I'm Rachel Rodriguez.  I’m a singer/songwriter, early childhood music & movement teacher, wife and mother of a preschooler.  I’m working on my first ever Children’s CD, but need your help to complete it!  This project has been an inspirational, organic process.  I never actually set out to write a children’s album.  These songs came from nothing more than being a stay at home mom wanting to introduce my daughter to Spanish and our Latino heritage, which I’m so very proud of.  Music just happens to be what I know best, so through music and singing, I turned everyday activities into learning opportunities.  I found myself repeating certain words and phrases all day, everyday.  I would say these words or phrases in English, and then Spanish.  After a while, repetition turned into a cadence...which found a melody...which turned into a song.  Before I knew it, we had a whole collection of little ditties that went along with our daily activities.  I started sharing my excitement and idea to record these songs with close mom friends and musical colleagues.  The encouragement and support I received was overwhelming.

To date, I have 90% of the vocals done, and ALL of the music recorded.  This was possible thanks to musician friends who graciously donated their time and talent, including:  Eric Bikales, Boyd LeFan, John Prestia, Scott Wilson, Dean Brown, Kata Rhe, Johnny Vasquez, Billy Herzig, Rolando Revilla, and Diana Sosa. 

With your support, I will be able to complete this exciting project.  The funds received from this campaign will go towards:

• Mixing
  
• Mastering
  
• CD manufacturing, artwork design/layout, etc...
  
• Promo/Marketing
  
• Website
  
• Instruments I use with the children during class and live events (tambourines, shakers, etc…)
  
• Anything left over will go towards touring traveling expenses
  

My goal is to create music with a purpose.  “Songs for My Little Amigos” will be a bilingual children’s CD with fun, catchy songs, containing commonly used words and phrases used in every day interactions.  This is a creative tool that parents, grandparents, daycare providers, preschool teachers, ANYONE will be able to use, to introduce the Spanish (or English) language to the children in their life.  Educational research shows that music enrichment is a successful component to learning, especially in areas of language and math. Children are most adept for learning multiple languages during the early ages of language development, particularly within the infant-toddler years.

I'm really excited about this project, but I can't do this without you, especially as an independent artist with a young family.  Any way you can help is greatly appreciated!  If you're not able to make a contribution at this time, you can still help make this project a reality by spreading the word to everyone you know using the Indiegogo share tools. 

Thank you so much for your friendship and support.

Much love,

Rachel