{"id":28239,"date":"2025-01-15T08:50:58","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T08:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/art\/my-musical-book-of-fables\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T08:50:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T08:50:58","slug":"my-musical-book-of-fables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=28239","title":{"rendered":"My Musical Book of Fables"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Do you remember in the olden days when everyone used to learn to play the recorder at school? My dad, who claimed he could play the spoons \u2013 he couldn\u2019t \u2013 used to tell me and my sister and brother to go and practise ours up the top of the garden. If we wanted to play him something we\u2019d learnt he\u2019s say, \u2018Only if it\u2019s Over the Hills and Far Away<\/em>!<\/p>\n

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Well, the days of universal recorder lessons are gone and now, ukuleles are increasingly becoming the instrument of choice for children beginning their musical journey. You can see why. They\u2019re portable, easy to play, fun to sing along to and, because they\u2019re easier on the ear than the recorder, they might even have been allowed (upstairs with the door closed) in our house.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

My Musical Book of Fables<\/em><\/strong>
To support youngsters in their ukulele learning and to offer a musical experience that all the family can enjoy \u2013 no more banishment to the garden shed \u2013 talented musician, producer and ukulele teacher Gemma Cullingford (aka \u2018one half of Norwich queens of post-punk dark disco Sink Ya Teeth<\/em>\u2018 and currently one half of DJ duo\u00a0Hazy Cosmic Jive<\/em>) is publishing My Musical Book of Fables<\/em> \u2013 a multisensory story book, featuring some of her songs for children, and illustrated by me.<\/p>\n

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Front cover of our book featuring the main characters and some of the creatures to spot in my drawings <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I first met Gemma a couple of years ago in Norwich through a mutual friend and we bonded over a shared a love of Baron Bigod cheese, beer and dogs (Gemma\u2019s dog Dunston got on well with Jack). This is our second collaboration. The first was a beer can<\/a> I designed for Iron Pier Brewery, to celebrate the launch of Gemma\u2019s EP (with Luke Wright) FOMO<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Dunston and Jack (any excuse!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our latest venture, My Musical Book of Fables<\/em> features four traditional children\u2019s stories retold in catchy songs, composed played and sung by Gemma. The project started when teachers in a school where Gemma taught ukulele, asked if she could write a uke-friendly song about The Three Little Pigs<\/em>, to help them tie children\u2019s music learning into the rest of the curriculum.<\/p>\n

\u2018I did it and they loved it!\u2019 Gemma says, \u2018And that encouraged me to ask what they were doing the next term \u2013 it was The Gingerbread Man \u2013 and so then I went on to write another three songs and I\u2019ve been using them to teach the ukulele. The children love them and I thought it would be really nice if they could be available in a book and Duncan\u2019s style seemed to suit them perfectly.\u2019<\/p>\n

My Musical Book of Fables<\/em> takes traditional stories and looks at them from all angles \u2013 music, art, story telling and moral values. \u00a0It\u2019s a physical book that can be enjoyed on its own, but it also comes with songs (on a CD and online) that children can dance, sing and play along to. <\/p>\n

When we planned it, we wanted to create something that was entertaining for the whole family but also educational and I think we\u2019ve achieved that. Gemma\u2019s songs use repetition and rhyme, along with spoken word (Gemma\u2019s partner Mark is the voice of the wolf). They feature harmony, melody, different instrumentation and sound effects, designed to appeal to children of all ages \u2013 you don\u2019t need to be able to read the words \u2013 while also being friendly on the grown-ups\u2019 ears! All four songs come with basic chords so that budding ukulele players can play along.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a tiny taster from The Hare and the Tortoise.<\/em><\/p>\n

A little clip from The Hare and the Tortoise<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The songs she\u2019s composed for the book reflect Gemma\u2019s eclectic musical taste. They\u2019re written for children but they\u2019re still really \u2018Gemma\u2019 and as you listen to the songs you might catch hints of Little Eva\u2019s Loco-motion<\/em>, the Shangri-Las<\/em>, Queen<\/em> and maybe even a touch of Del Boy.<\/p>\n

A clip from The Little Red Hen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I wanted children to feel safe and nurtured by the songs,\u2019 Gemma explains. \u2018But at the same time, I didn\u2019t want to patronise them in any way. I wanted them to get hear what I consider to be good music, but not in the old fashioned sense, but just to like the kind of music that I\u2019ve grown up with. So The Three Little Pigs, <\/em>for example, has got a little bit of an electronic vibe to it. \u2018<\/p>\n

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Hard at work on The Three Little Pigs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve done over 30 illustrations for the book. Pretty typically for me, they\u2019re really detailed, so they offer lots of opportunities for discussion and interaction between children and adults. I\u2019ve made sure there\u2019s lots to discover on every page through shape, colour texture and images. There\u2019s a cast of fun characters and lots of other quirky details to spot (look out for the ladybirds. ants, hedgehogs, snails and worms and more), along with visual jokes (of course!) which I hope will appeal to adults and children, trigger their imaginations and keep them immersed in the stories. I\u2019ve made a colouring sheet that will be included with the book too.<\/p>\n

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One of my drawings from \u2018The Three Little Pigs\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pre-order<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The book costs \u00a39.99 plus \u00a34 postage and packing. If you\u2019d like a copy of our book, you can pre-order it today using this bandcamp link<\/a>. Books will be dispatched at the end of November 2024, so you\u2019ll get them in good time for Christmas.<\/p>\n

You will receive:<\/p>\n

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  • A copy of the book<\/li>\n
  • A CD containing four songs: The Little Red Hen, The Hare and the Tortoise, The Three Little Pigs <\/em>and The Gingerbread Man<\/em><\/li>\n
  • A link to the songs online, including basic chords for each song so you can play along, and<\/li>\n
  • A colouring sheet of a new scene not featured in the book.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    More about Gemma<\/strong><\/p>\n

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