Those Baby Blues

Those Baby Blues A music CD of music designed for you and your baby. (Available on CD, $14.00 or cassette, $5.00)

Those Baby Blues is a collection of 22 songs with a variety of music: popular tunes, children's songs, lullabies, and classical pieces. For example, Mozart's greatest hit, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, is played seven different ways one traditional, then six different versions featuring piano, sax, trumpet, French horn, oboe and guitar. The C.D. starts out jazzy, and as the songs progress, they become slower and quieter, hopefully sending the baby off to sleep.

"While our great-great-grandparents realized that music could soothe a fussy baby or while away the time for a bored toddler, much more credit is given to music today," commented Claudia Quigg. "Scientists now speculate that music stimulates the baby's brain (his neural pathways,) enhancing connections and promoting healthy development."

Baby TALK now gives a CD or cassette to each baby born in Decatur Memorial and St. Mary's Hospitals in Decatur, Illinois. Entitled Those Baby Blues, the idea behind the gift comes from Claudia Quigg, founder and Executive Director of Baby TALK. The CD was designed specifically for babies; it will be given out when Baby TALK teachers meet new parents during their regular daily hospital visits.

This Baby TALK project was a collaboration of the following organizations:

Milikin University, students and faculty and their First Step Records. Led by Steve Widenhofer, they wrote, performed, recorded, mastered, and designed the cover for this CD and cassette.

The Joint Kiwanis Clubs, of Decatur, Illinois, whose cooperative 1999 Kiwanis Pancake Day raised funds for the initial production of this recording.

The Decatur Area Arts Council, whose collaboration and assistance made this project possible.

The Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, who provided a grant to partially fund this project.