Kids Tunes Online "Animals" Corporate Information

All About "ANIMALS"

Kids Tunes Online "Animals" Corporate Information for retailers, distributors, radio & tv stations and film & production companies.

KidsTunesOnline

Introduction Data Sheet Press Release Mission Statement Music Book Business CD Review Interview Listener Testimonials Wyckham Hall Bio

Introduction

Hello from Chuck Agresta and Sarah McAlear - the KidsTunesOnline Team!

Chuck is a working producer, engineer and composer and Sarah is a singer, preschool and ballet teacher. We would both like to recommend an exceptionally produced product which would be a perfect addition to your Children's Music lineup.

This is a World Music and Orchestral based Children's Music CD and a Companion Book about Animals which was specifically written for children 2-8.

This project was 18 months in the making. This CD was written by Chuck Agresta, who has been a composer, producer, studio musician and recording engineer for 18+ years and I. We chose instrumentation from the geographic region the animal lives or instrumentation that mimics the animal. There were literally hundreds of instruments used in the making of this CD, which is in the style of some of the older Disney program material.

If you are interested in learning more about our latest CD, we'd be thrilled to hear from you.

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Data Sheet

Artist:

KidsTunesOnline

Label:

Wyckham Hall Music & Publishing

CD Title:

"Animals"

Book Title:

"Animals Companion Book"

Genre(s):

Classical, World, Folk, Anything

Release Date:

12/01/07

Description:

KidsTunesOnline's "Animals" is an exceptionally produced music CD which is an outstanding under $15 product for children 2-8. This package is an incredible collection of 14 songs about Animals. Produced with full orchestra and instruments from around the world, it comes complete with a printable "Animals Coloring Book" with illustrations and the song lyrics.

About the "ANIMALS" CD

Experience one of the best collections of children's songs ever assembled. Fun, entertaining and educational, these songs will delight the whole family over and over again.

In addition to the modern orchestra, we used instruments that either emulate the specific animal, or used native instruments from the geographical region the particular animal lives.

The "Animals" CD is available on high quality compact disc or as downloadable .mp3s.

About the "COMPANION BOOK"

The "Animals Companion Book" is a child's best companion to the "Animals" CD and features illustrations of all the animals on the CD as well as the lyrics to the individual songs.

These fantastic illustrations were drawn by renowned artist Fleetwood Covington from Wilmington NC. The images bring the musical characters to life and will delight both young and old. This is an entertaining, educational and fun-filled coloring book that provides the opportunity for children to interact with new animals, learn each animal's name and fun facts about them.

The Companion Book is available in .pdf format and can be printed over and over again for your child's enjoyment.

MSRP:

$14.99 CDBundle - $9.99 - $12.99 Download Bundle

CD Packaging:

Bright yellow cover and back with colorful graphics. Retail ready: shrink-wrapped with pre-printed barcode.

Book Packaging:

Currently available as .pdf

Fulfillment:

Orders currently shipped same week First Class USPS
Downloads are immediately available from selected websites.

Contact:

Chuck Agresta

cagresta@ec.rr.com

sales@kidstunesonline.com

910-343-4383

Sarah Mcalear

Mcalear.sarah@gmail.com

Websites:

www.kidstunesonline.com www.wyckhamhall.com

Distribution:

Local:

Selected Retail Locations

Regional:

TBA

National:

TBA

Internet:

Website, iTunes, Amazon, LaLa

Educational:

TBA

Promotional

Comprehensive Sales and Marketing plans have been created and are being implemented for the above 5 categories.

Endorsements:

TBA

Charity Affl:

TBA

Additional Info:

Animals Animated DVD and Sheet Music are currently in pre-production

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Mission Statement

To create High quality, fun, educational as well as themed music for children that is not available conventionally. Utilize a variety of musical styles, rhythms and instrumentation to create music in a variety of genres both common and not so common to popular and/or traditional children's music.

Develop product branding via the following:

Thematic music: world, orchestral and contemporary styles
Vibrant, colorful, playful and entertaining vocal performances
Ultra-bright coloring on packaging
distinctive and one-of-a-kind artwork & logos
make www.kidstunesonline.com a valuable resource/portal for the family
Market and promote the brand not only as children's music but as a new and different business model and/or interest
Maximize internet/web awareness

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Press Release (Local/Generic)

We know there are a lot of talented musicians in NC, but have you ever wondered if any of them write children’s music? Well, wonder no more.

