Recording star educates kids

Whitewater--When was the last time you heard of a recording star who received a thunderous ovation for singing about taking of his diapers? It happened here last weekend during the keynote presentation at the 7th Annual Early Childhood Conference at the University of Wisconsin--Whitewater. The star was Hap Palmer, a Topanga (Calif.) songwriter and performer, whose educational recording sales have earned him a fold album, meaning his albums have sold more than 500,000 copies. "Today I Took My Diapers Off," was the tune that brought down the house for the 1,600 conference participants, including parents and early childhood educators who more than likely hoped that their youngsters soon would be able to sing along. The song also was indicative of the trend in early childhood music toward trying to reach a younger audience. "You go to a meeting like this, and you get inquiries, What do you have a 2-month-old?" said Betty Williams, the early childhood consultant for Educational Activities, which distributes Palmer's records. Palmer’s works have reached a new height of success, partially due to an increasing awareness of the value of music to child development, Williams said. But for all of his 17 years of musical fame, Palmer, 42, is a friendly, laid-back artist who reminds one of a cross between comedian Steve Martin and Actor Mike Farrell. Palmer’s parents nicknamed him, "Happy," as a child, and the name stuck. "I dropped the p-y to sound more adult-like," Palmer said. Although he wanted to play the drums as a child, his parents convinced him to take up the clarinet.  "My sister brought me a guitar from Mexico. I saw that and it caught my fancy. It was nice to be able to play harmonies instead of single notes," Palmer said. "I basically taught myself to play the '60s folk music. I used to play at the hootenannies for the YMCA’s. Hootenannies--how's that for an old term?" he said, laughing. After Completing a degree in education, Palmer became one of the first educators to realize the value of using contemporary educational music and movement in the classroom. "I was trying to be a music teacher, and the children wanted to move," Palmer said. His first record-- "Learning Basic Skills Through Music" -- was a hit for the way it helped to teach colors, the alphabet and other basics by allowing children to move naturally and happily as they learned.  Part of Palmer’s masters’ degree in dance education from the University of California -- Los Angeles was devoted to the study of what he called the "movement vocabulary" of children. Through Palmer's songs, children learn body parts: actions such as walking, twisting, stretching and hopping: use of space, such as front, back, side, high and low; quality of movement, such as fast, slow, loose and floppy, tight and tense; and relationships, such as over and under, outside, inside, around and face to face. Palmer said his music benefits children in three ways:  -Language learned though experience is learned best.  -Basic motor skills are learned in a much broader, non-competitive way than if the child only participated in softball, football or even ballet.  -Children learn to move creatively, which enriches their imaginations and relates vocabulary to imagery. 

Milwaukee Sentinel March 16, 1985