Southern View: October 08, 2020

12 Thursday October 8 2020
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
SOUTHERN VIEW
News
Positive music album proving popular
• By Bea Gooding
MICHAL BUSH has always had
a passion for connecting with
children through the world of
music.
The mother of three has now
become a hit on YouTube, with
her song Kindness is Free, stacking
up more
than 40,000
views.
The positive
song, which
came out in
2019, helped
Michal Bush
her and other
parents talk to
their children about the March
15 mosque attacks and the importance
of kindness.
To help families take a break
from the “overwhelming”
anxieties of the world during
Covid-19, Bush created Can You
Make Music? – a new, 15-track
children’s music album with an
overarching theme of well-being.
Bush said the album was
recorded during the lockdown
and took three to four months
to complete, with the help of a
funding grant from Creative
New Zealand.
“Music is an incredible tool for
heavy issues. I think the world
is so overwhelming, and as a
parent and teacher, it’s a heavy
POPULAR: Michal Bush’s new children’s music album, Can You Make Music?, helps kids
deal with tough issues in the wake of Covid-19 through music. PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN
responsibility to take the anxiety
out of the world to protect your
kids,” she said.
“So this is using music in a
positive way to help children focus
on the goodness in the world,
and as parents, it helps you to
take a deep breath, have fun, and
see that life is beautiful.”
Bush has always loved music
and has been songwriting since
she was a child. She started
focusing on children’s music for
the last eight years following the
birth of her daughter.
Ever since, she has performed
in numerous early childhood
centres, pre-schools, trusts and
online to develop children’s interest
in singing and rhythm with
her Music with Michal Club.
“It’s [music] so much a part
of who I am, how I process the
world, how I get my thoughts out
and how I connect with other
people,” she said.
“I’m so drawn to children’s
music because I love the wonder
and awe of it, it’s the best job
ever. Children are such a wonderful
audience, they come with
so much joy.”
Her songs have been used as a
resource by teachers and parents
across the country. Her children
were a “big” part of the process
having heard the album through
its different stages of completion
and also sang in a few songs.
Said Bush: “Thanks to the
grant from Creative NZ, I was
able to hire my friends who are
amazing producers to help produce
the album, which we made
from our own homes. It was a
very cool process.
“The album brings joy and
connection between parent
and child, which celebrates
the childlike point of view of
the world, sparks creativity in
children and helps parents feel
like kids again.”
•The Can You Make
Music? album was
released last month and
can be found at https://
musicwithmichal.com/canyou-make-music/