Who is Fred Koch?: "He is one of those warm, witty adults that kids connect with instantly!" -Chicago Sun-Times How can we help our children enjoy music?: Kids are natural music makers, so it is our calling as parents and teachers to surround them with music that will captivate, inspire and move them. This includes having them hear the styles and musicians that we, as adults, find enjoyable. And herein lies the most important point. We want to show our children that we value music and that we find in important in our lives. Our children need to know. Don't buy "This Lil' Cow" just to have another great CD for your child to listen to - buy it because it is a wonderful way for you to experience music with your children. Dance along, sing along, play along - that's the value of music for children. We can't just provide them with the best of everything and not interact with them! Music is meant to be shared and yes, we know it is often difficult to find children's music that you and your kids can enjoy together. But rest assured, there is plenty of great music for you and your kids to enjoy together. (If you didn't think so too, you probably wouldn't be here at CD Baby!) Fred Koch's thoughts on "This Lil' Cow": "This was my first children's record. It contains mostly original songs that I wrote because a need developed in my work as a music teacher. I had been teaching for a few years and found that when I went searching for a song about a particular topic, that the process was very time intensive. Find a song, review the lyrics, decide if it needed rewriting, etc... Well, I soon realized that it was often easier to simply write my own song. This way I could tailor the song to fit a real situation with real kids. 'This Lil' Cow' was almost titled 'Our Favorite Mr. Koch Songs' because these were clearly the original songs of mine children liked the best. The great thing about kids as critics is 'they are.' What I mean is that the best way to find out whether the children's song that you think is so great is any good, is to share it with children. I wrote "I Lost My Tooth" in about ten minutes. But it's funny, because I have played it more than any other song from the album. It has become a tradition with my young students (much like 'Happy Birthday'). Every time someone loses a tooth we sing "I Lost My Tooth." There is a line at the end about receiving a two-dollar bill, so I've photocopied and enlarged a two-dollar-bill and give one to the student who lost the tooth. My students still love 'Stop! In The Name Of The Law,' 'I'm Active' and 'Move, Move, Move' because movement games never go out of style. Movement is such a part of their nature. Children instinctively respond to and enjoy movement activities that leave room for creative freedom within a structured musical setting. Other favorites include "Daddy Plays Drums" (we pantomime and dance around with 'air' instruments), 'Great Day' (an early morning eye opener), 'Take Good Care Of Yourself' (a nutrition sing along)and 'Please, Louise' (a cumulative rock 'n' roll song about a huge sandwich)." The final point: Sure, we'd love you to have "This Lil' Cow," but whether you buy it or not, we hope you find those moments (believe me, they are fleeting fast) where you can have some fun "playing" music with your children.