In the city of Wilmington live Chuck Agresta and Sarah McAlear – aka Wyckham Hall Music & Publishing. They have worked together for 6 years and have written over a hundred fifty songs together. Chuck by trade is an, engineer, composer and producer and Sarah is a pre-school and ballet teacher who works with children every day. In listening to the music on the market, they decided that they try their hand at writing entertaining, educational music not just for the children, but for parents and caregivers to enjoy as well. Thus, their first children’s CD “Animals” was born.

Said Sarah,” We want to offer high quality, well crafted, fun as well as musical compositions. Music the whole family can enjoy.” And they have done just that. A collection of 15 animals from around the world come to life as the orchestra plays with a vast array of instruments.

Said Chuck, “In addition to the modern orchestra, we used instruments that we thought would either emulate the specific animal, or used native instruments from the geographical region the particular animal lives. For a child to hear an instrument they have never heard before and have an association with it is very exciting.”

Take for instance the song “Dancing Bear”. Authentic Russian instruments are used. There is tuba, bass, mandolin, balalaika, accordion, as well as wrist bells and various drums. The music plays in varying time signatures giving the feeling of being in the middle of a gypsy caravan.

Other animals use both orchestral and ethnic instrumentation as well: Lion, Tiger, Kangaroo, Elephant, Crocodile, Bee, Snake, and many more.

As well as the CD, they are offering a coloring and lyric book. All of the animal illustrations were drawn by renowned artist Fleetwood Covington from Wilmington, NC.

Says Sarah, “This is a fun, entertaining and educational coloring book that provides children the opportunity to encounter new animals, and learn each animal’s name and identifying features. We are very excited about children coloring them.” They must be. On the web site they are building a gallery for kids to send in their own scanned coloring sheets and Chuck and Sarah say they will put them online.

The CD and Coloring book should be available at the end of November and an animated DVD as well as a song book for piano and chords for guitar are in production. You can visit their web site at www.kidstunesonline.com or visit Fleetwood Covington at www.fleetwoodcovington.com

Wyckham Hall Music & Publishing (www.wyckhamhall.com) is a music and sound company that serves the film, video, audio and multimedia industries.

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Animals - Wyckham Hall Music & Publishing CD Review 12/13/07

~ reviewed by Annette Warner courtesy of www.wilmingtonncmusic.com

If animals developed their own species' theme song, ever wonder what it would sound like? Well, wonder no more! This creative, easily marketable project will satisfy that curiosity in anyone. Fourteen tracks named after fourteen different animals offers up an entirely new kind of musical interaction play for children, ages 2-8. From bumbling bees, to fumbling bears and jazzy cats...this new release gives each track's namesake a personality of it’s own. The first of an apparently soon-to-come series of themed children's tunes, this project comes complete with something for the visual, musical and literary lovers of art, and the child-like natures in all of us will experience a treat.

In addition to just being an overall “cute” addition to any child’s music shelf, it’s sure to teach, mesmerize and entertain it’s listener in it’s entirety. And it being complete with lyric pages, and a downloadable PDF companion coloring book corresponding with each animal, it appears it will also keep them busy with creativity!

The artwork for the project alone, is cartoonist perfection by local illustrator Fleetwood Covington, and allows even more of a kiddy-kingdom visual to the mood the CD creates. Sarah McAlear’s Gaelic lullaby-style vocals are perfect for project, and they know when to take a backseat to the hundreds of interesting instruments used in the production. Indigenous to the animal’s habitat and cultural area's music style, the instrument tracks produced by Chuck Agresta, a Wilmington area composer, are fun and playful…and well, so like the animal itself!

Parents and teachers ought to have fun staging classroom skits and plays with this one. To order this CD and its reprint able companion book visit www.kidstunesonline.com. It's a great idea for a stocking stuffer for your favorite kids..or their teacher! Enjoy!

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Interview with KIDZink Magazine 12/17/07 www.kidzinkmagazine.com

Music for Kids:
KidsTunesOnline is a smashing local project for youth

By: Emily Rea

Anyone with children knows the appeal of music, animals and hands-on crafts to keep their little ones happy and preoccupied, while enhancing their creative abilities at the same time. Thankfully for parents in Wilmington, or anywhere for that matter, Chuck Agresta—composer, producer, studio musician and recording engineer—met and teamed up with Sarah McAlear—ballet teacher at the Wilmington School of Ballet—to create KidsTunesOnline. The brand-new project for children features a 14-track CD called Animals and its corresponding coloring and lyric book. To emulate the sounds each animal makes for this fun, entertaining and educational album, Agresta and McAlear used modern orchestra instruments, as well as native instruments to the geographical location of each animal. Complete with delightful illustrations by local artist Fleetwood Covington, Animals is a real treat for families to enjoy together.

