ComposerDad: Music and Adventure Stories for Families

Welcome to a special ComposerDad April Fools’ Star-Studded Spectacularpisode! In this episode, ComposerDad collaborates with Pamela Rogers of the fabulous wordplay podcast Buttons & Figs to co-write a new alphabet song! Actually it’s even crazier than that. This was an intense compositional challenge issued by a bunch of ALIENS from Buttons & Figs wild “War of the Fools” April fools episode. If you are alien or earthling tired of the typical order of the alphabet, Pamela and my new Alphabet song is for you!Also on this episode, meet Mike Mason and his show Good Stuff Kids Podcast, where listeners get to go behind the scenes with the creators of bonafide good stuff for kids. On our April Fools Spectacularpisode, we hear Mike Interview Mr. Eric from What If World, who reveals the melt-your-heart story behind how he got the idea for his kids podcast.Oh, and you’ll also hear from Mick Sullivan, host of the Past & the Curious, who wrote the book, The Meatshower!ComposerDad and all of the shows you’ll meet on this episode are part of Kids Listen, your home for amazing, sensitive, kind, smart, funny, and fun kids and family podcasts.Grownups , would you like to encourage more ComposerDad podcast episodes? Become a ComposerDad patron at www.patreon.com/composerdad and you could even issue your own intense compositional challenge!Don’t forget to subscribe on your podcast app and leave a review so more people can find the show. Thanks!

The second episode of Season 2 is ACTION PACKED. It features special guest stars, the Book Power for Kids Podcast! We also premiere the hit song from last episode’s challenge, “All the Things Shakespeare Hasn’t Done”, go ALL the way across town to fix our popped stroller tire, and get our next challenge, “Write a song about Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night”. That’s why we need help from the Power Family!Oh AND we play the whole episode from our 2007 Toyota Prius en route to the Danbury Fair Mall! Here’s a video I made all about this MEGA AWESOME MALL.Thank you to everyone who helped come up with ideas from last episode’s challenge, my guests WalterBoy, AlvinBoy, and of course, Book Power for Kids! Find their podcast on your favorite player.Grownups, would you like to encourage more ComposerDad podcast episodes? Become a ComposerDad patron at www.patreon.com/composerdad and you could even issue your own intense compositional challenge!Subscribe to the ComposerDad podcast and you can catch the song from this challenge on the next episode! Oh, and keep an eye out for a special April Fool’s Episode before then :)www.ComposerDad.com

To kick off Season 2 of the ComposerDad Podcast, we find ComposerDad and the family in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England where ProfessorMom is studying Shakespeare at the Shakespeare Institute. After a whole year of “intense compositional challenges” from BIBLE, will ComposerDad be able to tackle one from….Animatronic Shakespeare?!?This episode’s challenge is to “write a song about all the things Shakespeare HASN’T done.” If you want to help think up ideas to add to this song, ask a grownup to help you send a note to ComposerDad at www.ComposerDad.com.Special thanks to our guest this episode, the-child-formerly-known-as-SquishyBaby, AlvinBoy!Grownups, would you like to encourage more ComposerDad podcast episodes? Become a ComposerDad patron at www.patreon.com/composerdad and you could even issue your own intense compositional challenge!Also, did you hear WalterBoy telling you about this podcast he likes? It's called What If World featuring Mr. Eric. What If World is awesome. Subscribe to Mr. Eric's podcast and if you like it, become a patron on his Patreon page, like us! We met through Kids Listen, a fantastic community we are both a part of. It's one big happy kids podcasting family over there. Subscribe to the ComposerDad podcast and you can hear the final song from this challenge on the next episode! AND catch upcoming challenges this season from BIBLE, Shakespeare, a talking black hole, the Amalgamated Network of Parents, and who knows!?!The ComposerDad Podcast and YouTube Channel features music and adventure stories for families. We learn about music, emotions, the Bible, Shakespeare, nature, history, we solve problems creatively, and make a lot of silly sounds.

Hi Families, I’m sitting here at my piano over in the ComposerDad Underground Lair firing up the gear because, guess what? It’s almost time for Season 2 of the ComposerDad Podcast! Expect music and adventures for the whole family, “intense compositional challenges”, special guest stars, and more. The kids, ProfessorMom, BIBLE, Mt. Beacon, and all your favorite characters will be back to join new characters like Animatronic Shakespeare, a talking black hole, and the Amalgamated Network of Parents! Take a listen to this preview of what’s in store.If you would like to issue your own compositional challenge, visit www.ComposerDad.com or become a ComposerDad patron on Patreon!

