a talented resident of Algiers. But time to scramble. Swooping in to save the day was Greg Schatz—a real pro and a friend to the Confetti Park Players. Greg plays all over our CD and even wrote one of our biggest crowd-pleasers, “Watch Out for the Pirates.” So the night before the fest, Greg and I learned all the songs together. Whew! Crisis averted.
On Saturday, all the kids, parent chaperones, and West Bank musicians were to meet at 9 a.m. at a local church, where the party bus would pick us up. At 8:30 a.m, I get a phone call from the bus driver. His bus is broken down on Claiborne Avenue.
Nothing to do but call all the parents (of 20 kids!) and tell them to find their own way to Jazz Fest. No point in wringing hands. I will admit that my heart was beating very hard and fast for long periods of time that morning, as I made all the necessary phone calls. But I really have some cool, laid-back and adaptive parents. They quickly coordinated among themselves to form carpools and hail cabs to the fest. We all met outside the gates and walked in as a mob. Thank you to those gatekeepers for being so flexible with us, as we were supposed to be on a bus, not on foot!
Confetti Park Players are a staff pick at the Jazz Fest CD tent
All that stress made the performance itself a breeze. The sound guys at the kids’ tent were great. The staff were kind and helpful and supportive. Everyone at Jazz Fest was truly excellent to work with. We had a terrific band in David Rosser (guitar), Dylan Field Turner (drums), Greg Schatz (bass), Mike Kaufmann (piano), Jim Thornton (trumpet), and Dr. Sick (musical saw, fiddle, toy piano and more toys). The most stressful thing about the show was making sure that every single kid in the audience got a pirate tattoo and a feufollet light…Our parents helped pass out the goodies.
Bonus surprise: the staff at the Right Place Rhythmporium made us a Staff Pick that day!
The fest would have been unforgettable no matter what. Now, we have a fun story to tell about it, too. We sure hope we get asked back to Jazz Fest next year—it was a blast!
Next up, the Confetti Park Players are playing at Bayou Boogaloo on May 22 and the Creole Tomato Festival on June 11. More events at https://confettipark.com/events/
Anyone ordering a pizza in the city of New Orleans on April 15 got a bit of lagniappe with their pie… they got a poem written by a New Orleans school kid ages 6-18 included in the box! (Participating restaurants included Reginelli’s, Theo’s Pizza, Pizza Delicious, Louisiana Pizza Kitchen (French Quarter location), Dolce Vita Wood Fired Pizzeria, Garage Pizza and G’s Pizza.)
It was all part of the 3rd Annual Pizza Poetry Project by Big Class, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating and supporting the voices of New Orleans’ writers ages 6-18 through creative collaborations with schools and communities. The project as always help in April—National Poetry Month. Read more about the Pizza Poetry Project in this article written for NOLA.com by Christy Lorio.
As a final celebration and reward for the kids, the Big Class hosted a Pizza Poet Laureate party at the Ashe Cultural Center on OC Haley. Confetti Park was there to capture the celebration and some of the poems in the kids’ voices. Enjoy these poems and this slideshow of photos!
The Confetti Park Players were recently profiled in the Spring 2016 issue of “Main Street News,” the newsletter of the Old Algiers Mainstreet Corporation. Thank you, Valerie Robinson, for the profile! We are very proud to represent our community through music.
Katy Hobgood Ray moved to New Orleans from Shreveport in 2003, but she really started to find her groove after moving to Old Algiers in 2007. Today, she works with Confetti Park Players, an all-ages children’s choir that just received a Parent’s Choice Approved Award for its first CD.
“I’ve always been active in music, writing and performing folk, country and jazz,” explained Katy, who holds a Master of Arts degree in musicology from Tulane University and has hosted radio shows since her college days.
“I started writing kids’ songs when my son, Louis, was born in 2011,“ she said. “I got involved with Confetti Kids (an organization that supports children’s activities in the area) after I became a mom, and started doing music circles in Confetti Park. After a while, these became more formal, and we started calling it a choir.”
The first performance of the Confetti Park Players was at Charles Gillam’s Folk Art Fest in October 2014, and they’ve been going strong ever since. The group meets weekly to sing, make rhythms, learn traditional New Orleans songs, and practice the craft of songwriting. Katy described the songs as “a mixture of fun and whimsical originals by contemporary Louisiana songwriters, classic folk songs, nursery rhymes, jump rope jingles, fairy tales, and natural lore.”
