Song 🎶: A Real Songwriter Talks & Sings About Siblings!

Welcome friends! In this song 🎶 episode, Todd is joined by singer-songwriter Christopher Burkholder and returning guest Carmine, age seven, who you may remember from our episode about family.

Together, they dig into what life as a musician really looks like, from writing hundreds of songs before releasing one, to learning harmonica on the side, to growing up as the second oldest of six kids in a homeschooled family outside Philadelphia. Christopher also shares a brand new original song on the episode called "That's What Big Brothers Are For," written especially for this episode, and the three of them hear it together for the very first time. Carmine comes with a list of questions, his brand new guitar, and an original song of his own called the "Wormy Worm Song" that he performs before signing off.

Perfect for kids ages 3 to 11 and for listening together as a family.

In This Episode, Kids Will:

• Hear a brand new original song written just for Little Kids, Big Hearts
• Learn how a real songwriter turns feelings and memories into music
• Discover that writing lots of bad songs is part of writing one good one
• Find out why listening is the most important skill a musician can have
• Be inspired to follow the fun when learning something new

Grown-Ups, You Can Extend the Listening By:

• Asking your child: "If you wrote a song about your sibling, what would it be about?"
• Listening to the song together and talking about which lines feel most true
• Encouraging your child to write, draw, or sing about a feeling they have had recently
• Talking about what "following the fun" looks like when your child is learning something new

About Christopher Burkholder: Christopher Burkholder is a singer-songwriter whose music is rooted in folk, jazz, and blues. Growing up as the second oldest of six kids in a homeschooled family outside Philadelphia gave him plenty of real-life moments and real feelings to write about. He works alongside his family in their coffee business, Twin Valley Coffee, and has been writing and releasing music for over two decades. He wrote "That's What Big Brothers Are For" especially for this episode. Find him on Instagram at @christopher_burkholder

About Little Kids, Big Hearts:Little Kids, Big Hearts is a social and emotional learning podcast where kids lead the conversation. Through real discussions, imaginative stories, songs, and Kidventures, children explore feelings, relationships, kindness, and what it means to care for others.

Subscribe, Rate, and Share: If this episode resonated with your family, please subscribe, rate, and share the show. It helps other families discover Little Kids, Big Hearts.

🎧 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@littlekidsbighearts 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@littlekidsbighearts 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/little_kids_big_hearts_podcast 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LittleKidsBigHeartsPodcast

Credits:Little Kids, Big Hearts is hosted by Todd Loyd. It's produced by Julia Levy at Sparkler Learning, with support from Meaghan Penrod and Adrianna Arocho. Sound design and mixing by Ryan Marth. Special thanks to Noggin for their support and the song “Like Nobody Else” from the Big Heart Beats album.

🌈 Visit The Little Kids, Big Hearts Podcast website: https://playsparkler.org/podcast