Monkey Monkey DVD Review

Five years ago NYC-based musician/educator Meredith LeVande’s debut album, Monkey Monkey Music with Meredith LeVande, became an instant hit with families nationwide, was a Parenting magazine “Pick,” and was in rotation on Sirius Satellite Radio, earning a grassroots reputation as a classic children's recording. Meredith has, since 2005, devoted herself to performing for children in intimate settings, becoming a favorite among NYC area families and creating a repertoire that has grown organically from one-on-one interactions with children of virtually every culture imaginable. Meredith heads up a project with the marvelously mischievous moniker Monkey Monkey Music, with a focus on “putting the child back into children’s music.”

The new Monkey Monkey Music DVD, Monkey Monkey Music: The Videos with Meredith Levande, based on songs from Meredith’s debut album, will be released on December 1. Even before its official release, Monkey Monkey Music: The Videos with Meredith Levande has been scoring kudos, winning both a 2010 NAPPA Honors Award and endorsement from Kids First: The Coalition for Quality Children’s Media. Four of the DVD’s episodes were broadcast as music videos this summer on Comcast’s Kidz Bop Preschool on Demand channel. Possessing a universal appeal, Monkey Monkey Music: The Videos with Meredith Levande is already charming families in international markets as far away as Indonesia.