Confetti Park Children's Workshop

Tag: magazine

  • Katy Hobgood Ray honored by New Orleans Magazine

    Katy Hobgood Ray honored by New Orleans Magazine

    New Orleans People to Watch

    Katy Hobgood Ray, the host of the weekly Confetti Park radio show and director of kids chorus the Confetti Park Players, has been honored by New Orleans Magazine as one of the People to Watch in 2018.

    “As New Orleans begins its next 300 years, we look forward to seeing the creative people it will continue to provide a setting for; people such as those in this year’s class of People to Watch,” write the editors of New Orleans Magazine. “We define a Person to Watch as someone doing something new and interesting. In some cases it might be someone who has already been watchable but that is moving in a new direction… Most of our selections achieve the greatness that we had anticipated, or greater. How will this class do? We’ll be watching.”

    Katy is recognized among a class of fifteen stellar and creative people, including chefs, artists, dog lovers, designers, altruists, athletes, and more, all who combine their passion and energy with an entrepreneurial instinct. Read the article to learn who they are.

    All of Katy’s work with children, music, and local culture under the umbrella of Confetti Park earned her a spot on this list…  so the honor can be attributed to all the amazing fellow musicians and the children who participate in the Confetti Park Players chorus, as well as the families of Algiers Point and Confetti Kids volunteers who have all rallied around the adorable and inspirational heart of the neighborhood: the real Confetti Park.

     

  • Katy featured as a “Mompreneur” in NOLA Family magazine

    Katy featured as a “Mompreneur” in NOLA Family magazine

    NOLA Family cover October 2016Look for Katy Hobgood Ray and the Confetti Park Players in the October 2016 issue of NOLA Family!

    Katy is featured as a New Orleans Mompreneur in an article titled “Lullabies And Lagniappe” for her work as director of the choir and as a radio host/producer and book publisher.

    The article talks about how becoming a mom to son Louis in 2011 and being part of a neighborhood community full of children developed her interest in children’s music and literature. Katy started collecting songs and folktales from around Louisiana(she has an MA in musicology) and parlayed that interest into a radio show. The article also talks about the beginnings of the Confetti Park Players. Thank you for the lovely feature, NOLA Family!

    NOLA Family cover October 2016

  • OffBeat Magazine says the Confetti Park Players CD makes for a better world

    OffBeat Magazine says the Confetti Park Players CD makes for a better world

    OffBeat Magazine
    OffBeat Magazine, February 2016

    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]