Alison Faith Levy found a fun and original Four Questions video for us! Joanie Leeds gives her own spin to these questions as she shows kids what each question is all about. Text is shown across the screen translating each question as well. Joanie has sung inspiring tunes for kids in all kinds of locations, and she has a new album coming out soon! Happy Passover!

Alison Faith Levy, formerly "Sippy Alison" of the beloved Bay Area band The Sippy Cups, recently released her colorful indie pop album for children, World of Wonder. Alison teaches children's music classes at SF Bay Area Jewish Community Centers. She is currently working on an album of original pop rock tunes about the Jewish holidays for young children. You can find out more about Alison at www.alisonfaithlevy.com

Posted by Rachel Teichman. 

David Ian is a jazz musician who has produced three holiday albums. He plays classical and jazz piano along with guitar, and played in rock bands before going solo. His third full-length album "Valentine's Day," was just released this year. It is full of romantic music covers.

Kaitlin McGaw is a musician and educator, who founded Alphabet Rockers to teach kids through songs and dance! As one-third of this hip hop trio, she brings educational beats to kids through CDs, concerts and school programs. We were happy to be part of their successful Kickstarter program to bring Alphabet Rockers to the small screen too!

1. What's your favorite color? It used to be blue. I have blue walls of various shades in my house, rocked a blue T-shirt for Alphabet Rockers, and all that stuff. But now I find myself buying pink sneakers, hot pink shirts, and pink pants. I guess you would say I love them all!

2. What's your favorite ice cream? Peanut butter cup

3. What's your favorite purple? Great question! I like the magenta purple.

4. What's your favorite flower? I love the smell from lavender and jasmine, but a simple beautiful tulip wins the favorite flower game.

5. What is your all time favorite song? Yikes! I can never choose between songs. It would be like choosing my all-time-favorite friend. Songs speak to me throughout my life, get quiet, and then re-ignite. If I think of the album I have bought 3 times it would be a tie between A Tribe Called Quest - "Midnight Marauders" and Mary J. Blige "Share My World". If I had to pick 5 various songs right this minute, they might include: A Tribe Called Quest "Oh My God", Annie Lennox "Cold", Norah Jones "The Nearness of You", Fugees "Ready or Not" and Bonnie Raitt "I Can't Make You Love Me"

6. When did you move for the first and last time? The first time I moved was in my early twenties, when I moved from my childhood city of Boston to San Francisco. I never imagined I would stay...but here we are, years later, still in the Bay. Three years ago I moved from San Francisco to Oakland and love this community even more than SF.

7. What is your favorite US city to visit? New York, hands down. I will walk the streets for hours and hours, with or without my friends that live there. The city speaks to my creativity and drive, and I leave wondering why I don't live there!

8. What is the last book you read? Just finished Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, exploring the climate change crisis through a fictionalized family in Appalachia. Reading quality stories is crucial to my mind, my critical thinking, my experience of the world. I'm now reading Little Bee, and will be looking for a new recommendation when I finish it this week!

9. Four Square or Tetherball? Four square, hands-down. We drew it in chalk on the street in front of my house, at the playground, anywhere we could. It was always thrilling.

10. Favorite childhood meal? Grilled cheese and my dad's pancakes. It's amazing how much fancier everyone's cooking has gotten over the past 10 years. We repeated the same 10 meals for years, it would seem, and today because of the internet and food TV shows, people really have diversified. I could still eat a grilled cheese everyday and be satisfied, but I too love trying new things, especially with getting those greens in. Yesterday I made brussels sprouts for lunch. That makes me sound old, I did it on purpose!

11. OOGIAH means cookie. What is your favorite kind? Macadamia nut + white chocolate. But I have never cooked them for myself, maybe I should this year!

Notes by OOGIAH:
Albums: A Tribe Called Quest & Mary J. Blige
Songs: A Tribe Called Quest's "Oh My G-d", Annie Lennox's "Cold", Norah Jones' "The Nearness of You",     Fugees' "Ready or Not" & Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me"
Books: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver & Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Cookies: This White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Recipe looks good!

Find out more about Kaitlin McGaw here. And check out the new Shape Rap!

*The first four questions were created by a five-year-old. And the last seven were written by her mom.
Posted by Rachel Teichman

You may know her as Sippy Alison from the kindie band The Sippy Cups, or from her solo music career or from our Listen with Alison blog posts. But however you know Alison Faith Levy, you know she is an energetic and talented musician and music teacher, who can't keep your kids sitting down for too long! We found out a lot of fun things about her, and about Hershey's Chocolate Syrup too!

