Before Ilene Altman (aka Leeny) was an award-winning children's music artist, she was writing music for grown-ups about love... losing it, finding it, or trying to get rid of it!
ARTIST PROFILE
Proud to be born and raised in the great state of New Jersey, but even happier to now call Cape Ann, Massachusetts her home, Leeny (aka Ilene Altman) has rapidly become a fixture in the children’s music industry. Her 2008 debut CD, "Be Nice" by Leeny and Steve, garnered several honors including a Parents’ Choice Award and a Children’s Music Web Award as Best Recording for Preschoolers, and was named to the Best Music of 2008 Recommended List for Your Family from Common Sense Media. More accolades ensued for her 2009 sophomore release, "Sharing the Same Stars" by Leeny and Tamara, which was dubbed by parents as “the new 'Free to Be You and Me' for the next generation.” The album received a Parents’ Choice Award and special recognition as a NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards) Rising Star honoree, as well as an Independent Music Awards Song of the Year nomination for “Ladybug, Ladybug, Ladybu-u-ug.” For the last three consecutive years, Leeny has earned the ASCAP Plus Award for Songwriting.
Writing and performing children’s music planted a seed that inspired Leeny to undertake her most thrilling adventure yet… enrolling in graduate school to fulfill her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher! In December 2012, Leeny completed her student teaching practicum in an awesome third-grade class at North Beverly Elementary School – the final step to receive her Master of Education degree with licensure from Salem State University.
Be sure to catch a concert with Leeny in a solo performance or with her band, The Eeny Meenys, which sometimes features a group of 9-12-year-old singers, when their busy social calendars will allow! She performs locally in the greater Boston area and around the Northeast at schools, libraries, fundraisers, community events, museums, festivals, and private parties. Shows are high energy, interactive, and geared toward audience participation. Leeny’s catchy, funny, and sweet songs cover topics like ladybugs and penguins and dogs (oh my!), good behavior, shyness, growing up, sharing, family, and seat belt safety.
Leeny and her husband Nick live in beautiful Gloucester, MA, America’s oldest seaport! When she’s not writing songs about animals or stinky diapers, Leeny likes to mountain bike, play Frisbee, and pick berries. Check out new tunes from Leeny and Steve on the recently released CD, "Dance to the Weather," a compilation of weather-related music that Leeny co-produced with meteorologist Mish Michaels!
credits
released January 11, 2013
All songs written by Ilene Altman
Tracks #1-5 recorded and mixed by Art Hays at Little Bald Guy studio, New York, NY (October 2004)
Ilene Altman: Lead and background vocals, piano (track #6)
Art Hays: All instruments and drum programming (tracks #1-5), background vocals (tracks #1, 3)
Kirk Wheeler: Mastering (tracks #1-5)
Track #6 recorded at Bay Records, Oakland, CA (March 2007)
Back in 2007, my persuasive three-year-old nephew Zak asked me to write some songs for him. Who knew that a few tunes about
fruit, mammals, and a stinky diaper would change my life?! Since then, I’ve released three Parents’ Choice Award-winning children's CDs, earned an M.Ed. in Elementary Education, became a teacher, and have also recorded albums of adult comedy songs and piano relaxation music!...more
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