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Michael & Jello have released four full CDs of songs and activities designed to stimulate and educate children. The first, entitled I Wish my Nose was a Chocolate Bar was released to strong sales and positive reviews in 2000. The follow ups, Monkey See Monkey Do (2003) and What's Shakin? (2005) were released to continuing acclaim from parents, educators, and music critics. Michael & Jello's newest CD is entitled It Must Be Jelly, 'cause Jam Don't Shake.

All four CDs are available for sale in select stores, by mail order from us, or through any of these websites that offer individual songs or complete albums for download.

On this page you will find a lot of great information about Michael & Jello CDs and the very talented musicians who make them. Learn about Michael Anderson and his guest musicians, read synopsis and complete song lists from the CDs, and hear audio samples from all three recordings.

Looking for SONG LYRICS to your favourite Michael & Jello songs?
Want to find FUN MUSIC ACTIVITES for kids?
All our song lyrics and activities are now online! Check it out!

Meet Michael & Jello

Michael Anderson
Michael Anderson

Michael Anderson is presently teaching music in 25 child care centres in the Toronto area. He has been performing and creating music with children for over 15 years. Highlights include working with Juno award winner Jack Grunsky, and with Matt Maxwell (Comment Ca Va?).

Mr. Anderson has taught numerous musical workshops in children's educational centres including:

  •         The Clarke Institute of Psychiatry
  •         The Children's Own Museum
  •         University of Toronto French School
  •         The Children's Book Store
  •         The Hospital for Sick Children
  •         Toronto Public Libraries
  •         Parks and Recreation programs and Summer Camps

In addition to numerous child care centres, Mr. Anderson has performed music with children in Parkdale's Redwood Shelter, and has worked with children with autism through The Geneva Centre's C.H.A.P. program. Mr. Anderson has integrated music in the school curriculum within Parkdale Public Schools' Seamless Day program and performed for students at Queen Victoria Public School. Highlights involved joint School and Child Care Holiday Concerts, and monthly E.C.E/ Kindergarten sing-a-longs with groups larger than 100 children.

Michael Anderson has studied music with some of Toronto's top musicians and performed Japanese Koto with the Ursa Major Society under the direction of University of Toronto East Asian Studies Professor Ken Richards.

Collin Barrett
Collin Barrett

Bass: Collin was born in England of Jamaican heritage and his family emigrated to Toronto in the 1970s. Collin's innovative style on the Bass guitar mixed with his engaging personality have created a constant demand for his "bass stylings" in everything from hard-core funk to elusive jazz. He is a well respected musician in the industry today whose work spans artists such as Leonard Cohen, The Governor General and many of Canada's top jazz musicians.

Colin Barrett plays Bass guitar on numerous tracks on both "Monkey See Monkey Do" and "What's Shakin?".

Neil Brathwaite
Neil Brathwaite

Saxophones: Neil has joined the group and brings years of experience on the R&B club scene in Toronto and is now Music Director of the Toronto 1 talk show.

Ben D'Cunha
Ben D'Cunha

Vocals: Ben is a graduate of Humber College's world renowned Jazz program and performs with his own trio in the Toronto area. Ben sings both lead and background vocals.

Mark Kelso
Mark Kelso

Drums and Percussion: Born in Belfast, Ireland, Mark has made Toronto his home for quite some time. Not only is he a skilled musician who plays drums and an assortment of percussion instruments, but he is also a talented singer, producer and composer as well. As an in demand session player and veteran touring the world, Mark has lent his "killer grooves" to such performers as Pete Townsend, Holly Cole, Amanda Marshall, Amy Sky, Donny Osmond, The Montuno Police, and Shania Twain.

Mark Kelso played drums and percussion on the songs "Octopus" and "5 Green and Speckled Eggs", on Michael & Jello's newest CD, "What's Shakin?".

Odell Johnson
Odell Johnson

Drums and Percussion: Odell has been a staple of the Reggae scene in Canada and in the U.S.A. for quite some time. Odell played for and continues to play with the Peter Tosh band and performs and promotes his own original music.

