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The Life of a Children's Troubadour
The popular Canadian performer recounts his childhood, discusses his father, who was a renowed portrait photographer, and describes the influences and values that have shaped his career
316 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 21, 2020
Raffi is to children's music what Bob Ross is to grown-ups' painting: preternaturally happy, completely unflappable, and unafraid to be himself. In a world of cloudy skies and clouded brows, Raffi shines—a sunbeam in human form. Here he gives a glimpse behind the curtain and the resulting interplay of purpose and passion is fascinating. A look into the professional operations of organizing concerts and producing albums, the psychology of childrens' music and childhood development overall, the heady success of fame and how a principled man sticks to his guns when faced with corporate pressure to produce more, more, and always more... These diverse threads offer a full frame of reference for the personal history that fleshes Raffi as a character who lived a very relatable life.
3 stars out of 5 for the book, 5 out of 5 for my memories. When I was a boy my parents played me Raffi on cassette through the car's tape deck. Now I am a dad and I play my children Raffi by MP3 through the AUX cable. The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round.
3 stars out of 5 for the book, 5 out of 5 for my memories. When I was a boy my parents played me Raffi on cassette through the car's tape deck. Now I am a dad and I play my children Raffi by MP3 through the AUX cable. The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round.
September 2, 2013
Not particularly well written and not always particularly interesting, but nevertheless an enjoyable read on the life and thoughts of someone whose music I grew up listening to and have now rediscovered with my toddler. The parts I found most interesting were: his coming to terms with the success of his children's music at the expense of his own dream to be a folk songwriter; his commitment to children and education, and the efforts he took to keep his work out of the commercial world; the process behind some of his songs and albums.
May 3, 2014
The story started off interesting, and about halfway through the book I found it dragged on somewhat.
Raffi is one of my 'favourite' people..and has had an amazing life.
Raffi is one of my 'favourite' people..and has had an amazing life.
May 10, 2019
From the voice of “Baby Beluga,” a surprising, tender, furious look into an increasingly multicultural Canadian culture and the importance of children in reorienting society towards environmental consciousness.
Anyone from an ambitious, overprotective immigrant family (which describes a lot of Canadians) will find emotional resonance in Raffi’s account of his Armenian family’s life in Egypt and their adjustment to Canada. Particularly poignant is Raffi’s struggle to define success outside the parameters of the family’s expectations and his mid-life reengagement and renewed love for Armenian language and culture.
His account of the 1960s cultural revolution definitely illuminated the background of today’s “Canadian” cultural values. (Which differ from previous versions of “Canadianness”…for the better.)
His concern for the environment will also ring true in today’s climate crisis. Ugh – too much has not changed.
This book was written in 1998 and it feels super current in Raffi’s assessment of the role of technology in turning children into passive consumers rather than active creators and engaged participants in the physical and social world around them.
Here are a few choice quotes:
“Gradually I understood that my parents were culturally and personally incapable of seeing me as a legitimate “other,” someone with my own life to live. In later years, so that I might be a more frequent presence in their lives, my mother would increasingly say, “We take our life from you” – a phrase her parents used to say to her. I knew that, on the one hand, this spoke of the joys a parent derives from seeing her children. But she said it over and over, with great emotional force, as if she were imploring me not to deny her my life-energy. … when she really wanted something from me she’d say, with great emphasis, “Won’t you do this one thing for your mother?” as though nothing else I had ever done for her counted.” (91)
(Yowzer…doesn’t that sound like my grandparents!)
