| News Guardian | 15 January 2004 |
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Two musical mums from North Tyneside are hoping to be top of the pops this month with the release of a new CD which is aimed at young children. Abi Briggs and Anna Scantlebury, who are already well known among Tyneside parents as Piccolo, are aiming to be the number one in the north east after putting out their tenth CD, and they're certain it's their best yet. The 44-track CD is the first to be commercially produced and comes complete with a 12-page booklet featuring words to all the songs that are written and performed by Abi and Anna, who live in North Tyneside. "We're certain that this is our best CD yet and we've really had great fun making it," said Abi. "We think that this CD will be ideal for tiny tots, toddlers and kids up to the age of eight. It features little hand rhymes, action songs, story songs and lullabies. "The songs have already been very popular when we sing them live with children and parents alike who help us with the actions and voices at our music sessions. The story songs are re-workings of Little Red Riding Hood and Billy Goats Gruff." The CD is the latest chapter in a remarkable success story for Abi and Anna, for whom the Piccolo music venture began as a hobby four years ago, but is now a full-time enterprise. |
Abi used to work in personnel and Anna was a solicitor and their musical enterprise began as a part-time venture, but they have no qualms about changing their careers to concentrate on their music. "When we started out people wanted to know the words to songs but it was easier to record rather than print for copyright reasons," Anna added. "We started to record CDs that were linked to specific themes, such as animals, numbers and travel, and most of the songs were traditional, our own and some written by others." The friends used to meet up to sing with their own young children and then started providing entertainment for the obligatory coffee mornings, with proceeds going to the National Childbirth Trust. Now they see more than 250 pre-school children every week in Whitley Bay and Jesmond. They also visit schools to work with children up to the age of nine and even offer training to other adults who work with youngsters. The CD is on sale at Paper Treasures in Park View, Whitley Bay. |