A CD that came out in November 2015 titled “We’re Going to Confetti Park!” with songs about pirates, frogs, sno-balls, and Candy Land balls, featured a star-studded lineup of New Orleans musicians, including Johnny Vidacovich, Jon-Erik Kellso, Evan Christopher, Matt Perrine, Patti Adams, Beth Patterson, Tom McDermott, Roger Lewis, David Rosser, Brian Coogan, Tim Robertson, and others. Old Algiers folk artist Charles Gillam created the cover art for the CD.
Momentum for the choir continues to grow, Katy said. The kids have recorded some music videos and special sessions with AJ Loria and Ginger and the Bee, and the group will be appearing at Jazz Fest for the first time on Saturday, April 23, at 12:40 pm at the Kids Tent.
Other upcoming events include the following:
April 16, 2016 – The Confetti Park Players will give an in-store performance at Euclid Records in the Bywater, 3301 Chartres St., 4 p.m., for International Record Store Day.
April 23, 2016 – The Confetti Park Players will perform at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival! 12:40 – 1:25 p.m. in the Kids Tent.
May 22, 2016 – 10:45 a.m. – The Confetti Park Players will perform at Algiers United Methodist Church, 637 Opelousas Ave.
May 22, 2016 – 3:30 p.m. – The Confetti Park Players will perform at Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo. (NBC Kids Stage)
June 11, 2016 – 12:30-2:00 p.m. – Katy Hobgood Ray & the Confetti Park Players at the Creole Tomato Fest! French Market. (Kids Stage will be located at the U.S. Mint, on the front lawn, Esplanade side)
NEW ORLEANS-CREATED CONFETTI PARK CD WINS A 2016 PARENTS’ CHOICE APPROVED AWARD CD featuring world-class New Orleans musicians collaborating with kids on Louisiana-inspired songs is honored for its wholesome entertainment value.
New Orleans, LA – April 11, 2016 —We’re Going to Confetti Park!, the first musical release from New Orleans-based children’s media workshop Confetti Park, has won a 2016 Parents’ Choice Approved Award. Link to award site
21 tracks include jump rope jingles and whimsical songs about pirates, frogs, snoballs, Roman candy, and other uniquely New Orleans experiences, all to a soundscape created by world-class musicians such as Johnny Vidacovich, Jon Erik-Kellso, Evan Christopher, Matt Perrine, Patti Adams, Roger Lewis, David Rosser, Brian Coogan, Tim Robertson, Sarah Quintana, and others.
The principal performers are Katy Hobgood Ray and the Confetti Park Players, an all-ages children’s chorus who meet weekly to sing, make rhythms, learn traditional New Orleans songs, and practice the craft of songwriting.
“This album sounds like a carefree, sunny afternoon in Louisiana, but it also sounds to me like many months of practice and recording with these kids,” says choir director Katy Hobgood Ray. “They have worked hard and I am proud of them. I am so delighted that the Parents’ Choice Foundation has honored us.”
Parents’ Choice Approved Seals are given on the basis of the production, entertainment, and human values they exemplify. A Parents’ Choice Approved seal indicates a wholesome product that helps children enjoy developing physical, emotional, social or academic skills.
We’re Going to Confetti Park! was recorded by Matt Aguiluz and Jason Rhein at Marigny Recording Studio and mastered by Bruce Barielle. It is available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and CD Baby. You can also order CDs from https://confettipark.com or buy them at Louisiana Music Factory, Euclid Records NOLA, Fleurty Girl, and Magic Box Toys in New Orleans.
Musicians featured on We’re Going to Confetti Park! Patti Adams, Matt Aguiluz, Chuck Bee, Evan Christopher, Brian Coogan, John Doheny, John Haffner, Scott Albert Johnson, Jon-Erik Kellso, Chris Lane, Roger Lewis, Ted Lindsay, Tom McDermott, Paul McDonald, Michelle Nelson, Rick G. Nelson, Mr. Okra, Beth Patterson, Matthew Perrine, Sarah Quintana, David Eugene Ray, Katy Hobgood Ray, Jason Rhein, Tim Robertson, David Rosser, Greg Schatz, Dr. Sick, Michael Skinkus, Daniele Spadavecchia, James G. Thornton, Dylan Field Turner, Johnny Vidacovich.
