Music with BRIAN

Music with BRIAN's Sing Sing Sing receives the Starred Audio designation in the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids and Teens! - Canadian Children's Book Centre

CM Magazine Review of Sing Sing Sing

4 stars out of 4

Brian's 30 years of music experience shines through in his debut CD. Some are traditional tunes that kids would readily recognize like "Do Your Ears Hang Low?" and "Five Little Ducks" and others are original ones like "Taking a Trip" and "Like a Bird."

His animated voice is warm and soothing. His original songs are fun and witty and cross many genres. For example, "Jump Up" is pop, "Zoo Time Boogie" is funk, and "Hey Diddle Diddle" is Celtic music. So there is something for everyone… Within each song, there tends to be numerous repetition of verses, sometimes with an alteration of a word or two, and so it is not too difficult to learn them after at least a couple of listens. Furthermore, I must warn you that regardless of whether you are a kid or an adult, his songs make it so easy for you to start bobbing your head up and down and get dancing. Another thing I like about [Brian]’s CD is his interpretations of old and familiar songs. They are quite catchy. My personal favourite is "The Hokey Pokey." The lyrics and underlying tune are recognizable, but how the vocals and instruments are arranged and performed give it a fresh and even brighter feel to it. I could not stop myself from getting up and actually doing the hokey pokey!

Simply listening to the songs is not an option!

I highly recommend this CD to kids and their parents. Be prepared to boogie on down and smile a big smile!

Highly Recommended

Min So Vancouver, BC.
- CM Magazine

Resource Links national journal

Awards Sing Sing Sing “E” for Excellent, Enduring, Everyone Must See It!

Sing Sing Sing is the first CD produced by Guelph-based Brian Morcombe. Morcombe’s voice is rich with enthusiasm without becoming sticky sweet and is backed chiefly by acoustic guitar and a broad range of the instruments including horns, Irish whistle, bongos, electric bass and steel drums. The bulk of the 18 tracks on the album were written by Morcombe himself and demonstrate a natural song-writing ability that hasn’t really been seen on the children’s music scene since Laurie Berkner. Of the self-penned titles, Zoo Time Boogie, Funny Monkeys, Like a Bird and the title track Sing Sing Sing are amongst the strongest tracks and are all an absolute joy to listen to. Jamaica Farewell, Five Little Monkeys, Oh Susanna and Hokey Pokey are amongst the re-arranged traditional tunes that round out the collection.

The debut CD will be enjoyed by children and adults alike and comes highly recommended for both home and school use. It can be purchased from Morcombe’s website at: www.musicwithBRIAN.com.
- Resouce Links (national journal)

Visit MusicwithBRIAN.com and select "WATCH VIDEO" from the left side to see this great news report by Troy Bridges of ROGERS First Local! - ROGERS

A group of junior and senior kindergarten student at St. Michael School reacted with great enthusiasm to an hour-long music workshop delivered Friday by Brian Morcombe, a tax accountant with a Guelph accounting firm who is also now a professional musician. The workshop was one of 16 that Morcombe is doing this winter and spring for kindergarten students in local public and catholic schools under an offering of the Edward Jhnson Music Foundation called Do Re Mi - An interactive Music Education Program. Morcombe discovered his love of performing children's music during a park visit in the summer of 2006 where he played guitar for his two sons, only to find he'd attracted a big crowd of dancing, singing and laughing children, a news release said. - Guelph Tribune Tuesday Jan 27, 2009

This past January, tax accountant turned Pied Piper, Brian Morcombe, performed his hilarious and entertaining brand of music for children at the Guelph Public Library's Main Branch. It did not take long for Brian to have the kids hopping, jumping, skipping and giggling their way through this audience-participation show. "Music with BRIAN" will make its first across Canada tour later this year playing fundraisers for libraries, schools and hospitals. For more info at about Guelph Public Library programs, contact lcozzarin@library.guelph.on.ca. Photography by Lynn Varil. - SNAP Guelph Vol. 4 No. 3 - February 2009

CMA Management Magazine; February 2009 – Cover Story

From The Office to The Stage

It’s 5:01 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. Upon leaving his office, Morcombe removes his tie and unbuttons his shirt to reveal a radiant lime green t-shirt. His black dress shoes are traded in for an 80s-style pair of Converse kicks. His accounting books and ballpoint pen are swapped for an acoustic guitar. His visions of tax statutes are replaced with images of funny monkeys and trains. The transformation from Brian Morcombe: Tax Specialist to Music with Brian: Canada’s up and coming children’s singer, is complete.