Hi ComposerDad Adventurers! The family and I recently got back from ComposerDad’s Great American Road Trip (Now with Canada!). It was a blast. One of our favorite things to do on the open road is to listen to a family podcast and just let it roll, no interruptions. So, for you, fellow parents, we recut the entire season one of ComposerDad vs. Bible into one GIANT EPISODE. Welcome to ComposerDad vs. Bible: Road Trip Edition. It’s over 100 minutes of adventure for your next road trip! Enjoy and don’t forget to subscribe to ComposerDad vs. Bible via your favorite podcast app.Special thank you to Eleanor Amplified, one of our favorite family podcasts, and the first place we heard a “Road Trip Edition” episode. Check it out, you’ll love it, too!

The season finale of the ComposerDad Podcast picks up right where Episode seven left off. The entire gang is up at the top of Mt. Beacon. The ground opens up revealing an abandoned coal mine. They enter to see a lake of lava and a cast of wild characters! What a finale! This episode also features an interview with Mt. Beacon itself!Parents, be sure to visit www.ComposerDad.com and sign up for more info. Become a ComposerDad patron at www.patreon.com/composerDad to get access to THE VAULT! A full version of featured song in this episode, RUINED, is available via Bandcamp. There you can also see the entire credits. Text from the episode:Having just completed an intense hike, I stand at the peak of Mt. Beacon, surveying the Hudson Valley, and exploring the ruins of the hotel and incline railway that used to serve vacationers on this sainted peak. SquishyBaby and BuilderBoy are using stones to builds mini replicas of the hotel and incline railway. ProfessorMom effortlessly guides this moment to gently foster their development.ProfessorMom! As passionate as I am about early soviet theatre, I’m even more passionate about early childhood development. ProfessorMom!Suddenly, there’s a massive explosion. The cable from the old incline railway breaks free and slices through the hotel ruins, sending a wall flying toward SquishyBaby.BuilderBoy swoops in, bracing the wall and saving SquishyBaby from peril!“Phew that was a close one,” says BuilderBoy.I start to wonder. “How did BuilderBoy lift up that giant wall? He’s done a lot of incredible rescues , always preceded by a gear shifting sound. Can BuilderBoy… transform… into…a…”“BuilderBoy can transform into a forklift.” (Matter of factly)Oh. Yes. Of course, ProfessorMom. Yes.I feel embarrassed for missing that. For not cherishing the many gifts of my family members. Though I know I should, I do not speak honestly about my guilt. Instead, I bury my emotions.Suddenly, there’s another massive explosion! A huge chasm opens up revealing an abandoned coal mine.If there’s one thing I’ve learned from reading children’s books about cheeky train engines, if you see an abandoned coal mine, always go in.We enter. It’s dark. There’s a rumble. The ground in front of us gives way. We stand on a precipice overlooking a lake of lava! The mountain is really a volcano! Then I hear a voice.Hello, ComposerDad!Hello, Bible!I am not Bible. I am Mt. Beacon.This is usually the scenario where I meet a talking Bible with an intense compositional challenge.I sense you are sad. I am hear to remind you of the love that lifts you up.The mountain and I bust into the chorus of a timeless duet. “Love lift us up where we belong. Where the Eagles cry, on a mountain high.”Suddenly, a huge door opens up and out steps… “Bible, with another intense, compositional–”I’m not Bible, they call me Grandma.Hello, Grandma.Yes, I am guarding this vault. The most secure vault in the land. It’s in a volcano inside a mountain. Do you have anything of value to place into this vault for safe keeping?“Yes, here is me Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oatmeal recipe, the lyrics to my tick check song, and a couple CDs.” Inside I wonder if this is enough. What is my worth. Regrettably, I again bury my emotions.Sure, good enough. that’ll do. Here’s the key if you need to get into the vault and I’m not available. Farewell….”Suddenly, the ground shakes. Lava bubbles. Smoke fills the void. The walls of the old coal mine start caving in.“Woe to me!” I cry. “I am ruined!” Again I meditate on my inadequacies.Suddenly, out of the smoke appears a seraph. The radiant celestial being flies toward me with a live coal in its hands, then touches my lips with the coal.“See, this coal has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”Relieved and bewildered, I stand, free. I hug my family. Suddenly, busting through a wall of lava, it’sBIBLE, with another intense compositional challenge for me, ComposerDad.Hello Bible, we meet again. I say, standing tall.Hello, ComposerDad, I see you are standing in an abandoned coal mine.Yes, a celestial being just touched coal to my lips, freeing me from guilt.This reminds me, the exact same thing happened to the prophet Isaiah. A seraph touched his lips with coal, freed him from guilt, then sent him out to the people. I want you to write a song about this account, as told in Isaiah 6. Also, include a jazz flute. Goodbye.I knew Bible wasn’t far away, when I saw that lake of lava open up inside this mountain. Also the seraphs.No problem, Bible, I say, but Bible is already gone.BuilderBoy, could you use your forklift power to bust through this coal wall?“No problem, Dad!”We rush past the vault and Grandma. “Stay safe on the road!”We continue out of the coal mine and down the mountain. On the way we meet an accomplished flautist on a day trip from the city. She agrees to play on my song about Isaiah chapter 6. At home we all check for Ticks.It’s time for a tick check!It’s time for a tick check!Follow along while I sing this song,It’s time for a tick check.Then we turn on the microphone in the ComposerDad underground and quickly lay down a track. As we sing, I think back upon the many adventures of the year, the verses and the family that I love.

