Broadway Composer David Friedman Collaborates on New Digital Children's Musical Series

What do you get when a gifted massage therapist with the voice of an angel teams up with a multi-platinum Disney songwriter? It's the new short-form musical children's series Christina's Cottage, created to help children learn mindfulness, self-regulation and resilience in an anxious and frazzled world.

Christina Connors (Stamford, CT) has been a massage therapist for more than 20 years in Fairfield County, CT, and holds a certificate in mindfulness-based stress reduction. Over the years, visiting clients' homes, she saw how anxious and overwhelmed parents were in our fast-paced society: stressed out moms and disconnected dads struggled with their own self-care and mindfulness. She thought, "How can children learn these things, if their parents are struggling, themselves?" It was through this idea that Christina's Cottage was born. "I want to help parents reconnect to their authentic selves and help kids maintain their inherent connection. It's really needed right now. The world is so loud," says Connors. "Christina's Cottage isn't something to plop your kid in front of the screen, it's a short format to help parents and children watch together and bring those tools into the home. It's a great program for teachers as well."

Although Connors has a degree in music, and has experience recording and performing, she couldn't create the program alone. She called on her musical idol -longtime friend and multi-platinum composer David Friedman (Norwalk, CT)-to help. Friedman's song "Listen to my Heart" had been a source of inspiration for Connors throughout her adulthood. "I always really connected to David's songs," says Connors. "His music has always been that vehicle for me to express myself."

When asked to come on board, Friedman immediately said, "Yes."

"I write a lot about feelings and about what is our truthful experience, so when Christina asked me to write about children's emotions and what children go through, it was right in my wheelhouse," says Friedman, who met Connors nearly 15 years ago through Unity Center of Norwalk. Friedman has decades of experience working on Broadway, and in film and TV, as a composer, conductor and pianist. With multi-platinum recordings, Broadway shows, Disney animated films, television scores and a teaching and lecturing career that spans the nation, Friedman has made a major mark in all areas of show business and the Human Potential movement. "Children need to be recognized. They need to be felt. They need to be heard," says Friedman about how he channels inspiration for his songs.

At Christina's Cottage children are heard. The series, available on YouTube (@christinascottage444), teaches children mindfulness, creative play, resilience and emotional regulation through tools, techniques and music. Some episodes are fully animated. Others blend animation with live action. Connors teaches children "It's Not Bad to be Sad," shows them how to create a Gratitude Garden, emphasizes the importance of sleep in her "Time for Sleep" lullaby, and helps them get in touch with their emotions through her song "Hello Feelings." Her friends the Love Bugs, inspired by the chakras (energy centers of the body) help get her messages across to kids. Through playful songs and animation, Buddy the Dog teaches kids to "Practice Pause" with paws as they are walking down the street or looking at a book. "My approach is to create a safe place where children can go and meet fun and engaging characters," says Connors, who gets much of her inspiration from her real life. Buddy is her real-life dog, her idea to depict the chakras as bugs is inspired by her own ladybug tattoo, and her cottage is modeled after her family's summer cottage in Sweden.

"With real-life inspiration, I share tools in the form of world music, mindfulness, creative play, time in nature and the power and magic of the human heart," says Connors. The program blends Western neuroscience and psychology research with Eastern practices to have a global impact on children. Connors creates each episode by combining knowledge from child development professionals and mental health counselors with her own experience in her successful wellness practice and Friedman's musical prowess.

Connors' program is already making an impact. "It was amazing. It was fun, it was entertaining, it was relaxing-all things that I think we should teach our kids," says Angelica Ioanilli, a parent who brought her son to Connor's interactive live program inspired by the series held recently at Hummingbird Healing Center in Westport, CT.

For 2024, expect more episodes each month. Connors and Friedman are also working on a complementary book series. Parents, teachers and child guidance experts can look to Christina's Creative Corner segments on their YouTube channel for more educational tools to bring Christina's Cottage into their home or classroom. The duo also has a three-song EP CD available streaming for parents and teachers to utilize. She hopes the series will help parents, educators and children to connect, reset and prepare families for less stressful and more mindful days.

"If anyone is going to inspire us to heal our world, it will be the children," says Connors. "If we want to create a better world for our kids, we have to start with ourselves and we can do it together."

Christina's Cottage is produced at Factory Underground Studio in Norwalk, CT. For more information, visit christinascottage444.com or visit the Christina's Cottage YouTube channel @christinascottage444. Connors and Friedman are available for interviews and live engagements.

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