The early stages

“When I was five years old, we had an organ in our house,” Morcombe explains of his early attachment to music. “It’s not the easiest instrument to learn and I probably drove my parents crazy!” As a child, Morcombe and his brother Stuart would spend hours learning and playing music. “He was very inspirational, and taught me how to improvise and experiment creatively,” he says. Morcombe attended Mayfield Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, a high school that attracts artistically talented students interested in dance, drama, music or visual arts. In his final year of high school alone, Morcombe appeared in 126 on-stage performances. “After high school, most of my friends were accepted into music schools in Canada and the USA. I was accepted into York University’s music program as well as McMaster and Guelph’s business programs.”

It was at this point that Morcombe was faced with a big decision — choose the life of a musician, which could prove to be a long, hard and difficult road to follow, or pursue the career that is deeply rooted in his family — business and accounting. He made the decision to attend the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University for business studies.

“I always received immense support from my family,” he says. “My parents were successful business people and they wanted me to pursue business studies. They regularly reminded me that, ‘the music will be there, you can always go back to it, but get a solid foundation first.’ ” After his post-secondary education, Morcombe obtained his CMA designation. He credits the designation’s multifaceted curriculum as a key reason for his decision. “Being a CMA is more than just accounting and tax,” he says. “It’s knowing how to handle issues involving HR, marketing, IT, and operations management. The CMA program really prepared me for everything in my career.” Morcombe couldn’t have imagined how true those words would “play” later on in his life. After spending nine years in the corporate world and working as a senior tax manager with a big 4 accounting firm, an afternoon with his children proved to be an eye-opening experience. “My son Timothy always wanted to share ‘music time’ with the family,” Morcombe explains of a ritual the family shares in which they play instruments and sing together. “On this particular day, we decided to have music time in the park. As we were singing ‘Wheels on the Bus,’ we noticed a group of kids had started to gather around us and were singing along.”

A star is born

Soon after, Morcombe was asked to play a series of children’s concerts at his local library. Crowds of 15 turned to 50, then 200. “I was astounded ... family and friends suggested that I should release a children’s CD,” he says. Morcombe rekindled his love affair with music that started at an early age. He produced a children’s CD entitled, “Music with Brian: Sing Sing Sing;” an eclectic mix of feel good songs that kids can sing along to and parents can enjoy, combined with topics that stimulate and encourage kids’ learning. The response to the CD was overwhelming. “The experience has been very rewarding so far,” he says. “My team (his “roadies” and a sound team) and I have delivered over 100 performances across Canada and we are planning performances in the U.S. and United Kingdom. We’ve come a long way since my first gig, where it was only me and my guitar.”

In [MAY] 2009, Morcombe release[s] his second CD “Can You Dance?” “Having the CMA designation has a positive influence on the business side of being a children’s performer,” he explains. “Through the CMA Professional Development Program, I’ve learned how to embrace change, and feel that I’m equipped with the business knowledge to establish and market my own business. My knowledge and skills as a CMA are just as relevant in the office as they are when talking about ‘Music with Brian.’ ” Morcombe notes that his circle of CMA colleagues have been particularly helpful with advice and tips on how he can further develop his business. Also, his closest “circle” — his wife and children, have been very supportive. He says his family is a key factor in reducing the stress and rigours of pursuing his passion. He notes that his family is deeply involved with the show (his wife and kids often pass out name tags to the audience) as well as the planning. “A lot of it is vacation time — I haven’t been on a real vacation in quite some time. Fortunately for my family (who often travels with Morcombe), it feels like a vacation.”

On weekends, Morcombe works closely with his wife Susan, a psychological associate with a master’s degree in developmental psychology, to craft songs for young children that emphasize core developmental skills such as cognitive, motor, language, social, memory and attention skills.

Though his career might seem like a grand juggling act between balancing work, music and family, Morcombe sees no signs of slowing down and is quite happy. “There are athletes who are in the corporate world and
other talented and passionate individuals who are accountants, similar to myself,” he says. “We work diligently to make sure we are not ignoring our commitments, but also our dream. If you give up your dream, you’ll never get to truly enjoy the benefits of it. It is an incredible thing.”

Arda Ocal is a Mississauga, Ont.-based writer and on-air personality with Rogers
TV. - CMA Management Magazine; February 2009