Hap Palmer

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Hap Palmer
Birth nameHarlan G. Palmer III
Born (1942-10-28) October 28, 1942 (age 81)[1]
OriginWoodland Hills, Los Angeles[2]
GenresChildren's music, Educational music
Occupation(s)Musician, teacher
Instrument(s)Guitar, voice
Years active1969 - present
LabelsHap-Pal Music, Inc.,[1] Smithsonian Folkways[3]
Websitewww.happalmer.com Edit this at Wikidata

Harlan G. "Hap" Palmer III is an American children's musician and guitarist from Los Angeles, California. Palmer's songs specialize in topics aimed at young children, such as math, and reading, or developing motor skills. Palmer released his first recording in 1969, and has composed over 300 songs for children.[4]

Educating and education[edit]

Palmer taught from 1972 at a school for mentally challenged children, and achieved a master's degree in dance education from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1983.[5][2]

Career[edit]

His early albums include the Learning Basic Skills Through Music series, (in both English and Spanish language versions) Getting to Know Myself (which features his signature song "Sammy"), Sally the Swinging Snake, and Walter the Waltzing Worm.[6] He released the Halloween song Witches' Brew in 1978, co-written by his then wife Martha Cheney.[7] He also released a series of DVDs and videos called Baby Songs.[2] His album Multiplication Mountain was released on January 15, 2009, and in 2012 Palmer released a DVD of musical picture books.[8][9][10] In 2013 Palmer released the album Count, Add, Subtract! Fun with Math, Music, and Movement aimed at teaching mathematical concepts to pre-schoolers, which was reviewed as a "fun way to teach early math concepts".[11][12]

Smithsonian Folkways, the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, published over 30 of Palmers' albums.[3] His 2016 release received the Parents' Choice Gold Award, and the American Library Association denoted his recordings as "Best of the Best for Children".[4]

Jill Jarlow in All Ears (Viking, 1991) called him one of America's most prolific children's songwriters, who makes innovative and award-winning recordings.[13] Sonia Taitz in Mothering Heights (William Morrow, 1992) said he is "famous for his [song] videos".[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Palmer, Hap, 1942-". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Heffley, Lynne (18 February 1999). "The Bob Dylan of the Diaper Set". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Hap Palmer Releases". Smithsonian Folkways. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  4. ^ a b Swift, P.J. "Hap Palmer Biography by P.J. Swift". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Hap Palmer: The Music, Movement, and Learning Connection - Teachers.Net Gazette". Archived from the original on 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  6. ^ "Walter the Waltzing Worm". Smithsonian Folkways. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Witches' Brew: Pot Full of Songs for Oral Language Development". Smithsonian Folkways. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  8. ^ Bateman, Teresa (June 2009). "Multiplication Mountain. By: Bateman, Teresa". School Library Journal. 55 (6). Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  9. ^ "Multiplication Mountain Hap Palmer". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  10. ^ Bateman, Teresa (1 November 2012). "Read and Sing with Hap Palmer: Musical Picture Books for Young Children". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  11. ^ Wrigglesworth, Beverly (1 December 2013). "Count, Add, Subtract! Fun with Math, Music, and Movement". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  12. ^ Shackman, Paul (15 October 2013). "Count, Add, Subtract! Fun with Math, Music, and Movement". Booklist. 110 (4): 63. ISSN 0006-7385. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023. Listening to musician Palmer is always a joy, and this title is a winner.
  13. ^ Jarnow, Jill (1991). "Hap Palmer". All Ears: How to Choose and Use Recorded Music for Children. New York: Viking. p. 139. ISBN 9780670823130.
  14. ^ Taitz, Sonia (1992). Mothering Heights: Reclaiming Motherhood From the Experts. New York: William Morrow. p. 111. ISBN 9780688105884.

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