ComposerDad has to get in shape, so he lifts his eyes to Mt. Beacon. It's another intense compositional challenge from BIBLE, this time... a duet on Psalm 121. Also, ComposerDad and Grandma unveil the Tick Check Song!

Grandma stops by ComposerDad studios to ask about a theme song for her podcast, Grandma's Podblast. One thing leads to another and look! It's the first episode of Grandma's Podblast!www.ComposerDad.com

It’s the day before Easter. The family and I are on a shopping trip when we walk by a newly constructed area casino. The sound of slot machines pours out.“Kids, casinos are for grownup, but did you know I used to write music for slot machines?”“Interesting. Tell me More, Dad.” says BuilderBoy.“My favorite part was writing music for BIG WINs. That the music that plays when a player achieves ultimate victory.Before I could say anymore, there was a massive explosion. Guess what else we saw? BIBLE, with another intense compositional challenge for me, ComposerDad.”“Hello Bible, We meet again.”“Hello, ComposerDad, I see you are walking past a casino.”“Yes, I was just talking about how I like the music for BIG WINs.”“This reminds me of the biggest win of all. Jesus conquered death by rising from the grave, providing ultimate victory for all. I want you to write music about this moment in the style of a slot machine big win.”“No problem, Bible,” I say. But Bible was already gone. And then I write the music!Hit it!He is risen. He is risen indeed.He is risen. He is risen indeed.Victory is yours.He is risen. He is risen indeed.He is risen. He is risen indeed.For more intense compositional challenges subscribe to the ComposerDad podcast and YouTube channel. Happy Easter, everybody.Subscribe here and sign up for the mailing list at www.ComposerDad.com to get every ULTIMATE ADVENTURE!

Here is the action-packed backstory to the hit tune, "Lions and Kitty Cats"! This episode of ComposerDad vs. Bible podcast also features an incredible rescue from BuidlerBoy, a PhD Lady studying Monkey, Grandma cameos, and a live performance from ComposerDad! visit www.ComposerDad.com for all the latest ComposerDad music and take-home goodiesSign up for the ComposerDad Mailing ListAnd check out ComposerDad on Patreon:www.patreon.com/ComposerDad Full Text:Today is Saturday, a day of family togetherness. ProfessorMom, BuilderBoy, SquishyBaby, and I are in our 2007 Toyota Prius on our way to the zoo in Connecticut. We heard they have lions and we are very excited. We have been driving for two hours and SquishyBaby does not want to be in his car seat. BuilderBoy asks SquishyBaby if he’s had his nap. “Did you have a nap, brother?”“No” says SquishyBabyWe are sad that SquishyBaby is sad, but we are happy he can say a few words. We arrive at the zoo. We quickly put SquishyBaby into a trail-tested front-pack and we all shush him to sleep. Suddenly a man falls into the lion enclosure! BuilderBoy quickly transforms into a forklift and rescues him. “Phew, that was a close one,” says BuilderBoy. ProfessorMom and I are so busy shushing SquishyBaby that we don’t notice. Suddenly ProfessorMom sees a lady studying monkeys. “Excuse me, why are you studying those monkeys?” says ProfessorMom.“I am doing PhD research on these monkeys,” Replies the PhD Monkey lady. “Aha, I am also pursuing my PhD, focusing on Shakespeare.”"Have you heard of “The infinite money theorem”? “Go on.”“If you put 100 monkeys with typewriters in a room long enough, eventually you’ll get Hamlet.” “Yes, but which quarto!” BOTH LAUGHGrandma: I have a question. ProfessorMom Emily: Yes, Grandma?Grandma: What was that all about? What’s a quarto?[Emily explains]Grandma: …Fascinating! You should be on my podblast… We finally arrive at the Lion enclosure but, to our surprise, there are no lions in there, instead it’s full of kitty cars. But why? Before we can figure it our, we see the trees swaying from a sudden rush of wind. Guess what else we see? Bible, with another intense compositional challenge for me, ComposerDad.“Hello Bible, we meet again.”“Hello ComposerDad, I see you are looking at the lion enclosure.” “Yes, we thought there would be lions in there, but they are really kitty cats.”“This reminds me of when Daniel was told he must pray to the king rather than to God. He refused and was thrown into a den of lions. In the morning the king came and found Daniel alive. God shut the mouths of the lions, and they were more like kitty cats than lions. I want you to write a concise song that about this moment.”I knew Bible was close when I felt that intense rush of wind.“No Problem, Bible,” I say, “but Bible was already gone.” Seeing no lions, we decide to go home. Suddenly we bump into the Phd Monkey Lady again. [Music].“Excuse me, where are the lions?”“Did you not see the incredible rescue earlier?”“No.” “A superhero forklift swooped down and rescued a man from the lions. For safety reasons, the staff then removed the lions and replaced them with kitty cats. No one was harmed.”“What an incredible rescue. Someday I hope to meet that superhero forklift”, I say. We drive home listening to our favorite family podcasts, Eleanor Amplified, My Podcast Has Fleas, and of course ComposerDad vs. Bible. We are listening to this episode right now. Hello us. When we get home I use my advanced computer music skills to craft a concise song in response to Daniel and the Lions Den, executing yet another intense compositional challenge from Bible. Hit it! I thought there would be lionsBut they turned into kitty catsI thought there would be lionsBut they turned into kitty catsThey told me there’d be lionsBut they were really kitty catsI’ve been saved againThey told me to pray to a guyI don’t pray to guysI only pray to GodHe’s the only one.So they grabbed me threw me into this big pitWhere I thought there would be lions... CHORUSIn the morning the guy came aroundAnd he looked in the groundAnd he saw that I was standing thereHe said, “I guess your God must be the real God."'cause I thought there would be RarrBut there was really Meow MeowI thought there would be RarrBut there was really Meow MeowCHORUS