KidsTunesOnline is the only project for children produced by Agresta and McAlear’s company, Wyckham Hall Music and Publishing; yet, it proves to be an astounding first attempt at reaching a youthful audience. Eighteen months in the making, their efforts have paid off and their talents made known. I caught up with the busy duo to get some answers to my many questions about this fascinating collaboration.

How did the two of you meet?
[Sarah] We met when we both played in a country music band about 7 years ago!
[Chuck] My studio was heavily involved in Forensic and Post Audio and wanted to be around music again so I joined a band where I met Sarah.
What sparked the beginning of your working together and creating KidsTunesOnline & Wyckham Hall Music & Publishing?
[Sarah] After we both left the band we had another little group of 4 of us and we planned of playing out and writing music together, when one of them moved away, we decided that instead of playing cover music, we would write our own. As a duo, we have written over 150 songs together. Chuck has written music for a long time. He’s done a lot of music and orchestral pieces for libraries and he’s scored for several movies recently.
Is KidsTunesOnline the first collaboration by Wyckham Hall Music & Publishing for children?
[Sarah] Yes, it is the first for children. We are also animating our animals to the music for a DVD and Chuck is preparing sheet music for piano and guitar.
What was the catalyst behind creating a project specifically for children?
[Chuck] I’ve had the idea for about 15 years. The way the music industry has changed, it made sense to release something that has such a widespread appeal rather than a niche product.
[Sarah] I work with children all day and listen to children’s music most of the day. After listening to so many children’s CD’s we decided that we wanted to write and educational, fun and energetic CD that would not only appeal to the kids, but parents and caregivers would enjoy listening to the tracks as well.
Whose idea was the focus on animals for this CD, and how was it inspired?
[Sarah] Once we wrote the first song (kangaroo) and realized how much children could learn from the music, we then decided to write a whole CD of animal songs. We tried to pick out animals from all over the world and our goal was to use as many authentic instruments indigenous to the animals’ habitat, or emulate the movement of the particular animal with certain instruments.
What do you feel is the importance of having a book to go along with the CD?
[Chuck] It’s extremely important from a sales and marketing standpoint.
[Sarah] Not only can you read the lyrics in the book, but young children may not know what a certain animal (like porcupine) looks like. To hear the music and hear the words to the song they can then see what the animal looks like. They will also have a lot of fun coloring Fleetwood’s amazing pictures.
You mention the project was 18 months in the making. What percentage of that time was devoted to research and what percentage to composing, production, etc.?
[Chuck] We spent a good amount of time researching the project to see if it was viable and if we could deliver the kind of product we wanted. Writing the music and lyrics was the easy part. The business end of things and setting up the publishing company took the most time. Looking back, I wish we could have spent more time on the music and production.
What animal was your most favorite to emulate? (Which did you have the most fun with?)
[Chuck] They were all fun to emulate. The difficulty was walking the fine line between keeping it simple and memorable for kids from taking it to where I’d normally want to take the arrangements and production.
[Sarah] My favorite track is “Snake”. There are so many interesting facts in the lyrics and the music is really expressive. I also like “Butterfly”, the girls will really like that song.
Which track was the hardest to make, and why?
[Chuck] They all had some degree of difficulty. This project took more effort to finish than any other project I’ve ever done. The arrangement process was difficult trying to make every track different yet authentic sounding while still working together as a whole. The orchestra tracks were produced differently than normal and I tried to make the ensembles larger and bigger sounding than they would normally appear so that took quite a bit of manipulation. The live recordings were also very tedious trying to perform and engineer such a wide variety of sounds and instruments by myself. Some of the instruments on this CD I rarely play so there were lots of headaches along the way. Crickets and dog barks also found their way into almost every recording I made so I’d have to start over often. I can laugh about it now.
How did you acquire Fleetwood at your illustrator, and what attracted you to his style?
[Chuck] It was a long and hard search and we’re extremely fortunate that Fleetwood wanted to partner with us. He is an incredible artist.
What do you think will attract kids to "Animals" the most?
[Sarah] I think that when they hear the music and listen to the lyrics, they will really see a picture in their minds that will take them on a musical adventure that they will want to experience again and again. Take for instance Bee. In that particular song, all of the children I have seen pretend to be chased around the room by a bee. Even the youngest children ask for the ’Bee Bee song’.
[Chuck] Kids will have a great time with these songs. My main goal was to make a great album for kids that parents would not get tired of listening to. I have about 50 popular kids CD’s here and wanted to do something completely different.
Do you plan to do more projects for children in the future? Explain.
[Sarah] Hopefully in the future there will be a demand for more children’s songs from us. It took over 19 months to write and record, but in the end, we were really pleased with the results and we are confident that children of all ages will enjoy the music
[Chuck] If it sells well, there will definitely be more. There’s so much more to it than a just a music CD and a companion book. The “Animals DVD” and sheet music are scheduled for production. In addition to the writing, recording and mixing, there was much additional work. We wrote a detailed business plan and spent a long time preparing sales and marketing plans and promotional materials. There was lots of graphic design and lots of work setting up a server, shopping cart, a forum, a blog and more for the website. There were many legal issues and contracts to write. The good news is all the foundation has been built to enable Sarah and I to create, finish and market additional products quickly.
What, in your opinion, make the KIDsTunesOnline project so unique?
The amount of instruments that were used are just one of the things that make the project so unique, and the variety of styles there are on the CD is another. We have a mix of Country, Jazz/Big Band, Orchestra, African, Middle Eastern, Calypso and Gypsy styles, just to name a few. The lyrics are also fun while being factual and educational.
What do hope families get out of "Animals" the most?
[Sarah] We hope that families can listen to the CD together and both the children and their caregivers learn things they didn’t know about all the animals.
[Chuck] Hopefully, this CD will give families some quality time together and lots of great memories.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
[Sarah] No
[Chuck] Yes. I underestimated the time and amount of work that was needed to get this off the ground but many aspects of this project were a learning experience.
What are you most proud of with "Animals"?
[Sarah] We have a collection of songs that are all thoroughly enjoyable and “Animals” contains music that children may not hear in everyday life. I think that we have accomplished a CD that is certainly different than most of children’s CD’s on the market today.
[Chuck] That it’s very unique. There are some aspects that fell short of what I wanted, but we did all the research and the work ourselves and that was a huge accomplishment. There are also a few songs like “Snake” that I’m extremely proud of.
What is a favorite memory from working on it?
[Chuck] All the amazing comments and compliments that I have received from people around the country.
What can we look forward to from Wyckham Hall Music & Publishing in the future?
We already have several projects written so it will be a matter of which one to release next.

