Vacationing with Kids 12/04/2009

“Traveling with kids is a logistical nightmare and usually, it’s expensive. So with four children, we opted for road trips to the great outdoors.

The first year we tried for a big family vacation, we decided to just drive for three weeks and see what experiences Mother Nature would provide. Along the way we had totally unexpected experiences—a July snowstorm at Lake Tahoe; crabbing at low tide in Bellingham, Washington —in places we had never been. Once we made it to Canada, it was time to head home and we drove south right down the middle of Washington and Oregon.

About 3 hours south of the Oregon border we drove across a majestic bridge spanning a glorious blue lake that seemed to meander like fingers on a hand. About 100 feet below us we could see boats pulling people on water-skis, and houseboats floating around as though time was meaningless. Behind us stood the snow-capped visage of Mount Shasta. In that moment we decided to stay for an adventure that we repeated almost annually for over 20 years.

Our four kids count those vacations among the best experiences of their childhood. So they were frustrated when, after four weddings and eight babies, the family vacation became a hit-or-miss event. During the Christmas break in 2008 our youngest son and daughter called a family meeting to guarantee that we would try, at least one more time to gather everyone for an honest-to- goodness full week’s stay on Lake Shasta.

Seven months later, with an entourage of 25 people, one dog, two huge coolers of food packed in dry ice, a ski boat and a trailer full of fishing equipment, duffle bags, water toys, and a kayak, we descended upon a flotilla of houseboats. While we offloaded all the food, equipment, and kids I began to wonder, was the “Great Lake Shasta Adventure” going to kill me?

Truth be told, my hopes for a fabulous time had started to wane as soon as we drove away from the house. A pall started to descend when one of the big kids got sick, spewing vomit before we even got to the lake. When I headed to my sleeping bag for the first night’s sleep under the stars, I realized the wrong pad was in the tent. It dawned on me that maybe the family vacation had become intermittent because we were sub-consciously avoiding it. Houseboating is a lot of work.

But six days later, four of the grands were water-skiing, including the youngest, 4 years old. The boy and girl cousins played together across their ages and stages, the cooking support teams were ready for duty every day, and the kids organized a talent show as a farewell tribute to “their best vacation ever!”

When my daughter posted her pictures to Facebook, and the comments came pouring in, I really knew it was truly worth every minute of preparation. A vacation isn’t simply a trip you take. A family vacation is a memory builder that can define the high points of a childhood.”

- Dr. Karen Hill Scott

Behind the Music Box Orchestra 10/16/2009

You don’t know it, but you probably know Bill Weisbach. Bill is the “ears” behind our Baby Einstein Music Box Orchestra. In fact, he has been writing beautiful music for Baby Einstein ever since its inception. He does it all—from composing to playing to producing—and because of his vibrant vision, Baby Einstein music helps introduce little ears to Mozart (hyperlink), Beethoven (hyperlink), and traditional and original music (hyperlink) from all over the globe.

How long have you been composing music and sound design for Baby Einstein?
“I started composing music for Baby Einstein in 1997; the first video title, (then named) BabyEinstein featured images, movement and color, short poems, with verse and recitations in several languages, and simple focused melodies, rhythms, and natural sounds. For that title, I composed the original theme and music score, and also created the sound design.”

How did you get involved with Baby Einstein?
“When my son was very young, I wrote several lullabies and also created some sound collages for him – as a means of exposing him to music and sound, and also to provide a unique way for us to interact in quieter settings. When my friends Bill and Julie Clark invited me to discuss ideas for a video ‘board book’ for young children, I was very much in the midst of the sharing this new joy of music with my child. As new parents, the timing for all of us couldn’t have been better!”

Were you musical as a child?
“I grew up in a musical family; my mom played piano and my dad played string bass in a swing band. I was fortunate to have lots of encouragement and I was deeply curious about how instruments made their specific sounds. My first instruments, after pots and pans in the kitchen, were piano and guitar. When I was 11 or so, my grandmother treated me to season tickets at the symphony, and around that same time I heard Switched on Bach (Bach’s music realized on the Moog synthesizer). Right then, I had this new interest in color, and it wasn’t visual, but instead the color of music. Between hearing live acoustic symphony performances and these beautiful and strangely organic electronic timbres, I wanted to compose my own music.

So I got way interested in percussion instruments, and also exploring raw sound – making our family piano and other instruments sound unlike their natural selves: I used my dad’s bass bow on my cymbals and I dropped pennies and other things into the piano while scraping the strings (which I still love to do). Anything to explore timbre – not so great for the piano, but great fun for me!”

Describe the sound of the Baby Einstein Music Box Orchestra
“My aim with Baby Einstein is to create and present music that is fun and engaging for children, and also to expose them to music they may pursue more growing up. The Baby Einstein Music Box orchestrations are intended to provide a colorful, playful experience – created specially for little ears.

Take the idea of a music box with it’s intimate, resonant sound, capable of vibrant musical color. For the Baby Einstein classical music titles (starting with Baby Mozart) I experimented using different instrument sounds and blends, and liked how plucked sounds worked with softly struck sounds. Orchestrated with other instruments worked to create a musical feel which is not specifically, but suggestive of, the magical sound of a music box.”

How do you go about composing music for Baby Einstein, and what inspiration do you look to?
“I compose original themes, instrumental scores, and songs for Baby Einstein – and each kind of music requires a different approach, with it’s own starting point. I’m a big fan of creating music using what’s around, which is also an incredible experience to share with your child – spending time together to whistle a tune, clap out a beat, tap out a simple rhythm on a can or home-made shaker, move, and find the music around you.

Right now, I’m composing new original music for a Baby Einstein DVD, which is inspired by different cultures as well as aspects of different colors – some very cool stuff! But whatever the style of music I’m composing or arranging, my goal is to create a fun musical experience for the child.”

Baby Einstein also has music CD titles – how are they different from the DVDs?
“The Baby Einstein music CDs represent a really wonderful growing library of music that includes featured music appearing from the DVDs along with additional music, not on the DVDs. I’ve produced these CD titles so that each is designed and paced to provide an altogether different experience from the DVDs: since there is no visual, the focus is entirely on the music and the music can be enjoyed in different settings. A couple titles feature traditional songs with child vocalists accompanied by activities so that children can interact with parents and/or other children clapping, dancing, playing and singing. Focus is on interaction, appreciation of basic music forms and, of course, sharing the musical fun!”

-The Baby Einstein Team