Just a few days ago I thought of making a video for the song “One That I Love”, that consists of all sorts of views of love. Photos, video clips, and a child’s artistic view from drawings submitted fans and others. This isn’t just for families with children, but any family, as they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes! I would love for this to represent the diversity of the world today.

Your picture can be of you and you and child whom you love, or get as creative as you’d like! What does love mean for you? Maybe a moment was caught on video of your child dancing or singing, beaming with joy. Or a moment was caught by photo where the love is visible; an impromptu gem of a moment in your life. I would be honored if you would share it with me for my video. The more casual and spontaneous the photo/video clip is, the better! Also, SHARE THE SONG! Here is a free download of “One That I Love”. I would love it if you shared it with your friends and family and they could also send in their photo, drawing, or video clip.

(These are two of my examples of a photograph of “love” for me. Yours may look different
and that’s great! On the left is Liam, who I nannied for 4 yrs and on the right is my now 18 yr old niece!)

Feel free to send a few entries and then we can decide what works best. Can you imagine if there were too many to fit within the 2:33 min song? Imagine if we could get photos that represent love from around the world? How cool that would be! I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and join in! Please email them to me here (charliehopemusic@gmail.com) and include the names of each person who is pictured (or if you prefer just the family name) and your location.

I am really excited to be able to involve so many of you in my new video project and I am loving the photos, art and video I’ve received just in the last two days. I hope to illustrate the diversity of so many of the families that I know as well as how we all express love.

Be sure to join us at the KidsBeet Concert Series on October 30th at First Church Boston.  Charlie Hope will be joining Ben Rudnick & Friends, and Suzi Shelton, to put on a performance in support of Franciscan Hospital for Children.  The concert starts at 10:30 and will finish around noon.

On Saturday, June 26th 2010, bring your fairy wings to Prospect Park’s Imagination Playground and join PLG Arts as they team up with Park Slope Parents and children’s singer/songwriters Suzi Shelton and Charlie Hope for a musical fairy party! In celebration of the end of the school year, this event will begin at 10am in addition to the regularly scheduled performance of Daydream by PLG Arts at 11am.

Pre-show activities include a 30 minute musical performance by kindie favorites Suzi Shelton and Charlie Hope , accompanied by drummers Kyle McGee and Vin Scialla from Off Beat (a rhythm collective dedicated to help people access the healing benefits of the drum). Suzi Shelton is a local Brooklyn favorite in the playground set and will be singing songs off of her two award winning CD’s, Simply Suzi and No Ordinary Day. Charlie Hope is a gifted, award winning singer songwriter who knows how to tug the heartstrings of children – and their parents, too. You can catch her whimsical sound and melodic lyrics in her Award-winning debut album, I’m Me!.

The main event begins at 11am with a forty-five minute adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” entitled Daydream by PLG Arts followed by post-show kids’ activities, which are held at each show. You can catch Daydream, directed by Rohana Elias-Reyes, every weekend this June. Saturdays at 11am and Sundays at 3pm. PLG Arts hotline number is (718) 393-7733.

Media sponsor Park Slope Parents, NYC’s largest online parenting community, will be there to help facilitate the days’ activities.

All activities are FREE to the public. Children can bring a bathing suit to play in the fountain after the show. Seating is on the ground so bring a towel for comfort.

Prospect Park’s Imagination Playground is located in the park from Ocean Avenue between Lincoln Road and Parkside Avenue. Take the Q or S train to Prospect Park, exit to Lincoln Road.

Click here to see the Imagination Playground on our Interactive Map.

Canada’s Leading Children’s Music Artists to Perform at Kids’ Jam for Janeway in Support of Good Music and Goodwill

St. John’s, NL – On April 17, Charlie Hope, Bobs & Lolo, The Bee’s Knees and The Kerplunks, all JUNO Award nominees for Children’s Album of the Year, will perform at Kids’ Jam for Janeway, a free concert to benefit the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre. The concert is being coordinated by Kids Music Connection, an initiative to support music and the arts in the lives of children.

“It’s truly inspiring whenever artists who are competing against each other for the same award can come together in support of a wonderful cause,” said Charlie Hope, singer/songwriter. “We are all passionate about the happiness, health and wellbeing of children, and support the Janeway and its mission of healing and hope.”

Just after receiving her first JUNO Award nomination for her debut children’s album, I’m Me!, Hope got the idea to organize the benefit concert and immediately reached out to her fellow nominees for their support and participation. The other artists were eager to lend their voices, and financial and logistical challenges were overcome by the outpouring of support from local businesses and organizations.

Dan Rubin, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Musicians’ Association (AFM Local 820) has offered sponsorship as well the possibility of support by the Music Performance Fund, a New York-based fund which uses money from the recording arts industry to support free educational and public performances across North America. Additionally, Little People’s Workshop, Gower Street United Church, Oompa.com, and Sheth Graphic Design are generously supporting the event.

“We are honoured by the generosity of the artists and organizations who are donating their time, talent and resources,” said Jenine Kerrivan, Manager of Community Initiatives with the Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation. “Support from the community allows us to continue providing our province’s sick and injured children with the special care they need and deserve, and our staff and patients are very appreciative of Kids Music Connection and the JUNO Award nominees for their kindness and caring.”

The Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre is Newfoundland and Labrador’s only hospital specializing in pediatric health care. The Janeway is a tertiary care centre with modern emergency, diagnostic, operating and development and rehabilitation departments, and serves thousands of children and families each year.

Kids’ Jam for Janeway will be held on Saturday April 17th at 10 a.m. at the Gower Street United Church, located at 99 Queen’s Road, St. John’s, Newfoundland. The event is free and open to the public. Rik Barron, renowned local folk and children’s performer and two-time ECMA winner for Best Children’s Artist, will serve as the host of the event.

As part of the fund raising effort, Kids’ Music Connection is holding an online auction for a set of 4 Juno Nominated, autographed children’s cds.

For more information about the event and free advance ticket reservations, visit www.kidsjam.ca.

Last Tuesday we were featured on IWearYourShirt.com and had a great time watching Jason & Evan wearing a Charlie Hope shirt talking about her train song, while flying a kite, or going down to see an old train in town.

We offered the Train Song as a free download and over had an amazing response of over 1,000 downloads! Choo Choo!