1. What's your favorite color?
Grassy green



2. What's your favorite ice cream?
Grasshopper Pie from Mitchell's in SF (mint ice cream with fudge and crumbled Oreo cookies, mmmm!)

3. What's your favorite purple?
Is that really the question? I guess lavender.

4. What's your favorite flower?
Hydrangeas

5. What is your all time favorite song?
Wow, that's a tough one. Probably Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John. Or Tiny Dancer, Madman Across the Water, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Amoreena...any early Elton John!

6. When did you move for the first and last time?
First time was from Pittsburgh, PA to Hershey, PA when I was a baby. My dad got a job in the marketing department at Hershey's, and he actually came up with the idea for the little yellow plastic tops on the Hershey's syrup cans! 

Last time I moved was to our current house in San Francisco (from a little apartment) which we bought in 2000 when I was newly pregnant with my son Henry. The smell of the new paint drove me crazy during my first trimester, ugh!

7. What is your favorite US city to visit?
New York, LA, Chicago - I love them all and I'm always excited to go there. There's also something very special about Shreveport, Louisiana, since that's where my dad grew up and I spent many summers there visiting my grandparents - it's special to me.

8. What is the last book you read?
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan - really fascinating and scary.

9. Four Square or Tetherball?
Four Square for sure

10. Favorite childhood meal?
My mom's beef stroganoff - it's the best thing ever. I make it once in awhile for my family, but it's so fattening I try not to do it very often, I will just eat the whole thing. Big wide egg noodles, tons of sour cream...

11. OOGIAH means cookie. What is your favorite kind?
Can't really beat home-baked chocolate chip cookies.

Notes by OOGIAH:
Ice Cream: Mitchell's Ice Cream
Early Elton John Songs: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Tiny Dancer," "Madman Across the Water," "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," & "Amoreena"
Hershey's: Yellow lid history
Book: Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan 

Find out more about Alison Faith Levy here. 

*The first four questions were created by a five-year-old. And the last seven were written by her mom.
Posted by Rachel Teichman

Here Alison tells us what she is listening to this holiday season.

"I wanted to share this song with you and your readers, it's by Charity and the JAMband from their latest album "Family Values," and it's called "Grateful." It's such a sweet song, and really captures the spirit of giving thanks from a child's perspective, perfect for Thanksgivingukkah! The whole album is amazing, too."

This catchy tune will have you bopping around right away! And you can sing along with the lyrics too. 

Alison Faith Levy, formerly "Sippy Alison" of the beloved Bay Area band The Sippy Cups, recently released her colorful indie pop album for children, World of Wonder. Alison teaches children's music classes at SF Bay Area Jewish Community Centers. She is currently working on an album of original pop rock tunes about the Jewish holidays for young children. You can find out more about Alison at www.alisonfaithlevy.com. 

Posted by Rachel Teichman

We are lucky again to have musical suggestions from Alison Faith Levy for this time of year!

"Adon Olam" can be sung to any tune, and here it is sung in the style of "Cups!"

A classic, the Muppets do Shana Tova.

This is a great song and video called Dip Your Apple.

Very cool animation and song for Sukkot.

And of course - Shakin' the Lulav (for Sukkot).

She also loves "I Love to Hear the Shofar Blast," which is one she sings at her temple with the kids. 

Alison Faith Levy, formerly "Sippy Alison" of the beloved Bay Area band The Sippy Cups, recently released her colorful indie pop album for children, World of Wonder. Alison teaches children's music classes at SF Bay Area Jewish Community Centers. She is currently working on an album of original pop rock tunes about the Jewish holidays for young children. You can find out more about Alison at www.alisonfaithlevy.com. 

Posted by Rachel Teichman

We are so excited that Alison Faith Levy will be contributing to our blog! She will introduce families to innovative music and videos that she discovers, that teach about Judaic topics in a fun way!

More about Alison: Alison Faith Levy, formerly "Sippy Alison" of the beloved Bay Area band The Sippy Cups, recently released her colorful indie pop album for children, World of Wonder. She performs for families all over the San Francisco Bay Area with her Big Time Tot Rock band. In addition to her fun, energetic and interactive live shows, Alison teaches toddler and preschool music classes at the San Francisco and Peninsula Jewish Community Centers. She is currently working on an album of original pop rock tunes about the Jewish holidays for young children. You can find out more about Alison at www.alisonfaithlevy.com. 


Posted by Rachel Teichman