The Covid Album: Songs to Help Kids and Families Cope by Erica Rabner & Brian Blake

Erica Rabner and Brian Blake began writing “The Covid Album” during their first week of lockdown at opposite ends of the country. At the time, we didn’t realize we were writing an album, we were simply responding the only way we knew how. “The Covid Album” is a compilation of songs that offer safety and health oriented PSAs and support children’s emotional well being by promoting consistency, agency, and positivity and exploring common emotions like longing and frustration.

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/erica-rabner-music/sets/the-covid-album-songs-to-help-kids-and-familie s-cope-masters/s-7PWZFpA2PkU

“Wash Your Hands” - On March 10th, 2020, filled with uncertainty, Erica channeled her emotions into writing “Wash Your Hands.” Brian didn’t miss a beat and arranged a musical bed to accompany Erica’s voice note ideas. Eager to add excitement to a mundane task that had already made our hands raw, we shared the song on social media. Kids media producer, Kristen McGregor commented on the post that day and suggested we make a music video. From there, the “Wash Your Hands” Music Video was born thanks to a team of creatives across the country who donated their time and 55+ kids and parents who filmed themselves at home. The video garnered over 62k views and the song was picked up by the UN and became a source of inspiration for 593 TikTok videos.

“Mask On” - After hearing “Wash Your Hands,” a pediatrician requested Erica write a song to encourage mask wearing. We released "Mask On" in response and Erica created a “Mask On” Music Video (Release date 2/10) to make this mundane and often bothersome step seem fun.

Vignettes: Unlike many albums, “The Covid Album” was written with an expiration date. Erica wanted this album to feel like a time capsule representing this unique phase in our life so she reached out to parents and asked kids to reflect on their experiences during the pandemic. These vignettes were unscripted and honest. The goal of these vignettes is for kids to feel a sense of camaraderie whether they’re hearing a similar experience echoed or encountering a different perspective.

“Grandma, I miss ya” - Erica’s grandma passed away during covid and it broke my heart that I couldn’t hug her for the last 6 months of her life. During a sleepless night I wrote the chorus of “Grandma.” While I set out to write a song about loss, I realized that while not everyone has experienced loss, most people have experienced longing. I pivoted to write the song about missing a grandparent while apart during the pandemic and drew on a mix of personal memories and generic childhood memories. When I made my “Grandma, I miss ya’ Music Video. I pulled

Erica Rabner | [email protected] | (201)953-5043 from personal memories and worked with an artist who based his sketches off home video clips.

“Imagination Station” - With many parents taking on the role of full time caregiver and educator in addition to their other responsibilities, I wanted to write a song encouraging children’s agency and independence. “Imagination Station” reminds kids that they can play on their own and use their imagination to make their own fun.

“Up & Roaring” - Daily routines are helpful in grounding all of us, and many families have found them extra helpful during these uncertain times. I wrote “Up & Roaring” to encourage consistency amidst uncertainty, even when we don’t have anywhere to go.

“Shots Keep Us Safe” - While the jury is still out on whether kids will be vaccinated, shots have always been a familiar concept to kids. Even when adults stopped going to the doctor, young kids continued to visit pediatricians and clinics to receive other vaccinations. Regardless of whether or not this song ends up applying to the covid-19 vaccine, it felt like an important message to convey to kids and parents alike who will be listening.

In addition to writing new songs for the album, I reproduced two older songs:

"Love Trumps Hate" - Four years ago, while grappling with election results, I wrote “Love Trumps Hate” as a distillation of the simplest thesis statement: kindness and love should always prevail. This year, one week before the election, I updated the song and publicly released the new track along with a "Love Trumps Hate” Music Video” reflecting pertinent themes of 2020.

"Manage Your Feelings" - Originally written for my debut kids album PB & JAMS, I’d received feedback from parents and therapists that this song had been helpful to kids during this time. My partner, Brian Blake stripped it back and rearranged an acoustic version for this album. We rewrote elements of the melody accordingly and I retracked my vocals which were originally recorded in Garageband a USB mic from the kitchen table of my second NYC apartment! While I still recorded at home, this time I was in a closet I had treated, recording in Logic on a Neumann TLM103 plugged into my Focusrite interface.

Erica Rabner | [email protected] | (201)953-5043