In this episode: -ComposerDad rescues SquishyBaby from falling in front of the fireplace.-SquishyBaby naps-BuilderBoy watches Mr. Rogers on YouTubeRed-BuilderBoy builds and incredible SpiderMan Superhero Laboratory-ComposerDad discusses freedom vs. captivity-BIBLE challenges ComposerDad to write an anthem of freedom with an accordion based on Psalm 126-ProfessorMom reads the Bible with incredible diction-BuilderBoy transforms into a forklift and ComposerDad almost figures it out-The entire family march off into the community to share their new anthem of freedom based on Psalm 126!...Oh, and Grandma interviews ComposerDad's Jonathon Roberts about why there are silly noises at the end of this song.All that in under 10 minutes!Download the song HOW TO BE FREE:https://jmtroberts.bandcamp.com/album/inheritanceMusic Credits: Jonathon Roberts: vocals, accordion, percussionEmily Clare Zempel: vocals, percussionAlexander Foote: guitar, percussion, vocalsJay Foote: bassProduced by Jonathon Roberts & Emily Clare ZempelCo-produced by Alexander Foote & Jay FooteMixed by Alexander FooteMastered by Christopher Colbert

It’s a few days before Christmas. ProfessorMom and the kids and I are on an intense Christmas road trip and we find ourselves in Wittenberg, Wisconsin. There's a Wittenberg in Wisconsin?! I wonder if we'll see Robot Martin Luther!! Happy Reformation 500 and Merry Christmas! I wonder if Robot Martin Luther wrote any Christmas hymns. Of course, he did!From Heaven Above to Earth I Come.From heaven above to earth I comeTo bear good news to every home;Glad tidings of great joy I bring,Whereof I now will say and sing:To you this night is born a childOf Mary, chosen virgin mild;This little child, of lowly birth,Shall be the joy of all the earth.This is the Christ, our God and Lord,Who in all need shall aid afford;He will Himself your Savior beFrom all your sins to set you free.More fun at www.ComposerDad.comFind video episodes of ComposerDad vs. Bible on YouTube

