MUSIC FOR FAMILIES
Connecting with our children through musical play, exploration and appreciation is the stuff of this good life. Every experience is a gateway to learning and connecting. Imagine the vibrant colour and soft texture of a scarf playing peek-a-boo, counting the sides and discovering the shapes while folding the laundry, or singing about our favourite things to play on at the park. Transitioning from playtime to mealtime to brushing our teeth and finally making it into bed with memorable songs to guide us gently into sleep, feeling loved and seen. Every moment is a canvas for imagination and play. There is always more to explore. Whether it's singing a silly song to get us up the hill, counting everything to a joyful melody, or doing cool tricks for each other in time with the music. As we fall asleep, we reminisce about the magical world we created, a world inside a musical score, dancing all over the room, inviting in the magic of playful abandonment. We fall asleep giggling, bubbling over with the fun of our day together. My journey with children and families began in 2004 when I started teaching piano, violin, and small-group voice lessons. Becoming a mother in 2009 and again in 2011 allowed me to discover firsthand the day-to-day joys of parenting and living in a child's world. Using my Diploma in Contemporary Voice from VCC, with minor studies in Jazz Piano, Viola, and Musicology, I decided to dedicate my working life to connecting parents and kids to the story of humanity through music. In 2015, I began teaching Jump Into Music, offering group 'Musicology for Families' classes at community centres, parks, and family centres across Vancouver. Since then, I've taught over 10,000 children and caregivers, fostering connections and sparking conversations about our shared human experience. When the world shut down in March 2020, I pivoted to teaching LIVE on Facebook. Hundreds of families joined my daily sessions at The Get Together — 'When I'm at my house, and you're at your house, and we Get Together and JUMP INTO MUSIC!' A selection of these classes is now available on my YouTube channel, featuring personal and accessible educational videos that encourage us to explore the beauty of our world and the music that surrounds us, regardless of life's challenges. In collaboration with the talented producer and musician Mark Atkinson, I had the joy of recording the songs that I composed for my children during their early years. This collection was released in 2023 under the title 'You, Me and the Moon'. It reflects the special moments and memories we shared, and I'm thrilled to share it with others! I am so lucky to live this musical life, connecting with children and their families in the classroom and on stage. Let's sing and dance and smile every day! Thank you for taking the time to learn a bit about me. I look forward to connecting and learning about you soon!
You, Me and the Moon
A love letter from Mom
“This record is all about the deep connection between parents and their children,” says Lee who is (herself) a mother of two. “The album takes us through the motions of life with our little ones, playing outside in the forest listening to the birds, the story of the love of their mother watching them grow, singing about the family pet, magical moments - even humanizing potty training. Each song can stand alone, but together they feel like a love letter from a parent to their child, inviting, tender and silly. “ Produced, mixed, and mastered by Marc Atkinson (at The Barn Studio on Hornby Island, BC) - this new album is a testament to the love that parents have for their kids. The collection of songs showcases a tale of unbreakable connection. Monica dances the audience through playful storytelling, energetic sing-alongs, and soothing balms to end the day. The positive and empowering messages in the music, encouraging children to be kind, curious, and creative - are designed to inspire the little ones to explore the world around them, connect with nature, and embrace thier unique qualities.
In Performance
You, Me and the Moon is an interactive theatrical presentation of Monica Lee’s album of the same name, exploring the deep connection between parents and children. Using projected visuals and puppets, Monica weaves the story of her own childhood being sung to sleep by her Trinidadian Father with the songs she wrote for her own children. This show is a family friendly show appropriate for anyone who has had a parent. Babies to Grandparents are most welcome. A Vancouver multidisciplinary artist for over 20 years, Lee is most known for her powerful song writing in the Roots, Jazz and Country traditions as well as being a charismatic children’s educator through her company Jump Into Music. You, Me and the Moon is Lee’s second showcase play. Lee is accompanied by Paul Pigat for the Live show. You, Me and the Moon, the album was produced by Marc Atkinson and will be available for purchase and on all streaming platforms. Especially designed with you and your child in mind, a You, Me and the Moon companion book with lyrics and chords, illustrations, liner notes and short stories about each song will also be available. A modern alternative to the classic CD, this book includes a download code for the music. All physical purchases include a poster of the Album Art by Jenny Ritter for your room.
Album release date:
24 May 2023
The new record is called You, Me and The Moon. To me it feels like it is a love letter from parents to kids. I sing in both French and English on this record. I chose two of my favourite cover songs that I sang to my kids, CouCou (Mr. Moon) and Gershwin's classic lullaby Summertime, a song my mother also sang to me as a child. The rest of the songs are ones I wrote over the first decade of being a parent. My eldest would ask me to sing them a new song every night, a great exercise for a songwriter, which resulted in many of the songs on this record. When my youngest reached 7, I had to change all the words to all the songs to be about farts. He would drift off to sleep laughing. haha. I have not recorded those versions...you will just need to imagine that for yourself.
At age 10 my eldest informed me very kindly and gently in June that in Sept I would no longer need to sing them to sleep. They gave me lots of warning. When Sept came, my youngest got on board and that was the end of my 10yr of singing children to sleep every night. I cherish the memories and it is a gift to me that they are nicely held in the recordings of these songs, sung so many times in the dark to them as they drifted off.
For the release of this record, I wrote a solo show (but for the expert accompaniment by Paul Pigat) taking the audience on a journey through the eyes of a young child waiting in anticipation for their parent to sing them their favourite songs, to a mother of two very young babies wanting to do the right thing and sing to her children, to a mother to of the above 10 yr old giving me notice ending the ritual of bedtime singing to now, a mother to a 12 and a 14yr old.
Photos are by @diamondsedgephotography Michelle Keobke. You, Me and the Moon premiered to a SOLD OUT house at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts on May 28th, 2023.
The record was produced by Marc Atkinson
All songs performed by Monica Lee and Marc Atkinson
REVIEW - THEATRICAL DEBUT
Thank you for purchasing this music online through Bandcamp. Unlike streaming services that also have these songs on them, artists receive direct compensation when the music is purchased from Bandcamp. Spotify is a great place to make playlists and listen casually, but know that artists receive pennies from this service. Add the album to your library playlist, and share it with your friends wherever you listen to your music. It makes me happy to know you are listening. Thanks so much for supporting artists you love and particularly for supporting me. It means a lot.
A lot of time and careful, loving energy has gone into each and every song I have written, produced, recorded and released. Letting these babies out into the world has so many little steps. It is an honour to share them with you.
