Retired Guelph teacher releases a second ‘musical tale’

Freddy the Frog is back with more musical adventures Beth BEcker’s second book, Try Try Try another musical tale.

Released in November, the multimedia story of the retired Guelph elementary school teacher, told through a book, video and song, encourages kids to never give up during tough times.

“I’m looking for topics that are useful for kids and teachers so they can use them in the classroom. The theme of my first book was ‘do something nice for someone every day’ and it’s a great theme for young kids. The theme of this book is try, try, try,” Baker said.

“When you face a problem, don’t give up. Just persevere. And you will find the solution.”

Baker uses the same characters she used in her first book, Something Beautiful: A Musical Tale.

“Freddy the Frog is still around. He meets all his friends who are having problems, of one kind or another. He says, ‘Don’t give up.’ Think of a plan. You can solve the problem. I know you.’ ‘I can,’ said Baker.

“They end up, of course, solving their problems, and then you come back and revisit them at the end of the book. Their problems are solved and everyone is happy.”

Children and music are Baker’s biggest interests.

“I was a music teacher for years. I was always looking for books that would teach certain concepts in music but there weren’t many of them,” Baker said.

Baker’s grandson inspired her to pursue writing books.

“When I started having grandchildren four years ago, I thought, you know, this is the age I haven’t reached yet. I’ve worked with kids in middle school, and I have a women’s choir, but I’ve never had the opportunity to do anything,” Baker said. For really young kids.”

“My grandson just started kindergarten. This is the kind of book where kids can watch the video and turn the pages at the same time. They can sing along and they can also start to get the concept of how to read.”

Along with the theme of never giving up, musically, Baker hopes kids can learn the difference between rhythm and rhythm.

The song, written by Baker, was recorded by Guelph-based musician and audio/visual producer Joel Saunders, who also helped add various instruments.

“Kids typically learn about rhythm and rhythm in first grade. Joel is a music/audio/video major. When I came up with the song, I sent it to him and asked for a musical version,” Baker said.

“I also wanted to use different percussion instruments so the kids could learn about them. I’ve worked with Joel for many years and he plays instrumentals for my choir. I do the arranging, he does the instruments and then mixes them.

The illustrations are by Cambridge illustrator Leah McCreight, and in her second book, voice actor/actor Sean Terrio adds voices to each character.

“I served on the Senior High School District School Board, so I would visit different schools and give presentations about the books. The kids could learn about them and then they could check out their libraries,” Baker said.

Baker will continue to make her tours to different schools locally.

“In the new year, I plan to visit schools regarding the second book,” she said.

Both books can be purchased on Amazon here.

“I really enjoyed writing songs, making up rhymes, and putting things to music. The fun for me was starting with a song, getting an idea of ​​where it could go, and then working with a great team to get to the end goal and see it all come together,” Baker said.

“I hope the kids get the message to keep trying if things in life get too hard and to never give up.”

Baker hopes to continue inspiring kids with music.

“This has been a goal my whole life,” she said.

“I hope my books can keep music in their lives in some way, whether they’re listening to it, playing an instrument, or singing. I hope they stay involved in music in some way, because it’s really fun.”