Dan Kircher
Dan Kircher

Engineer: Dan engineered, programmed and mixed all the songs on Michael & Jello's newest CD, "What's Shakin?"

John Magidsohn
John Magidsohn

Lead and Background Vocals: John sang lead and background vocals on Michael & Jello's newest CD "What's Shakin?.

Elaine ShieldsElaine Shields

Vocals: Elaine performs with the Riverdale Youth Choir and has hosted a live Internet talk show. Elaine has joined the group for both studio projects and sings great classics such as Tony Chestnut and Zoom Zoom Zoom.

Additional Michael & Jello players:

Gadi Foltys: Bass, chicken shake, drum programming on "I Wish my Nose was a Chocolate Bar"

Paul Shuebrooke: Keyboard solo on Sambalele ("I Wish my Nose was a Chocolate Bar")

Brianna & Lily Shields - Anderson: Poems and back up vocals on "Monkey See Monkey Do" and "What's Shakin?"


CDs by Michael & Jello

It Must Be Jelly, 'cause Jam Don't Shake

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It Must Be Jelly, 'cause Jam Don't Shake was released in 2008 and is the newest CD by Michael & Jello. It features nine new songs, previously released classics and, for the first time, karaoke versions of audience favourites. Now you (or your child) can be the star of the show! Also included on the CD is the music video for "A Little Bit Up & A Little Bit Down" and directions to music activities.

SONG LIST:
1) Corner Grocery Store
2) 1 Little Raindrop
3) 5 Green and Speckled Frogs
(remix)
4) Che Che Koolay
5) I Have A Little Pony
6) Over the River and Through the Woods
7) Moonshadow
(Cat Stevens)
8) Octopus
(remix with French verse)
9) Eat Your Food
10) Tony Chestnut
11) Hokey Pokey Macarena
12) Banana's Unite
13) Sambalele
14) Les Petites Marionette
15) 1 Little Raindrop
(karaoke version)
16) Baa Baa Black Sheep
17) Baa Baa Black Sheep
(karaoke version)
18) My Dog Rags
19) My Dog Rags
(karaoke version)
20) Kalimba Lullaby

GUEST ARTISTS:
Ben D'Cunha: Lead and Background Vocals
Bryant Didier: Electric and Acoustic Bass
Elaine Shields: Lead and Background Vocals
Mark Kelso: Drums, Djembe and Percussion
Collin Barrett: Electric Bass Guitar
Neil Brathwaite: Tenor and Soprano Saxophone
Gadi Foltys: Bass Guitar
Anthony Giambrone, Jon Magidsohn, Lily Shields, Aurora Shields: Guest Vocals

Hear examples from It Must Be Jelly, 'cause Jam Don't Shake in the audio samples below!

 

What's Shakin?

What's Shakin?
Dance Songs for Kids

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What's Shakin? is the third CD by Michael & Jello, which is comprised of Michael Anderson and special musical guests. Special guests this time include Mark Kelso on drums and percussion, who has played and recorded with many of Canada's top artists including Shania Twain and Holly Cole. Also joining the project again is Collin Barrett on Bass, who has performed with Mark Kelso on many projects including the musical Tommy by the Who.

These top notch and heavily respected musicians bring a highly energized and sophisticated energy to this collection of children's dance songs, poems and games. Basing his shows and workshops on Early Childhood Education concepts, which encompasses a child's need to participate in and experience music, Michael performs and teaches music for Monkey Business Creative Services.

What's Shakin? takes children's music to different levels of appreciation and participation. The styles of music range from Rap (on Alphabet Stew), to New Age (on Kalimba Lullaby), and heavy Rock on a retake of Shake My Sillies Out. As children approach school age they inevitably become interested in pop music and culture. But, what are they supposed to listen to between Sharon, Lois and Bram, and Simple Plan? What's Shakin? gives young sophisticated minds something to hang on to with its urban feel, reflected in its cover of graffiti from the streets of Toronto's art community.

