You and Us Announce First children’s Album ‘For Children of All Ages’

“You and Us” will release its first children’s album, For Children Of All Ages, on February 14, 2022. Nicole Porter, a clinical art therapist, musician and president of the New York Art Therapy Association, encourages children with pandemic trauma to listen to the album for healing.

Components of The Album

“You and Us” presents an album with the vibe of mostly upbeat rock, country and pop music. Consisting of numerous melodies, the album illustrates an enchanting adventure for listeners. For Children of All Ages, begins with a folksy opener, “Nowhere Now Here”, to the Nashville country vibe of “Safety and Security”. Furthermore, children will discover the evocative, mystical sounds in “Social Connection” and more variations throughout the album.

Inspiration For Art Therapy

Porter took a leap into child therapy, following the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newton, Connecticut in 2012. Evidently children across the U.S. had anxiety following the incident. However, psychologists and credited researchers developed ways to cope, such as CBT for Children.

For Children of All Ages provides a rare opportunity to enjoy tunes geared toward uplifting children and families who are experiencing difficult times. It focuses on fostering wellness and a sense of security, and it introduces therapeutic techniques that can be used in a playful way with all children. It’s also a gentle dip into the vast stream of possibility that art therapy holds for healing humans.”

Nicole Porter

People like Porter were inspired to cultivate change, hence why she established the Emerald Sketch, a mental health organization and art therapy trauma response team. Considering that Porter has a young child of her own, she wished to establish a sense of hope and relief in children. Therefore, her goal with this album is to provide wellness and security, in the midst of the challenges of parenting during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Colleagues

Javere Pinnock, longtime collaborator and art therapy trauma responder, produced the album cover art, which depicts a band of mid-pandemic children raising a flag of love and peace. His inspiration derives from the notorious 1945 Joseph Rosenthal photograph, “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima,” and Felix W. de Weldon’s Marine Corps War Memorial sculpture.

Additionally, Porter created this album along with musical colleague Wyndham Garnett, to combine their mutual love of vintage British rock and classic American puppetry. The album is infused with powerful messages of courage, love, support, enthusiasm, grace, and more.