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Listener Testimonials

Hi Sarah and Chuck, I wanted to let you know that I love the CD. I am soooooooo happy we got the chance to meet and are selling it in Learning Express. I think it will take off once people find out who you are. I have been telling everyone I know about your cd. I love the musicianship that went into making this cd. The harmonies give me goosebumps everytime I listen to the cd. Our employees love it because it is not your typical kids cd, which makes me glad to hear that since I am charge of our music section. I wanted to let you that I go around since the Tiger song and love it. If you ever need a flute player just let me know, I would love to play on one of your recordings.
Thanks for making music so much fun, Karen Stirnitzke

It is rare to find a cd that is entertaining to all ages. I have a teenager and a baby. My teen griped when I put in a children's cd until he heard it. "WOW, this music is not cheezy and silly like most kids stuff. It is actually fun to listen to". That is quite a compliment from a teenage boy. I own a ballet school that has students from three year olds to pre-professional.(see wilmingtonschoolofballet.com). I am excited to introduce this to my dance students as it is engaging and intelligent. Entertaining little children and introducing musicality simultaneously is not a simple task. In my opinion,this cd is brilliant in it's approach to children. Blessings from, Elizabeth Hester Executive Director - Wilmington School of Ballet, Wilmington Ballet Company, Jennings Development, UPS Store Leland Mother, Teacher, and Life Long Student

Hi Chuck, This CD is great! My daughter, Cassidy, loves it and listens to it in the car on every trip. She knows all the words, and sings along every time. Tiger is her favorite song because she likes to pretend that she's a large cat on the prowl. Thank you for the wonderful music. Lynne

We Love This CD! Thank you for creating such a beautiful, magical CD. Charlotte and Georgia absolutely love all of the songs (mom & dad do too). We look forward to listening to these wonderful songs for a very long time and sharing them with all of our friends and family. Cheers to you!