Songs like 5 Green and Speckled Frogs are totally transformed to be funky, jazzy and hip, while maintaining their original content. For the (parent), child in all of us, Michael has included songs like Paul Simon's Mother and Child Reunion, and Graham Nash's Teach Your Children. These are songs that deliver a message for the young and old. Mother and Child Reunion is a tribute to Cari-Lynn Gaulton, whose young life and that of her unborn child were taken as a result of domestic violence, which Michael was exposed to when working in shelters for women and children displaced by spousal abuse.

Michael has once again taken on a bold approach to children's music and fused the sounds of the Japanese Koto, the South African Kalimba, and guitar distortion into one eclectic mix of music.

SONG LIST:
1) A Little Bit Up & A Little Bit Down
2) Octopus
3) Alphabet Stew (in a rap style)
4) 5 Green and Speckled Eggs
5) My Dog Rags
6) Strawberry Shortcake
7) Shake Your Sillies Out (heavy rock style)
8) Do Your Ears Hang Low
9) Head & Shoulders / Tete Epaule
10) Shoofly Don't Bother Me
11) Mother & Child Reunion
12) Stella Ola Ola
13) Kalimba Lullaby (new age style)
14) Teach Your Children
15) Goodnight

GUEST ARTISTS:
Ben D'Cunha: Lead and Background Vocals
Elaine Shields: Lead and Background Vocals
John Magidsohn: Lead and Background Vocals
Mark Kelso: Drums and Percussion
Collin Barrett: Electric Bass

Neil Brathwaite: Tenor and Soprano Saxophone
Bri & Lily: Spoken word poems

Hear examples from What's Shakin? in the audio samples below!

Monkey See Monkey Do Cover

Monkey See Monkey Do

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Monkey See Monkey Do is Michael & Jello's second release, and follows I Wish My Nose Was A Chocolate Bar released in 2000. Michael & Jello (a.k.a. Michael Anderson and highly respected musical guests), hope to build on the success of the first CD, which caught the imagination of many parents, therapists, educators and children. "Monkey see monkey do" is a phrase that was once used to mimic another, yet today it can describe the way children learn in simple terms. They see an act and they follow or echo the action or behavior.

Monkey See Monkey Do was created mindful that children today are very sophisticated in their musical tastes, and are accustomed to hearing contemporary music. Despite this grown-up appreciation, children still want to be entertained at a child's level. Monkey See Monkey Do mixes the instruments and cultural sounds of Africa, Turkey, Jamaica and beyond in a pop music style. Children can dance, sing and mimic the popular song actions while enjoying the introduction of instruments from around the world. This diverse collection of activity poems and songs was made for the educator, the parent, and the child within.

SONG LIST:
1) Six Little Bumble Bees
(A Caribbean math song)
2) Eentsy Weentsy Spider
3) Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

4) Vive le vent/ Jingle Bells (in a Folk Jazz style)
5) Wheels on the Bus (in an Afro-Beat style)
6) Tony Chestnut
7) 5 Little Monkeys
(with a Reggae groove)
8) Criss Cross, Apple Sauce
9) Finger on your Head
10) If you're Happy and you Know It
(clap your nose)
11) 12 Months
12) I Don't Want to Live on the Moon

GUEST ARTISTS:
Ben D'Cunha: Vocals

Elaine Shields: Vocals

Odell Johnson: Drums and Percussion

Colin Barrett: Bass

Neil Brathwaite: Saxophones

Brianna & Lily Shields-Anderson: Vocals

Hear examples from Monkey See Monkey Do in the audio samples below!

I Wish My Nose was a Chocolate Bar Cover

I Wish My Nose was a Chocolate Bar

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I Wish My Nose Was a Chocolate Bar is a collection of 13 songs designed to enhance a child's language development and provide physical activities for young children. The CD was created with the knowledge that young children like to listen to pop music and have very sophisticated tastes. Baa, Baa, Mouton Noir is a song every child knows in one language, so this version is sung in both English and French. The song is given 3 distinct musical styles starting with  a quiet Calypso style rhythm, then moving to an African style groove and ending 
in a easy listening Ska treatment that is sure to make anyone dance or tap their toes.

I Heard My Dog Bark
is a modern, rock-funk song to replace Old MacDonald had a farm. Children are given the opportunity to make the sounds of a dog barking, a cat meowing, a horse neighing and (everybody's favourite), a lion roaring. The sounds themselves are left out of the mix to give children the opportunity to add their own flavour or rhythm to the song. 

