Best New Kids Music: Imagination Movers

Upbeat, bursting with energy and a positive message, the Imagination Movers are the new favorite band of preschoolers across the nation.

These guys are fun to watch and listen to because somehow, they have managed to recall and relive what it is like to be a kid. You can see it in their faces; they are not singing down to their audience or teaching lessons in a authoritative sort of way. They are playing, jumping around and having a blast behaving like 4-year-olds and dealing and addressing the things that matter most to their audience. For example, their song I Want My Mommy addresses nightime fears all children experience at some point and the need to have mom or dad help them feel safe.

This group of friends from New Orleans stared out writing for their own kids and eventually scraped together enough cash to self-produce their first CD which, to their surprise, sold out rapidly. The band blends hip-hop, rock and world beat, bringing children lessons about daily life in a fun and energetic manner. Their work has won numerous awards, including the Parents Choice Award , and Teachers Pick .

Disney discovered them in 2005 at the New Orleans Jazz Fest . Now, their videos are featured on Playhouse Disney daily. A TV show is in the works and will be comprised of skits, music and learning fun. It is scheduled to premier later in 2008.

Band members share songwriting credits and consult with childhood development experts to verify what they know intuitively as dads, teachers and grown-ups who remember well what it was like to be a kid.

“As anyone who lives with a little kid knows, they’re more intellectually and emotionally complex than anything in popular culture realizes.” Rich Collins, Imagination Movers

Band members include:

• Rich Collins, former journalist
• Scott Durbin, former teacher
• Dave Poche, architect
• Scott “Smitty” Smith, a New Orleans firefighter who served on a search and rescue team after Hurricane Katrina.

Their anxiously awaited CD Juice Box Heros will be released in March. Visit their website or Playhouse Disney to watch their videos, play games or download music.