When I first thought about writing and recording a children’s album, which eventually evolved into Songs from the Tree House, I had several considerations in mind.

My partner, Mark Gane and I were planning to have a child and I was hoping, at least for the first few years, to be close to home, with a lifestyle geared to daytime activities rather than the night-owl existence we had been living. I knew it would be a challenge to write children’s songs that didn’t drive adults crazy after a couple of listens, but would actually grow on them – like a good pop song. The same high creative standards that we strived for in our songwriting for Martha and the Muffins, or I did on my own 2013 album Solo*One, would have to be met.

Give it the same effort and polish you would if you were doing adult music.

In the early 1990s, major record companies weren’t signing many children’s artists, so we put the album out independently. While it didn’t sell a million copies, I was able to make a living, and spend many satisfying years performing for kids in schools, theatres, libraries and festivals. I got paid, didn’t go into debt to a label, and won a JUNO Award, as well as respect for a piece of work I’m still proud of today.

So what tips can I offer those who want to write songs for children?

Take the writing, recording and packaging of children’s music seriously, and give it the same effort and polish you would if you were doing adult music. Be professional on all levels.

Remember what you felt like as a child, and draw on the true voice of your early years. I recalled the music I liked to listen to when I was very young. Back then we could be transported to a sandy beach just by hearing the sound of the waves. So I knew the album should have a setting of some kind to draw the listener in.  In choosing a treehouse, I hoped listeners would feel like they’d been welcomed into a special secret world.

Avoid clichés, make the melodies memorable, and make sure the instruments and sounds you use complement the lyrics. Get out of the studio environment and use location recordings for creating atmospheres and rhythm tracks.

Be upfront with your young, impressionable audience and don’t talk down to them. They can spot a phony from across the playground. You don’t want to go over their heads, but challenging lyrics and music can be a good stretch.

It can be tricky getting across messages or lessons without being preachy. You want to be entertaining, too. Humour can transmit themes of empathy and kindness in a song for children.

Listen to some of the masters of children’s music. Inspired by Al Simmons’ humour, Fred Penner’s warmth, and the pan-cultural approach of Jack Grunsky, I strived to reach the high standards they’d set.

Along with my co-producer and partner Mark, we brought Songs from the Tree House to life in a sincere way that children and adults alike still connect to. What could be more satisfying than that?



Whenever some panelist at a music industry session or workshop starts talking about metadata, most attending songwriters’ eyes glaze over and the yawning begins. But tagging your songs with data is absolutely crucial: it’s the only way to ensure that when your music is used, it’ll be recognized as yours, and you’ll get paid for its use. Here to explain, from the perspective of a music supervisor – who decides what music goes into a movie or TV show – are Valerie Biggin and Sian O’Byrne of The Song Rep.

As music supervisors, we get a massive amount of music sent to us on a weekly basis. Typically, we don’t get a chance to listen to everything, but if a certain song catches our ear, it will ultimately end up in our iTunes library for later.

The saddest thing I come across is when, as I’m listening for a TV show or movie placement and I find a great song that would fit the scene, I hit “Command  I” and, to my dismay, I find  only the song title. No contact name, no artist name, nothing… Sadly, I then delete the song and look for something else.

Our turnaround time for a film or TV program can be less than two weeks. There’s simply no time to try and find whoever sent me that song. And this happens far more frequently than you’d imagine.

Why would you spend so much time writing, playing, recording and shopping your song, only to trip at the finish line because an additional five minutes wasn’t taken to tag your metadata on the song?

We are very often asked, “How do I tag my song?” Here’s how to do it:

  • Select the song in iTunes
  • Press “Command I” (with Mac) “Control I” (with PC)
  • Select the “Info” tab (“Details” tab in the new iTunes)
  • Write the composer, performing rights organization (SOCAN), and share percentages in the “Composer” tab
  • Write the publishing and master contact info in “Comments”
  • Add any extra info you may have (e.g., Beats Per Minute [BPM], genre, etc.)
  • Press “OK”

The reason we ask for writer and publisher info, along with share splits, master info, performing rights organization – and contact for each – is that this lets us know what approvals, and how many, we need in order to obtain (or “clear”) all the permissions required to use the song. That can also be a factor in whether or not we decide to use it or move on, because multiple approvals can take up time that we just don’t have.

We’ve provided a couple of examples below.

Here’s an example of the perfect tag:
Tagging_Correct_CS

And below is an example of one that’s not up to our standards:
Tagging_Incorrect_CS

We hope you find this information helpful! Happy Tagging!
The Song Rep is a music supervision and music services company with an understanding and appreciation of the need for client confidence, unparalleled service, professional etiquette and a “Can Do!” attitude.



  • Pay your fellow musicians and crew more than you yourself are getting paid. If you’re making more money than they are, give them a raise. Especially your drummer.
  • Always play solo. But if you must form a band, only play in bands with your closest friends. You’ll find it exciting to make music if you love the people you’re making it with. Make sure one of your closest friends is a great drummer.
  • Don’t tour. But if you must tour, tour Italy and Spain.