This CD is awesome! My husband and I were dancing around the house listening to it. He said what a great CD it was. It has marvelous rhythms and beats that lends itself to using in dance classes and it is fun music for the kids as well. We love it and recommend this CD for all ages! Rebecca Hennis

The Smith Family Congratulates: Sarah and Chuck! The CD has surpassed my expectations by a mile and I am so proud to say that I know you both!The girls listen to the CD whenever they are in the car. They have their favorite tracks and they can just sing along and move to the beat (I have to admit I too sing along with all the songs!) Thank you for creating something so beautiful and educational that Parent will enjoy just as much as the kids. I wish you all the luck in the world! You deserve it! Love, Christine and Mia

I bought my daughter Grace, the Animals CD and She LOVES it! It's a great way to expose children to classical music in a FUN way. I would definitely recommend this CD to anyone who has children.

What an incredible album! My daughter (4) loves listening to music and coloring the pictures. Easy on the parents' ears too. Can't help but do the animal dances to the wonderful beats. Simone Randazzo

Meagan (4yrs and Sara (1yr) both love this CD. The diverse musical styles keep them interested and they like pretending to be different animals. Carrie Bergstrom

Dear Chuck and Sarah, Thank you for inviting me and Elisa at your CD release party! We had a blast and your album is definitely worth celebrating. Every song has its own special charm and they are all becoming fast favorites with Elisa. Thank you for sharing your amazing talents with us and I am going to tell everyone I know about kidstunesonline. Best of luck, S. R.

I know that I will be first in line to buy your CD. Lillian periodically comes up to me and hollers at me to do the Bee song. I have to tell her that I don't know it, so she will go up to Gatz ( my Mom) and ask her. We all sing a lot during the day, so we need to add to our repertoire. This morning I had to keep playing the video over and over for Lillian. She (we all do) loves it. Thank you. Later today I am going to send your e-mail out to my friends and family. It will go as far as Australia. Melissa

Dear Chuck, I just admire you so much for putting this kind of interesting, wholesome learning, entertainment with all the senses involved. You must be a very gifted person. I believe when we are blessed with gifts, much is required. I understand a little of the time it takes to put something like this together. You and Sarah are to be commended. I totally support this project (for lack of a better word.) Please tell Sarah I think she is a lovely girl and her picture should be on a lot of ads. Joy, Barbara PS. I have a confession to make ! I have two sons that are artist. Just because Fleetwood is one of them does not account for my enthusiasm for your project. I appreciate any thing that is a new creative idea that helps make this world a better place to live.

This is Luke & Brayden's mom, Gina, from preschool. We are so impressed with your children's CD and can't wait to buy it for our family as well as some of our friends' families! We are sorry that we'll be out of town on the 1st and will not be able to join the party :o( . What can we do to help get the word out! Thank you for being such an inspiring force of beauty and creativity for our children!!! God Bless--G. F.

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Wyckham Hall Music
Music for Film, Video & Multimedia

Chuck and Sarah have been working together since 1999 after Sarah moved to the United States from England. They write everything from Orchestral music, Jazz and Rock to Pop, World and Country. To date as a duo, they have written to date several scores, library & production music as well as over 170 songs.

Chuck Agresta

Music composition, Guitars, Bass, Keys & Sample Programming, Drums & Percussion, Engineer

Chuck has been writing and recording music since 1979. He has worked in many recording studios and production environments distinguishing himself as an accomplished engineer and talented composer. In addition to winning several awards for commercial production, campaign and copywriting. He has written a vast array of music for film, video as well as corporate presentations and events. He has also worked as an Audio Engineer on hundreds of Forensic Audio cases. Chuck is an exceptional guitarist with numerous recording credits from classical and flamenco to rock and jazz and currently produces out of his own studio. Chuck has also done music and audio work for everyone from MGM to several of the networks and it's likely you've heard his music playing through your TV set at some point in time.

Sarah McAlear

Music composition, Vocals, Keys, Flute

Sarah is from the North of England and has been in the USA for the last 12 years. She studied music theory and composition for 5 years as well as flute for 9 years. She has a passion for writing music and enjoys the challenge of writing unique and entertaining music and lyrics.

Reviewer Quotes:

“...An excellent showcase that shows your diversity, and mastery of many styles….. Wonderful work… Best of luck here Chuck and thanks for sending us your music. Brilliant stuff here.”

“Heck of a montage Chuck. I was impressed and in my opinion (they) will be too. I think you meet all the musical and stylistic criteria to a tee… Just a note, this one of the best montage's I've heard in a long time. Good luck here and continued success. Hope to hear more in the future.”

“Music, Marketability, Arrangement, Production, Engineering…. 9 out of 10”

“I'm a TV/Film music editor and this stuff rivals all the best midi scores I've ever heard. Nice work.”

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