CHANA ROTHMAN - CD RAINBOW TRAIN

Popis - RAINBOW TRAIN:
“Rainbow Train is a joyous musical tool celebrating the many ways we are who we are.” Kathy O’Connell, Kids Corner on XPN We are pleased to share Rainbow Train, a ground-breaking CD that invites every child to envision, step into, and co-create a world free of gender barriers — a world of possibility. This collaborative, Philly-bred labor of love is spearheaded by local singer/songwriter, educator, and parent Chana Rothman and produced by beloved Philadelphia producer/engineer Bill Moriarty. Review from San Diego LBGT Weekly: 'Finally there’s a children’s album on gender freedom NEW YORK, N.Y. — Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Chana Rothman was unsure what to do when her son, a toddler, asked to wear a dress to school. She searched for children’s music rooted in messages of gender freedom to engage in positive parenting but came up short. After reaching dead end after dead end, Rothman decided to write her own album on gender identity and expression – the groundbreaking Rainbow Train, which debuts May 12. Rainbow Train, Rothman’s first children’s album, offers guidance to parents and teachers who want to support healthy gender development by disarming the gender binary that society currently imposes on us all. “Today’s young people need songs that show them all the choices and possibilities that they are allowed to become. The more they can see beyond the ‘pink” and ‘blue’ that gets pushed on them, the happier and more confident they will be. This goes for adults too,” Rothman says. A soundtrack for gender liberation, Rainbow Train covers all the bases – anti-bullying, love, acceptance and pride – and strives to create a world where children are free of the expectations and pressures embedded in gender constraints and stereotypes. It also harks back to the mid-1970s’ “Free to Be… You and Me” by Marlo Thomas and Friends, which served as inspiration for her album, Rothman notes. Though created for children, the album is musically advanced – full of catchy hooks and melodies that adults won’t mind listening to on repeat. Rainbow Train has a style for everyone: folk, ballad, hip-hop, disco, pop, spoken word, rock, Latin jazz, and children’s voices in dialogue. Rothman grew up in Toronto before moving to New York City and eventually settling in Philadelphia to start a family. She’s performed her music all over the world, and she hopes Rainbow Train can become a valuable resource for parents and children dealing with issues of gender identity and freedom.' Review from blog mombian.com: New Children’s CD Celebrates Gender Diversity: Come Hear it in Philly Put on your dancing shoes. The new children’s CD “Rainbow Train” celebrates gender diversity with great music and exuberant lines like “You don’t have to be just a boy or a girl/You can be a beautiful blended swirl.” The album’s creator, Chana Rothman, is a singer-songwriter, music educator, and mother, who plays regularly at New York night clubs the Highline Ballroom and the Knitting Factory. She has been a long-time performer at Jewish summer camps in North America, Israel, and the U.K. Her latest project was motivated closer to home. “When my son came to me and asked about wearing a dress to school I searched for songs that celebrate gender diversity and came up empty-handed. So I decided to write some and ‘Rainbow Train’ is the result,” said Rothman in a press release. “We live in a world where, despite progress, we still see rigid gender roles and stereotypes reinforced from birth and adversely impacting any child who does not conform. But as parents, educators and activists we know that gender and gender expression both fall along a spectrum and all children deserve to be treated with respect for who they are, whether transgender or gender non-conforming,” she added. Rothman, who is bisexual, told me in an e-mail, “I have lived and continue to live my life in opposition to binaries in terms of gender and sexual orientation, while also recognizing that my current partnership status [with a male] affords me much power and privilege, and trying to use that for social change.” Her new CD, aimed at children ages four to nine, is part of that effort. It addresses the questions: “How do we help our children feel free to express themselves, body mind and spirit? What is the soundtrack for theories of ‘anti-bullying’ and ‘gender liberation’?” The songs are positive, inclusive, and imminently listenable, drawing from genres as diverse as folk, ballad, hip hop, disco, pop, spoken word, rock, and Latin jazz. Some songs are overtly about gender identity and expression, like “Gender Blender,” “Boy in a Dress,” and “In Utero Soundtrack.” Others are more generally about empowerment, being oneself, and being comfortable in one’s body. “A Better Way” gives us a glimpse of civil rights leaders like Rosa Parks and Harvey Milk. It’s a great mix of songs you just want to dance to along with ones that will spark further discussion about gender and social justice.