Confetti Park Players featured on We’re Going to Confetti Park! Lily Bell, Luna Bell, Keller Clark, Saura Duke, Dean Foster, Elisa McDonald, Charleston McLean, Millie Moffett, Hrilina Ramrakhiani, Louis Ray, Sadie Strong, Virginia Strong
About Confetti Park Confetti Park is a children’s media workshop, weekly radio program and podcast based out of New Orleans. Our first children’s book, The Little Mouse Santi, was named by Kirkus Reviews among the Best Books of 2015 (and is winner of a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award).
About Parents’ Choice Foundation
Since 1978, Parents’ Choice has been reviewing and recommending quality children’s media and toys. To learn more about the Parents’ Choice Foundation, visit http://www.parents-choice.org/
Enjoy this music video for “Watch Out for the Pirates” featuring the Confetti Park Players and the NOLA Pyrates, filmed on location in Pirates Alley in the French Quarter, New Orleans, La. (Additional footage from Mardi Gras 2016.) This catchy pirate tune was written by Greg Schatz, a fabulous and prolific songwriter living in New Orleans, ‘specially for the Confetti Park Players. He’s one of our favorites!
The video debuts just in time for NOLA Pyrate Week, which comes around once a year. We are so thrilled to have such good friends in the NOLA Pyrates, who come to our city to do good deeds and have a good time. Thank you to Captain John Swallow, QM Seika Hellbound and their NOLA Pyrates crew for telling our kids stories, teaching us how to swashbuckle, sharing with us your pirate history lore, and for being in our music video.
Thank you to ‘Ween Dream! The kids were outfitted in loaned pirate costumes by ‘Ween Dream, a costume donation 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recycles donated Halloween costumes and gives them to kids in need.
And a very special thanks to Ava Santana-Cassano and Sally Asher for loving film footage, to Leighton Barrett Strong for assistance, and to Thais and company at Pirates Alley Cafe for all the support and goodies. And to John Haffner, for being sparkly and awesome on Mardi Gras day.
We’re Going to Confetti Park
“Watch Out for the Pirates” is from the album We’re Going to Confetti Park! by Katy Hobgood Ray & the Confetti Park Players. Available on CD & digitally.
“Watch Out for the Pirates” (Greg Schatz, Kathryn Hobgood Ray) features: Rick G. Nelson, bass; Beth Patterson, Irish bouzouki; Katy Ray, vocals; Tim Robertson, guitar; Greg Schatz, accordion; Dr. Sick, fiddle; Michael Skinkus, percussion. Pirates: Matt Aguiluz, Keller Clark, John Haffner, Chris Lane, Elisa McDonald, Charleston McLean, Millie Moffett, Beth Patterson, David Eugene Ray. Recorded at Marigny Recording Studio. Mastered by Bruce Barielle.
Spend my days on the Seven Seas Live my life just as I please Ride the waves, catch the breeze Watch out for the pirates
Chorus: Watch out, hey watch out! Watch out for the pirates! Watch out, hey watch out! Watch out for the pirates!
I don’t know but I’ve been told The pirate ships are strong and bold They come in the night and they steal your gold So watch out for the pirates
Doesn’t matter what your rank Keep your coin safe in the bank Don’t let them make you walk the plank Watch out for the pirates
We’ll dock at New Orleans at dawn Eat those beans until they’re gone Look out for that old man Jean, He was once a pirate
Doesn’t matter where you are Could be a boat could be a car They’ll sneak up on you and go “ARGH!” Watch out for the pirates
The Hungry for Music RV, a.k.a. the Magic Music Bus, is traveling the United States to share its mission.
Jeff Campbell: transforming lives with the gift of music
This month, you might see a happy-looking RV around New Orleans (and traveling the highways and byways of Louisiana) wrapped in decals of guitars, trumpets, and violins and positive messages of music empowerment.
It’s the “Hungry for Music” RV, aka the “Magic Music Bus,” and for the next two years, it will be traveling across the United States, bringing awareness of its mission: “Inspiring Lives. Building Hope. One Instrument at a time.”
Who’s driving the bus? The same guy who’s driving the mission: Jeff Campbell, founder of Hungry for Music, a nonprofit organization distributes musical instruments to children in need.
Jeff, originally from Shreveport, established Hungry for Music in 1994 in Washington D.C. Since then, the nonprofit has donated over 8,000 instruments to children in 27 states and 14 countries.
Listen to this interview with Confetti Park’s Katy Ray, where Jeff talks about the organization, his adventures, and why he is taking Hungry for Music on the road. The song in this podcast is “Itty Bitty,” performed by Susan Cowsill and Paul Sanchez.