Unflappable ComposerDad must complete "intense compositional challenges" from mysterious BIBLE, all while raising his mega-awesome kids with ProfessorMom. Subscribe now, families!Search for ComposerDad vs. Bible on YouTube and visit www.ComposerDad.comDownload music from the series at: jmtroberts.bandcamp.comText:Hi, I’m Jonathon Roberts, I’m a composer and a dad–ComposerDad! Yeah, I like that. I’m ComposerDad! I write music… and I raise my kids along with my wife who is a professor, and a mom, she’s ProfessorMom.I’ve always loved the Bible. And sometimes I read a verse and it jumps out at me, it’s almost like the Bible is challenging me to write music on it. It’s like ComposerDad vs. Bible!Here I am at the Tot Park with my kids, Guess who else I see? BIBLE, with another intense compositional challenge for me, ComposerDad."I want you to write a pop song from the book of Deuteronomy,” says BIBLE. “No problem, BIBLE”, I say. And then I write the music! And it’s an Internet sensation. Or maybe I make a video–Grandma: Or maybe you just sit in the basement playing with paper puppets and making silly voices.Yeah, that’s Grandma, sometimes I get interrupted by her or the kids or but it's okay. I’m just trying to be a good dad and a good composer, with the Bible, and document it all on ComposerDad vs. Bible.Subscribe today, families, for the next intense compositional challenge.

Builderboy, SquishyBaby, and I are out at the local stone quarry. Stone quarries are usually not child-friendly, but today it’s the worksite of a local children’s event called “Building with Rocks”. We learned about this event from a mom in town. “I want to build a city,” says BuilderBoy “No problem,” I say. “There are rocks everywhere. We can build an awesome city” BuilderBoy stacks rocks on top of each other to form a walled city. Suddenly, one of the stacks of rocks topples over toward SquishyBaby! I quickly grab Squishy and shield him from danger. “That was a close one,” I say. BuilderBoy blames SquishyBaby for the wall falling down. “He knocked my wall down!” “No he did not. I saw it.” “He knocked my wall down!!!” I feel myself getting frustrated. I take a deep breath. “I hear what you are saying. I understand how frustrating it when something breaks that you built. Let’s snuggle and then work together to build an even better wall.” We snuggle. Suddenly, BuilderBoy builds everything really fast and super high. BuilderBoy laughs. What’s happening? How did that build everything so fast? Did I just see a forklift? Before I can figure it out, I hear a mega-horn blast echo across the quarry. The ground shakes and there’s rubble everywhere. Guess what else I see? BIBLE, with another intense compositional challenge for me, ComposerDad. “Hello Bible, we meet again,” I say, standing tall. “Hello ComposerDad, I see you and your little ones are surrounding a walled city.” “Yes, we built it with rocks.” “This reminds me…of the walled city of Jericho. In Joshua Chapter 6, the Lord instructed Joshua to march his army around Jericho in silence for six days. On the seventh day, they marched around seven times, blasted their trumpets and shouted. The walls fell down. I want you to write a song telling this story from a new perspective…the city’s point of view. Goodbye.” I knew Bible wasn’t far away when I heard that mega-horn blast echo across the quarry. “No problem, Bible,” I say. But Bible is already gone. Composing music about Jericho will be no problem. The real challenge will be crafting lyrics from Jericho’s point of view. It’s an intense exercise in personification. "What's personification?" Good question, BuilderBoy. This sounds like a job for…ProfessorMom, on her way home from teaching class at the local university. “Personification is the act of applying human traits to something nonhuman. For example, if I say the city is looking at us with bright eyes, that’s personification!” Always ready to jam, ProfessorMom pulls out her bassoon. She plays an extremely low tone which reverberates across the quarry. The tone brings in other musicians at the quarry with their kids. We begin to jam and walk around our city. As we play, it’s like the city comes to life, moves, and quakes, singing its story. Suddenly we have a whole song personifying the city of Jericho. See you next time on ComposerDad Vs. Bible. ComposerDad's secret identity is Jonathon Roberts. That's Jonathon with an O. This song is part of an incredible album personifying biblical cities or whatever. It's available at jmtroberts.bandcamp.com. That's J for Jonathon, M for Mountain, T for Tiger, and Roberts, dot-bandcamp-dot-com.

It's the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation and guess who's ready to jam? Robot Martin Luther!

ComposerDad faces the rain, and the latest intense compositional challenge from BIBLE, while ProfessorMom is out grading papers at the local gluten-free coffeeshop. This episode begins with an audio hijack by Grandma, host of Grandma's Podblast.

ComposerDad, BuilderBoy, and SquishyBaby are hiking a rugged trail behind their house. On their way to Great Snack Rock, BIBLE appears and challenges ComposerDad to create a pop song on a the book of Deuteronomy. With the help of ProfessorMom and others, BIBLE's vision is realized.

ComposerDad receives another intense compositional challenge from mysterious BIBLE while out at the Tot Park with BuilderBoy and SquishyBaby. Can ComposerDad meet BIBLE's challenge of creating a catchy tune on "smallness" based on Bethlehem and Micah 5:2? Of course he can.