Judy Pancoast

All the latest press about Judy's Grammy nomination and tours. - various

All the latest press about Judy's Grammy nomination and tours. - various

She’s a singer/songwriter/educator and radio host, and has been referred to by her audiences as “everyone’s favorite aunt.

In her fifth album, New Hampshire based Judy Pancoast has artfully blended music, geography and literature in an engaging one-of-a-kind CD, Weird Things are Everywhere.

From her opening song, “Reading Our Way Across the USA,” Pancoast encourages children to discover the wonders of literature with stories from every part of America, whether it’s in Boston with "Make Way for Ducklings" or Metropolis, Illinois the home setting of “Superman,” she takes kids on an imaginary musical road trip covering all 50 states, sharing a wonderful selection of recommended good reads and geographic oddities that beg to be explored further after the music ends.

Interspersed with her 12 musical selections, which display a delicious mix of genres (everything from surf rock and Motown to bluesy Jazz with a touch of “Elvis,” and even some modified rap), Pancoast seamlessly chats in between songs and delivers an educational bonus that children will find fascinating.

Parents as well as kids will be tickled with such offerings as: “The Dog Did It” (a self explanatory title); "Are We There Yet?” (the age old car trip cry) and “Where I Live,” the latter song's lyrics serving as a gentle reminder that no matter how far you travel, “there’s no place like home.”

Over the past several years, Pancoast’s song writing abilities have been widely recognized, garnering her three separate “Best Song for Young Children “ awards from the Children’s Music Web, a Parents’ Choice Award and an exemplary endorsement from the Coalition for Quality Children's Media.

In the broadcasting community, her music receives regular airplay on XM Satellite Radio where she has also hosted special programs, and she has been featured on National Public Radio’s "Day to Day" and "Marketplace."

Requested to perform in concert twice by President Bill Clinton, Pancoast has been on stage in 48 states and has traveled internationally to Nairobi, Kenya to work in week-long songwriting workshops with the children of the Nyumbani Orphanage.

She’s an oft-requested performer and considered an "A-list fundraiser" for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, the Kids 4 Kids Carnival, and Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival Family Street Fair.

The album, Weird Things are Everywhere includes an illustrated foldout map of the United States, which features really “Weird Things” for kids to learn more about such as: “Sudsie” the Cincinnati based 7,500-pound pig that was carved from a 5-foot-by-5-foot-by-6-foot bar of Ivory soap by artist Bev Kirk, and an 80-foot long bowling ball fence that dots the property of Chris Barbee in Nowata, Oklahoma.

Weird Things are Everywhere can be sound sampled and ordered from Pancoast’s Tune Room Store, where you can also connect to her other albums that are featured in MP3 download format on emusic, iTunes and cdBaby.

All in all, Weird Things are Everywhere is a very special trip for children ages five through 10 that offers plenty of entertainment and packs an educational punch perfect for classrooms and home school families. - Examiner.com

(a STARRED review)
Gr 1-4–New Hampshire resident Judy Pancoast motors across the country on this concept album. A vocal chameleon with a terrific back-up band, she mixes up musical styles for each of these 12 numbers. She sets the tone for the recording with the title cut (a jazzy techno pop tune that features a slick saxophone). Between songs, Pancoast vamps an "auto tour" of the country, mentioning facts, sites to see, and books about selected states. She often encourages visits to the library. Standout songs include: "Yucky" (a commentary on nursery rhymes featuring a Caribbean beat), "Superman Can" (a cool jazzy comparison of comic book heroes), "I Can't Go Surfin'" (a lament about living in Idaho, set to 60s beach music), "Bum-de-Bo" (a tall-tale ballad that picks up the tempo halfway through), and "A Little Bit of Elvis" (a rockabilly tribute to the King). Librarians will particularly enjoy "Once Upon a Time," a story/song about a princess who meets her prince in the library, and "Take Me to Your Reader," a rap/boogie-woogie number about an alien who wants to learn how to read. Included is a map of the U.S., with a list of books set in each state, cool places to visit, and weird things to see. Lesson plans can be accessed at judypancoast.com. The focus on literacy and reading, the fun segues between songs, and the performer's superb voice makes this an excellent choice for use in a school setting.–Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH
- School Library Journal

The first clue should have been her spry sneakers. And her short-sleeved shirt. And the door to the performance room that was propped slightly open “for comfort,” I was told.
But if you didn’t know Judy Pancoast from Judy Blume, how would you know what was to come? How would you know that this beloved children’s icon would incite the kind of energy scientists would vie to harness? How would you know about the twisting and shouting, and hooting and hollering, and wagging and wiggling that was about to ensue? …Within the tranquility of a library, no less.
Judy Pancoast, for the uninitiated, is an entertainer, an artist, and a sheer delight. For the past 10 years, she’s taken her talents to New York, to Kenya, and many places in between. Critics put her somewhere between Jimmy Buffet and Karen Carpenter for the pre-teen set. I’d add a dash of Beach Boys.
She has performed twice for the President of the United States, and last Thursday at 4 p.m., she performed for about 75 Charlestown residents — most of them under the age of five.
The 45-minute program began with a resounding rendition of “Wild One,” to which the crowd responded aptly by going unabashedly wild.
Pancoast then continued with this call-out: “Are there any monkeys in the room?” Small bodies popped up like pogo sticks. When prompted to “make like an ape,” the kids did so with surprising competency. They were especially convincing when further directed to “be very loud, squeaky monkeys.” Only one shy soul left the room uttering “too loud, mommy,” though she quickly returned when Pancoast hit the first few bars of her popular hit “Monkey Girl.”
Tarzan yells followed. Then, a short lesson in showing off, which, for the record, “is okay as long as you’re not saying you’re better than anyone else.” This launched the more heart-felt tune, “Look at Me.”
Signs of Pancoast’s teaching degree shine through much of her material. Teaching through song is her “thing.” Playing with them means reaching them, she has been reported to say.




A New Hampshire resident, Pancoast has a small audience of her own at home in her husband and two daughters (ages 15 and 10). She also has a magical musical Web site, where you can get to know her better: www.judypancoast.com.
As an encore, the kids were invited to select two free books from tables upon tables of children’s literature in the room next door.
The books were compliments of Reading is Fundamental, Massachusetts Biomedical Research Corporation and the Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library. The concert was compliments of library organizers, Sarah Pennell and Maureen Marx. And the spontaneous release of unbridled cleverness was all Judy Pancoast.
- The Charlestown Bridge

“I have never written to an artist after listening to his/her music, however, after seeing the pure joy and happiness on my almost 4 year olds face I wanted to write and tell you how much my daughter, Olivia, my husband and I are enjoying your Swimming in Jello CD. We look forward to seeing you in person!
Burlington, MA, Mom
- E-mail