“It’s a very simple idea, but I think the sky is the limit as far as what we can do,” says Jeff. “I’d like to be an organization where, if a kid wants to play an instrument, then Hungry for Music is where they go.”
Jeff Campbell, founder of Hungry for Music, is originally from Shreveport, La.
Jeff is ready to expand beyond Washington, D.C.
“We’ve kind of outgrown the old paradigm,” says Jeff. “We’re taking it on the road, going city to city, starting branch offices of Hungry for Music. Because of the amount of the requests we get now, we need the instruments to be coming from different places.”
First stop: New Orleans.
“I’m looking to put together a team of volunteers to collect and repair instruments and redistribute them,” says Jeff. He is also building a coalition of local organizations to partner with, such as Roots of Music, Preservation Hall Foundation, Backstreet Cultural Museum, and Trumpets Not Guns.
Children who are in need of an instrument can go to the Hungry for Music website, where the application period opens on a rolling basis (as instruments become available). http://hungryformusic.org/
Flier for NOLA-based benefit
On March 27, 2016 (Easter Sunday) there will be benefit concert for Hungry for Music at Chickie Wah Wah in New Orleans, featuring the Susan Cowsill Band, Russ Broussard, Pink Slip, Alex McMurray, Paul Sanchez and other special guests. Tickets are $10, and donations of musical instruments will be accepted at the door.
Kirby Jambon, Katy Hobgood Ray, Tommie Townsley, and Trudy Mullendore. Front, Louis Ray.
I was recently invited to speak at a conference in Lake Charles hosted by the Southwest Louisiana Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Guild. What an honor! It was an opportunity to meet new creative people working in children’s entertainment and education in Louisiana, and also an opportunity to share our own creations with more people. David Ray and I packed up some copies of The Little Mouse Santi books and We’re Going to Confetti Park! CDs and our little boy Louis, and headed off for adventure. We are always up for visiting a new part of our home state!
We got in late on a Friday night, checked into our hotel, and set out to see Lake Charles. We enjoyed driving around McNeese University and were pleasantly surprised to see a proliferation of locally owned businesses in the university corridor. Very nice, Lake Charles! I was also impressed with all the drive through crawfish restaurants. (Another perk of the trip: we were able to meet up with my cousin Chad Hobgood, his wife Laura, my uncle Guy, and all the Hobgood children of Lake Charles. It was a real treat to visit family members we don’t see nearly enough.)
Conference
We had a bright and early start for the conference on Saturday. It was held at the Seed Center at McNeese University in a large conference room with a podium for the four presenters, and several large tables for registrants. The room was lined with vendor booths featuring Louisiana authors’ and illustrators’ children’s books.
I was one of four speakers for the day. The presentations:
Kirby Jambon, author/poet: “The Poetry of Louisiana Culture and Language”
Sharon Schmitz, author: “Plotting vs. Panting & Other Tips to Get Your Book Published”
Katy Hobgood Ray, host/producer of Confetti Park: “Documenting Louisiana Children’s Music & Storytelling Traditions”
The conference lasted all Saturday. There were musical interludes, poetry readings, slideshows, vendor pitches, snack breaks and door prizes offered throughout the day.
I was absolutely enchanted by the poetry and presentation of Kirby Jambon, a teacher and poet who writes in Louisiana Creole French. Kirby is the recipient of the Henri de Régnier prize from the Académie Française, in support of literary creation in poetry. He is the first Louisianan to win this award.
There were also excellent presentations by Sharon and Trudy… it was fascinating to learn about the physical construction of books and the printing process.
Tommie Townsley, chairperson of the guild, organized the conference. She is a fantastic organizer and a top-class human being. I originally met Tommie, herself a children’s author and the head of Ally-Gator Book Bites, when she narrated for my radio show. She has done a lot for Confetti Park in the way of contributing stories and interviews, and now, she’s helped me meet even more creative people from Louisiana.
Jeanie, the 3-legged pooch, and Louis
Puppets in the house!
Rebecca Stelly handpainted this magical castle
Because, for sure, the best part of the conference was meeting all the wonderful writers and illustrators, and soon-to-be published authors, and teachers, and other curious, warm and friendly people in attendance. I am thinking of the adventurous Patsy Moore, author of Whistle, and the delightful and effervescent Jerica Guillory, author of A Pig’s Tale, talented illustrator Hannah Gumbo, and Rebecca Stelly, author of To the World Above. (Rebecca was the creator of the amazing door prize that was “won” by Louis—a hand painted castle!) Of course we loved meeting Lydia Crochet and her adorable therapy dog Jeanie, the star of Jeanie, the Three Legged Pooch. And to the passionate young poetess from Mamou, and the woman who is writing about her angelic daughter—I hope you continue to pursue your dreams.