“So-called educational shows primarily teach children to love TV, and any learning that occurs is much thinner than that gained through interpersonal activities” (163)
“Responding to a child’s willful or accidental testing of the behavioural boundaries – “misbehaving,” not keeping agreements – requires that parents be consistent. This is not about being obsessive, strict, heavy handed or even disciplinary. It has to do with helping a child learn the outcome of his or her actions. And when it comes to optimal learning, love is the most effective enabling context. … When children are not distracted by parental anger, they have room to consider the lesson at hand – the consequences of their own action. In this way, discipline can grow as an inner value rather than as something always imposed from the outside.” (261)
“As we approach the new millennium, I do detect a great deal of fear in people struggling to know what to hold onto. Many retreat to old beliefs and behaviors in an instinctive reach for something familiar, as often happens in times of personal crisis. Some seek shelter in fundamentalism, others put their faith in computers, and some ride capitalism even harder. It’s no wonder. The task at hand is a tall order: integration, both societal and personal, in a fundamental redesign.” (298)
Anyone from an ambitious, overprotective immigrant family (which describes a lot of Canadians) will find emotional resonance in Raffi’s account of his Armenian family’s life in Egypt and their adjustment to Canada. Particularly poignant is Raffi’s struggle to define success outside the parameters of the family’s expectations and his mid-life reengagement and renewed love for Armenian language and culture.
His account of the 1960s cultural revolution definitely illuminated the background of today’s “Canadian” cultural values. (Which differ from previous versions of “Canadianness”…for the better.)
His concern for the environment will also ring true in today’s climate crisis. Ugh – too much has not changed.
This book was written in 1998 and it feels super current in Raffi’s assessment of the role of technology in turning children into passive consumers rather than active creators and engaged participants in the physical and social world around them.
Here are a few choice quotes:
“Gradually I understood that my parents were culturally and personally incapable of seeing me as a legitimate “other,” someone with my own life to live. In later years, so that I might be a more frequent presence in their lives, my mother would increasingly say, “We take our life from you” – a phrase her parents used to say to her. I knew that, on the one hand, this spoke of the joys a parent derives from seeing her children. But she said it over and over, with great emotional force, as if she were imploring me not to deny her my life-energy. … when she really wanted something from me she’d say, with great emphasis, “Won’t you do this one thing for your mother?” as though nothing else I had ever done for her counted.” (91)
(Yowzer…doesn’t that sound like my grandparents!)
“So-called educational shows primarily teach children to love TV, and any learning that occurs is much thinner than that gained through interpersonal activities” (163)
“Responding to a child’s willful or accidental testing of the behavioural boundaries – “misbehaving,” not keeping agreements – requires that parents be consistent. This is not about being obsessive, strict, heavy handed or even disciplinary. It has to do with helping a child learn the outcome of his or her actions. And when it comes to optimal learning, love is the most effective enabling context. … When children are not distracted by parental anger, they have room to consider the lesson at hand – the consequences of their own action. In this way, discipline can grow as an inner value rather than as something always imposed from the outside.” (261)
“As we approach the new millennium, I do detect a great deal of fear in people struggling to know what to hold onto. Many retreat to old beliefs and behaviors in an instinctive reach for something familiar, as often happens in times of personal crisis. Some seek shelter in fundamentalism, others put their faith in computers, and some ride capitalism even harder. It’s no wonder. The task at hand is a tall order: integration, both societal and personal, in a fundamental redesign.” (298)
August 20, 2011
I'm a biased reviewer...I happen to love Raffi from my days of Early Childhood Education in my undergraduate studies. And now my daughter loves him too. So I was fascinated to read his life story. He gets a little preachy with his environmental stance, but I didn't mind it, because I like him. It actually opened my mind to varying perspectives and causes. He also ties in his life's journey with a lot of psychological learning and self-examination, so I loved that part too. He is very much into self-actualization and living an integrated life (integrated between parts of self, others, world diversity, and the earth). I love his new cause of sparking a revolution in respectful and empathic child raising which honors a child's developmental stages. I'll be reading his book on his mission of Child Honouring.
December 31, 2011
Very interesting to read the biography of someone I grew up enjoying, and now my son is enjoying. The earlier portions were fascinating, and the middle portion was new (and a little weird, with his leaving the Armenian church and going into yoga and other things like that), while the latter portion made me think in a way that I haven't since my father and I would talk about his spiritual heritage, what he wanted to leave behind.
I hope a little bit of this will make me a better parent.
I hope a little bit of this will make me a better parent.
