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For the Love of Hawaii: new CD by Linda Yapp Receives Applause
You can't go out in public with Linda Yapp without running into at least a dozen people she knows in Newport. That's to be expected. Having founded the Nye Beach Montessori Pre-School in 1983, she's taught hundreds of children in the community. Her school is a thriving educational center, and among other things, every year it brings to families in the area the annual Fall Carnival at the Newport Performing Arts Center, as well as the Newport Children's Festival, which is celebrating its 22nd year this coming weekend.
This year, Yapp and her musical friends have much to sing about and celebrate. They completed recording Yapp's most recent CD, “For the Love of Hawaii: Songs for the Young At Heart,” and it has received a warm welcome from parents and children, as well as from members of the music industry. Inspired by her frequent visits to the islands of Hawaii, the album is a tribute to Hawaiian history, culture, its animals and people. Yapp says, “Every time I visit Hawaii, I am so moved by the beauty there that all I can do is sit and sing. These songs are given in that spirit of incredible love and respect for this place.” Featuring mostly original works, the CD also comes with a 35-page color booklet filled with song lyrics, historical and anecdotal materials, and images of the children and musicians who helped create the album. Yapp spent years immersing herself in the local culture and music scene of Hawaii, and her album reflects this through her collaborations with several well known musicians of the Big Island. Grammy winner Charles Brotman joins Yapp for several songs, and much of the album was recorded at his studio in Waimea, Hawaii. Grammy nominee Sonny Lim sings and plays the traditional Hawaiian ukulele; Harpist Bonnie Mitchell accompanies Yapp in her song, “Lavender Snow;” Kevin Kealoha adds instruments and playful vocals to her trigger fish song; and Sam Kama closes the album with lyrics and vocals for the chants of the “Great Whale” and “Children of Tomorrow.” These gifted artists of Hawaii join with the talents and voices of members of the local music scene here on the Oregon coast. “I am deeply indebted to my local musician friends, Joe Dobroe, Randy McCoy, and Tony Holly,” Yapp explains. “And of course, there are the children who daily inspire me.” Their little voices can be heard throughout the album, adding joyful laughter in “The Hokey Polka Hoedown” and accompanying her in the chorus of her trigger fish song, “The Humuhumunukunukuapua'a.” Or, they are a choral of angels sweetly gathered around Yapp's own soothing voice in her magical rendition of Barry Flannigan's Hawaiian song, “Lei Pikake.” The CD has received much attention in the music industry, as well. Yapp's “Song of the Humpback Whale” was a finalist for the USA Songwriters Competition, an international award sponsored by the American Society of Composers and Publishers; three songs were semi-finalists for a second international award in the United Kingdom, and it is currently under consideration for a Parent's Choice Award. Hawaiian Airlines has also invited Yapp to submit her music, possibly to be featured on their flights. And when not at the school, Yapp is busy with a musical tour that includes performances on the Big Island at local bookstores, as well as an upcoming appearance here in town at the annual Newport Children's Festival Saturday at Yaquina View Elementary School. Yapp says she's excited by all this attention, but the biggest affirmation of her work has come from the parents and children. Jennifer Witter, mother of two Nye Beach Montessori students, comments, “The girls love Linda's CD, but the thing I like best about her music is that my husband and I love it too. We don't mind listening to it over and over again. Now that's a great accomplishment for children's music.” Her statement echoes the words of children's music critic John Weingart (from WPRB Radio), who once said of Yapp's talents, “Yapp wonderfully avoids the too cute writing and performing so common in this type of record.” Then there is the recent e-mail from the parent of a former Nye Beach Montessori student. After hearing Yapp's new CD, her son, now 14 years old, reminisced, “Those were the days. You know what Linda did? She opened our minds to creativity.” Yapp considers this quote one of the highest compliments she's ever gotten on her teaching and her music. “Clayton expressed so beautifully how the two have always come together for me, how my teaching and my music have nourished one another - and how the children have been the heart at the center of my creativity.” Yapp's creative gifts have produced a CD rich with educational value, playful, sweet, and sensitive to the culture and communities it represents. But by all who enjoy this album, the quality that seems universally cherished most is how beautifully it reflects Yapp's own spirit. Like Yapp, it is steeped in love. “For the Love of Hawaii: Songs for the Young at Heart” is available for purchase online at cdbaby.com, at digstation.com, and through Yapp's own website, lindayapp.com. Locally, you may purchase it at Sandcastle Toys , Canyon Way Books, and at Nye Beach Montessori School. Yapp has an earlier CD, titled “Rainbow's End,” also available for purchase, and she is currently working on a new project about social justice and change, featuring original songs and collaborations with well known musician activists. To schedule a performance or to find out more about upcoming appearances, visit her website at lindayapp.com. Or contact her at the school house: 541-265-3027. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
