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Published on 06/09/1999 All articles from this issue

Arnold returns to headline MFM Children's Music Festival

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By Joan Passarelli

Special to the Town Crier

Linda Arnold will return as a headliner of the second annual Music for Minors Children's Music Festival on June 19 at Egan Intermediate School in Los Altos.

Arnold, who performed at the first festival last year, has been writing and performing children's music for over 10 years. She has branched into puppetry and musical theatre and now hosts a national radio show as well.

The theme of Linda Arnold's show this year will be "Imagination."

With her new song, "Imagination is the Key," Arnold will weave many favorites from her albums into a show sparkling with the magic of fantasy. Tyrone the Dinosaur and Ted the Cool Bear will appear, and some children from the audience will be invited onstage to join the fun.

"Performing is a wonderful family experience," Arnold said.

Her son Toby, 16, will be assisting with the show, and her daughter Ariel, 22, will be joining her onstage.

Ariel has been featured on all of Arnold's albums since she was 8. Now she sings harmonies with her mother, and is working on a CD of her own. "My music has grown out of my love for children, so it's so neat to be doing it with my own children," Arnold said.

Arnold, a Santa Cruz area resident, is working on a new album now with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The album, not yet titled, is scheduled for release in March 2000 to coordinate with the opening of the Aquarium's new exhibit, "Splash Zone."

The exhibit and the album will be part of an interactive tour for children and their parents of the rocky shore and coral reef zones of ocean life.

"I just wrote the first three songs," Arnold said. "They'll be scientifically accurate - I've been researching the world of fish - and lots of fun, too." The target audience is 2-9 years old, Arnold said.

Arnold is concerned about the recent violence in schools in America. "It's very disturbing," she said. "It's a national tragedy. As an artist and someone in the field of education, I think we need to inspire young children with messages of hope and integrity. We must teach them to strive to be the best they can be, even though it's not a perfect world."

Arnold said she is delighted to support Music for Minors, an organization founded in 1975 that brings music education to local schools.

The Children's Music Festival will feature a wide assortment of entertainment, including the Banana Slug String Band. Also featured will be Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza, hot dogs and popcorn. The event includes a marketplace, face painting and other activities. Admission is $5. For more information, call 941-9130.