August 5, 2015
Long-time Raffi fan (beluga grad I believe I'm called?). This was a very interesting read. It got bogged down toward the end with Raffi's foray into environmentalism, the reader didn't necessarily need to know about each book he read that meant something to him, but I really enjoyed the childhood memories and the story about how he became Canada's foremost children's entertainer.
September 18, 2016
There was much to love about this book, as his music filled our home for many years. In the end just a bit too much of the day-to-day detail, but I certainly appreciated learning of his own growth over the years, and his unfailing hope for the children.
January 4, 2016
Very readable and interesting.
May 29, 2024
My children and I enjoy Raffi's music and play it often in our home, so I have been curious about the man behind the fun children's tunes. An Armenian who grew up in Cairo, Egypt with a father who was a top portrait photographer and painter for prestigious world leaders. They emigrated to Toronto, Canada when he was in grade-school and his parents had to start from scratch, but eventually made a name for themselves there too. In his adulthood, after a hippie stint exploring Canada on foot and trying his hand in the folk music scene, he started working on music for children. With his wife's teaching experience as well as two good friends (also educators) who helped him understand childhood development and create age-appropriat, engaging music for young children, Raffi became known around North America for his catchy tunes. His music career has spanned over four decades, which is impressive. He developed a passion for ecology/environmentalism, which is expressed in many later albums. His autobiography was incredibly interesting. Rather than focusing only on him and his rising stardom, he takes lots of detours to share his heart on different matters. The first part of the book, for example, goes pretty deep in the violence against Armenians by Turks that directly affected Raffi's grandparents. A lot of pages are spent on talking about his family, most notably his father's portraiture photography business, which I felt was a way for him to honor his parents after their passing (this book was written shortly after their death; his mom and dad died within twenty-four hours of one another). He also digs deep in the issues he is passionate about, from decreasing screens and advertisements for children (he often denied lucrative commercial deals because he didn't want to promote materialism through his work, nor promote kids sitting hours in front of TV watching him rather than playing and exploring), to environmentalism (he spends the most time discussing the issues facing our environment and the detrimental effects to earth that pollution, chemicals in our food, wasteful living pose for our children's future). He was very interested in honoring the whole child, rather than talking down to them or creating entertaining but ultimately too shallow music. Although he grew up in a strict Orthodox family, he later landed more in spiritualism, with yoga and meditation being a way to have inner peace he so desired. This part made me sad because he talked about a season of sadness after some big life changes and I so wish he would have known the endless love and true peace of Jesus rather than trying to search for it in so many avenues. His integrity and intentionality shine through the book, though he readily admits his own faults and doesn't try to make himself look flawless. I especially enjoyed when he would talk about how he wrote certain songs, like one of my kids' favorite, Baby Beluga (the first song we listened to by Raffi) and the funny stories behind some of the albums (like the pun-filled Bananaphone, another favorite of my kids, and the hilarious Raffi Radio album). I really enjoyed a look behind this musician, especially since we listen to so much of his music in our home (and love the board books that have the lyrics of his songs, like Baby Beluga, Everything Grows, Rise and Shine, and Shake My Sillies Out). I was relieved that I didn't find out anything shocking or disturbing about Raffi that would turn me away from his music; instead, reading his autobiography endeared me even more to him and his legacy of music and honoring the whole child.
Content rating: G
Content rating: G
May 23, 2021
Most everyone with children know "Raffi". The immigrant from Armenia was the son of a famous artist/portraitist. Trying to enter the folk singer circle of the 70's, he found himself instead becoming know as a children's entertainer. Creating the recording/performing Troubadours, his career expanded from Canada, his home country, to the U.S. and then the World. Childless himself, Raffi "learned" children psychology- how children respond to rhyming, movement and humor. But, with the song "Baby Beluga", Raffi really began to see environmental issues facing the world. How could he continue to entertain with a message to the toddlers, the children and the adults in his audience that the earth is important, that everyone can help, that "Baby Beluga" is dying?
February 2, 2021
An interesting look at this beloved entertainer. The second half of the book wanders into some boring recounting of various conferences attended and books read, but he has lovely insights and values to share.
May 31, 2022
I wanted to love this book. I didn't
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