I Wish My Nose Was a Chocolate Bar has a full band sound on most songs with a variety of talent coming from Ben D'Cunha and Elaine Shields (on vocals), Paul Shuebrook (on keyboards), Gadi Foltys (on stringed bass, and percussion) and Michael Anderson (on vocals, percussion, guitars and trombone). 

The CD, which is approximately 20 minutes in length, can be enjoyed by children individually or in group situations. Many child care centres have already expressed high levels of listening enjoyment and participation from children.

SONG LIST:
1) I Heard My Dog Bark
2) Bananas Unite
3) Baa Baa Mouton Noir
4) Hokey Pokey Macarena
5) Les Petites Marionnettes
6) Sambalele
7) Five Little Monkees
8) Sleeping Bunnies
9) Sticky, Sticky, Sticky Bubble Gum
10) Grizzly Bear
11) I Wish My Nose was a Chocolate Bar
12) An Elephant
13) Ah Ta Ka Ta Nuva

GUEST ARTISTS:
Gadi Foltys: Bass
Ben D'Cunha: Vocals
Elaine Shields: Vocals
Paul Shuebrooke: Keyboard

Hear Examples from I Wish My Nose was a Chocolate Bar in the Audio Samples Below!

Audio Samples from Michael & Jello CDs

We have 12 samples for you.  

The ".WAV" files can be downloaded and played easily on a PC with Windows, or on many Apple computers.

The "RealAudio" files require the RealAudio Player, which can be found here. Once you have the Player, you will be able to hear the sample without having to wait for the entire file to download. 

The ".MP3" files require an MP3 device or MP3 player software. For more info, click here.

Have A Listen...  

Samples from "It Must Be Jelly, 'cause Jam Don't Shake"

Sample 1 - 1 Little Raindrop
Download WAV File (3.5 MB)
Download MP3 File (0.3 MB)

Sample 2 - I Have A Little Pony
Download WAV File
(3.6 MB)
Download MP3 File (0.3 MB)

Sample 3 - Over The River and Through The Woods
Download WAV File
(3.5 MB)
Download MP3 File (0.3 MB)

What's Shakin

Samples from "What's Shakin?"

Sample 4 - A Little Bit Up & A Little Bit Down
Download WAV File (3.2 MB)
Download MP3 File (0.3 MB)

Sample 5 - 5 Green and Speckled Frogs
Download WAV File (5 MB)
Download MP3 File (0.4 MB)

Sample 6 - Kalimba Lullaby
Download WAV File (3.2 MB)
Download MP3 File (0.3 MB)

Monkey See Monkey Do

Samples from "Monkey See Monkey Do"

Sample 7 - Wheels on the Bus
Download WAV File (0.9 MB)
Download MP3 File (0.3 MB)

Sample 8 - Six Little Bumble Bees
Download WAV File
(0.9 MB)
Download MP3 File (0.3 MB)

Sample 9 - Tony Chestnut
Download WAV File
(0.9 MB)
Download MP3 File (0.3 MB)

I Wish my Nose was a Chocolate Bar

Samples from "I Wish My Nose Was A Chocolate Bar"

Sample 10 - Baa Baa Black Sheep
Download WAV File (1MB)
RealAudio File
Download MP3 File (2.6MB)

Sample 11 - Hokey Pokey Macarena
Download WAV File (1MB)
RealAudio File
Download MP3 File (3.1MB)

Sample 12 - Five Little Monkeys
Download WAV File (1MB)
RealAudio File
Download MP3 File
(1.3MB)

Download Michael & Jello CDs

It's the 21st century! If you want to skip the shipping fees and wait times, you can download individual songs or complete albums by Michael & Jello off the interenet. Just visit any of the following sites and search for us. Within minutes you could be listening to any Michael & Jello song you want. Isn't technology great?

Where to Find Our Songs...

Amazon Music

iTunes

Groupie Tunes

Audio Lunchbox

Passalong Music

Snocap

T-Online