MVTimes Online - The Martha's Vineyard Times: Island News Now

Nora Laudani has entertained children and families with Rocking Horse tunes for several years; here, she is performing at a children's festival in Washington Square Park in New York City. Photo courtesy of Nora Laudani

Nora Laudani is a veritable treasure in the Island’s woodwork, a talented singer/songwriter/actress/dancer whose resume encompasses film, theater, and television. Her latest creative endeavor is Rocking Horse Music, a three-disc series of children’s songs that invites families with small children to share in the joy of singing together.

The CDs are an outgrowth of Ms. Laudani’s Rocking Horse Music workshop, a seven-week course she offers for families with children aged six months to four years old. The 45-minute class, taught at the Family Network (a division of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services at the high school), creates an open and inclusive atmosphere that invites all participants to raise their voices together. The discs were originally created to provide families with the chance to enjoy and practice the songs outside of the class. With their wider release, families who have not yet participated in the course can enjoy the whimsical original tunes.

Ms. Laudani’s work with Rocking Horse Music is the outgrowth of a diverse performing career. Ms. Laudani graduated from Bard College with an honors degree in dance before branching out into theater and film. She toured as Cindy Brady in “The Real Live Brady Bunch” and wrote, directed, and performed in “Jabbering Head,” a performance piece that prompted New York Times critic Jennifer Dunning to dub Ms. Laudani “an eloquent and witty writer.”

Her voice-over work has appeared on MTV (“Daria” and “Beavis and Butthead”), Nickelodian (“Nick Days”), NPR (“David Sedaris Tale”), VH1, and PBS.

Her improv resume includes Boston’s The Angry Tuxedos, New York’s Chicago City Limits, and Troubled Shore Theater on Martha’s Vineyard. She has directed two short films, “Fall” and “Lick The Bowl,” which will soon air on MVTV.

Ms. Laudani’s initial experiences with children and music came during her stints teaching music at the Amherst Common School, PS 58, in Brooklyn and the Music Together classes for toddlers and infants. Fusing her theatrical and musical gifts (she plays piano, flute, and guitar), Ms. Laudani crafted a series of original songs that are designed to be, in her own words, “catchy for kids but not brain-numbing for parents.”

On the disc “Moose Collection,” Ms. Laudani opens with “Singing, Singing,” introducing her warm and welcoming voice and the lyrics: “singing, singing with my friends is like bringing the sun in.” Ms. Laudani’s vocal style is graced with a mild country inflection reminiscent of Loretta Lynn’s gentler work.

On “Pizza Lunatic,” Ms. Laudani chants “pizza, pizza, pizza thick, I’m a pizza lunatic” over a descending a cappella bass line and various sound and percussion effects. The song features a zany, playful feel.

“Let Him Go,” a track with guitar, violin, and mandolin accompaniment, tells of encouraging a friend to let a captured butterfly free. The song stands on its own as a melodic folk-country song in addition to having a strong ethical/ecological message.

On the “Zebra Collection” disc, Ms. Laudani makes inventive use of metallic percussion sounds on “Bottles and Cans” as she sings about using household artifacts to make music. The song is delivered in a dry southwestern drawl that suggests Lucinda Williams channeling Sesame Street. “Wolly Wolly Bim Bam” is an a cappella number with woodblock percussion that praises the joy of making silly noises.

On the “Rocking Horse” disc, the song “Go Little Engine” is another a cappella piece with light percussion that honors trains. “Comin’ down the track, screechin’ like a bat, goin’ chugga-chugga-choo-choo-chugga-choo,” Ms. Laudani sings in a light, comical voice. In “Lu Lu Riding” she is accompanied by a harpsichord and flute as she sings of a child’s joy at learning to ride a bike, coupled with the fear and pain of falling from the bike and the courage to get back on. It will resonate with parents who see this first step towards independence as a symbol of their child’s inevitable separation.

By blending her various talents, Ms. Laudani has crafted a series of amusing and engaging songs that invite families to sing and laugh together. As with the best children’s songs, Ms. Laudani’s music invites us to overcome our musical shyness and raise our voices for the simple, silly pleasure of it.

Nora Laudani’s CDs are available at Alley’s General Store for $12 each.