Tommie, thank you for welcoming our family and Confetti Park to your guild! I look forward to meeting up again with all of the people we met, and a longer trip to Lake Charles very soon!
We love a baseball tee, and we love the Confetti Park Players!
Show your support for your favorite little singer and your favorite neighborhood kids chorus, and order an official Confetti Park Players baseball tee. The cost is $20. Order
All proceeds from the sale of this shirt will fund a kid’s shirt (all singers get one free) and the remainder of proceeds will fund Confetti Park Players activities such as studio recording sessions, video shoots, field trips, and regular choir activities (crafts, instruments, etc.).
“It’s a pleasure to introduce a character that is sure to become your new favorite mouse, Santi!…David Eugene Ray’s tale of Santi is a clever story written with elegantly simple and carefully selected text that exudes fresh originality. The characteristics of cats that Ray chooses to highlight are spot on and fun—when Santi practices being a cat he practices ignoring everyone and pretends to be bored. The manga style artwork in its pastel color glory [by the talented Santiago Germano] is both emotive and excellent. And the book itself is a joy to handle with its thick glossy sheets that make it a pleasure to turn the pages.
Great for lap readers, independent readers, and cat lovers of all ages, The Little Mouse Santi is an inspiring tale that teaches us that, with a little courage, we can all be whoever we want to be. It’s definitely the cat’s meow!”
The February 2016 issue of OffBeat Magazine is out, and it features a review of the Confetti Park Player’s debut CD, We’re Going to Confetti Park!This is our first review to date, and it’s hard to imagine a more wonderful one.
Confetti Park Players director Katy Hobgood Ray was grinning from ear to ear when she read it, sitting at Satsuma’s in the Bywater. And she was a little shiny-eyed, too. We’re more than a little excited, too, that the review comes out during Mardi Gras, when many New Orleanians are feeling light-hearted and joyful. It’s perfect timing for this record to be celebrated.
David Kunian, thank you for listening with an open mind and an open heart, and for giving kids music a shot!
Check out some of the tracks below. You can buy the record at Louisiana Music Factory, Skully’z, Euclid, Magic Box Toys and Fleurty Girl. You can also order it from Confetti Park!
[dt_sc_testimonial name=”OffBeat Magazine” image=”https://confettipark.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cover.0216.offbeat.lores_-300×384-234×300.jpg” role=”Record review David Kunian rating=”0″]Often children’s records suffer from two problems: They are either too cute and cloying or too hip. This new kids’ record from the Confetti Park Players and director Katy Hobgood Ray mostly maintains a good balance between the two. Lyrically it is earnest and easy to sing along with. Musically it is simple enough for children to follow. What stands out on this record is Ray’s pretty voice supervising the children’s chorus, the Confetti Park Players, who handles their singing with a great combination of enthusiasm and skill. The songs are all originals with New Orleans subjects. They serve well both to educate kids about New Orleans history, characters and traditions while joining in with the record. There are great songs that caution about not following the Feufollet, chasing the Roman Candy Man and deciding which snowball flavors to try. Of course, a New Orleans–based kids’ compilation is not complete without a dose of the Okra Man, who sings on the track with his name. These songs are marches, waltzes and ballads with modern touches like the easy going hip-hop of “Choctaw Choo Choo” and the second line chant perfect for hand jive, jump rope or hopscotch of “The Clapping Song.” Ray culled musicians from the best New Orleans has to offer, including baritone saxophonist Roger Lewis, drummer Johnny Vidacovich, sousaphonist Matt Perrine, keyboardist Brian Coogan, and clarinetist Evan Christopher. Greg Schatz (whose songs sometimes sound like kids’ songs for grownups) contributes a track. But forget about what I think. My kids were singing along by the second time they heard this CD, with their favorites being both odes to pirates. So the kids will like it and the adults will not get sick of it. In that, the existence of the Confetti Park Players’ new CD makes this a more perfect world.[/dt_sc_testimonial]
Question: What’s better than getting a hot pizza pie delivered to your front door?
We love a baseball tee, and we love the Confetti Park Players!
