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Musician Tracey Singer knows how you feel about most children's music.
"I have probably 100 kid CDs in the car, so I know from whence I speak what I want to listen to and what I don't want to listen to," he said in a telephone interview with The Press. Formerly of Coeur d'Alene, Singer has earned high marks from critics, children and adults alike for his first children's album, "Sweets 'n' Treats." "There's great music out there and then there's kid music, so my challenge was to bring the two together," he said. Singer attended Coeur d'Alene High School and lived in the area for 16 years. He was full time musical director at Christ the King Lutheran School and pursued a graduate school degree in business from Gonzaga University. "I really didn't have any thoughts of being a performer," he said. "I was about to get married, and I just wanted to have career options." He moved to San Diego, and as both he and his wife were working up the corporate ladder, they got pregnant. "We wanted to have a parent at home. I've always performed music on the side, so this was an opportunity to pursue it full time," Singer said. "Of course I realized that music couldn't be full time with kids." He began writing choral music, and he performed jazz and pop standards at clubs and corporate events. As his family grew, Singer had less and less time to work on his music. "I was so overwhelmed with four kids at home that I realized my brain wasn't working in an adult manner. So I turned to writing kids' music," he said.
Singer's own kids proved to be ample inspiration for a collection of child-friendly tunes.
"They were also a good focus group. They told me what songs they liked and what songs they didn't," he said. Using the connections he made in San Diego, Singer recorded 13 songs for his "Sweets 'n' Treats" album. So far the album has earned positive marks from the likes of the Denver Post and Time Out New York Kids. Some of his music has even popped up on children's stations on digital cable and satellite radio. His most popular track, "Camping Trip," was written in Coeur d'Alene when he visited family and friends last summer. "I wrote it in the midst of a 10-mile run between Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls," Singer said. "If you're going to write a song about camping, you can't do it in San Diego." Singer believes most of his music was inspired in part by his experiences in North Idaho. He especially credits his high school music instructor, Jean Ter Hark for his passion for music. "The music program really laid the groundwork for me," he said.
Popular New York City family entertainment magazine Time Out New York Kids is currently running a very positive review of Tracey's Album. Here it is in its entirety:San Diego Union Tribune Does Feature Article About Tracey
July 9th, 2009
The San Diego Union Tribune ran a feature article about Tracey's newly released CD, Sweets 'n' Treats. The article also focused on the daily challenges Tracey faces as he works at home surrounded by 4 small kids. Click here to read this great article!
Tracey also made a live TV appearance today on Channel 6 on the show, "San Diego Living." Tracey performed the title track, "Sweets 'n' Treats", backed up by some of the kids who sang the song on his CD, as well as the tender ballad, "The Moon is Here." Tracey was also interviewed during the show about his recent debut in the world of children's music. All in all not a bad day!
Tracey Singer's celebrated first Children's CD "Sweets 'n' Treats" made its debut today to universal acclaim. Says Tracey's Mom, "It's perfect, absolutely perfect!" Says Tracey's wife, "He's just so dreamy." Says the rest of the world.....? Only time will tell, but this reporter says it's a can't miss hit! Well, this reporter is actually Tracey but you can't blame a guy for hoping. Camping Trip Video Released
July 7th, 2009
The hilarious Camping Trip video is now available for viewing on YouTube as well as on this site. This video, shot from actual secret footage of Tracey's real attempts at camping, shows that folks like Tracey who are from the city should not make attempts to be at one with nature. Okay, maybe it doesn't show actual footage of Tracey but believe me it is pretty close to what the real thing looks like when he does camp. To enjoy the fun Click Here or check it out on YouTube.
Posted July 5th, 2009
The Midwest Book Review's strong recommendation of Tracey Singer's Sweets 'n' Treats has been provided to the Helen C. White Library's "Cooperative Children's Bookwatch" where it will be made available to school and community librarians throughout Wisconsin's public school systems and community libraries. It has also been provided to Cengage Learning's "Book Review Index" (published four times yearly for school and public library systems).