Raffi and The Power of Music
by Holly Van Ness | May 11th , 2024
All images are from Raffi’s Show in Red bank, NJ on 5/11/24.
Photo by Holly Van Ness | @Hollyvn_photography
I didn’t think I would get emotional watching a Raffi concert but a few songs into the show, I felt my eyes get watery and my chest start to tighten. I glanced around the room and something about seeing hundreds of parents, grandparents, and guardians with their excited little children waddling like a penguin started to make me feel something.
Music has always been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom said she would pick me up from preschool and sit me down in the living room with either Laurie Berkner or Jack’s Big Music Show on the TV. She said I would sing along, even if I didn’t really know the words, and that I was always begging her to play a CD in the car even if we were just going down the street. Even when I grew out of Noggin, music stayed with me. I had a Hello Kitty CD player and I remember sitting on the floor with it and just listening to whatever mixtape my mom made for me on the family computer. My favorites movies growing up were Camp Rock, Camp Rock 2, and Lemonade Mouth–all with killer soundtracks that I can recite in my sleep. Basically, music has been one of the greatest moving forces in my entire existence.
A few weeks ago, my mom sent me a Facebook ad for a Raffi concert in Redbank, New Jersey, along with a long paragraph about how I used to sing “Baby Beluga” in the bath or “Bananaphone” every time I saw a banana at the grocery store. These nostalgic memories sent me down a rabbithole and I knew right away that I needed to relive them by seeing Raffi live once and for all.
About Raffi
Originally born in Egypt, Raffi Cavoukian moved to Canada in 1958. Years later, in 1970, Raffi met developing musicians David Wilcox and John Lacey and started pouring his heart and soul into music. He often played original folk music in coffee houses in Toronto and Montréal with just an acoustic guitar before hitching to Vancouver in 1972 to pursue a career in music. When Raffi returned to Toronto, he was invited to sing for a local public school. Despite his initial hesitations about singing for kids, he was an immediate success, and thus began the beloved children’s performer we all know and love.
Photo by Holly Van Ness | @Hollyvn_photography
Most of Raffi’s albums include simple instrumentations featuring his melodic voice and guitar work, often in the soft, folk-like style he’s become so accustomed to throughout the years. As of 2017, Raffi continues to perform and appears occasionally across Canada and the United States on tours targeted towards families and children. His most recent album is "Penny Penguin,” a collaboration album with Canadian trio The Good Lovelies, was released in 2024 and I was lucky enough to be a part of the crowd to hear some of those songs live for the first time!
Philanthropy wise, Raffi is as good as they come. He’s an active member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism and president of Troubadour Music Inc., a triple bottom line company he founded to produce and promote his work. Troubadour Music also houses other resources to advance the Child Honouring vision as expressed in A Covenant for Honouring Children. Together, Raffi and the team at Troubadour Music engage child-honouring initiatives in diverse sectors including education, economy, ecology, and governance. His recent musical work focuses on social and enviormental causes and appeals to the generation who grew up with his children’s music–who he calls Beluga Grads. Raffi encourages all Beluga Grads to push for change in the world and promotes similar themes through books, academic lectures, and, of course, his music.
In an interview with Candice McMillan on Seattle’s Child, Raffi talks about the longevity of his music. “Beluga Grads often tell me that my music was the soundtrack of their childhood,” Raffi said. “That’s a tremendous honor. I know that when music is near and dear to us as young kids, we generally won’t lose that feeling. I’m just very grateful to know that my music has an enduring presence in people’s lives.”
The Power Of Music
When I told a friend that I was going to see Raffi, they laughed at me. They thought I was weird and that his music was weird. And while I don’t blame them–being a 22 year old woman and reporting on a children’s music artist is definitely different–I want to emphasize that music, especially Raffi’s, is made for everyone.
Photo by Holly Van Ness | @Hollyvn_photography
A meta-analysis of 400 music studies found that listening to music has the ability to reduce anxiety, fight depression and boost the immune system. Back in high school, I volunteered with an organization called Mini-THON that raised money to fund resources towards pediatric cancer. A portion of the money was dedicated to music therapists that designed custom, evidence-based music therapy programs that supported patients through their cancer journey.
Music therapy has been a crucial intervention for childhood cancer care for decades and is becoming more and more popular as more research is done. Studies indicate that pediatric patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy saw significantly fewer mood disturbances and improved pain perception after receiving music therapy–meaning that music truly is powerful.
So powerful, in fact, that it stays with us our entire lives. The music of our teen years and early 20s tends to stick with us and evoke strong memories when we hear it again. Listening to the same songs over and over during this period can make them stick for a long time. For older people music-evoked nostalgia can bring about a sense of youthfulness and a feeling of empowerment. I asked a few of my friends how they think the music of their childhood affected them as an adult.
“...I have two sides to me,” Nikki Marie tells me. “One side of me being adopted by my grandparents and being raised on the ‘Golden Oldies’ era [like] Motown, Do Wop, and the British Invasion. To this day I still resonate with that music so much. Then I have my Pop-Punk side…my first CD was Blink-182.”
Another friend, Loui, contributed, “As an adult I realized how much early songs shaped me. Small opera elements shaped me into loving classical music, anime openings pushed me closer to rock, and black artists had a major impact in the long run. I’m right back where I started now.”
Jenna Perry was raised on almost everything; Southern Gospel, Classic Rock, Country, and Pop. Because of this, she finds herself listening to all kinds of things to this day. “I may gravitate towards rock and metal but you shouldn’t be surprised if you walk in and I’m listening to George Strait.”
The consensus among my friends was mostly similar–the music they grew up listening to is the same, if not very similar, to the music they continue to listen to. This is because that music reminds them of nostalgia, most likely happier, more care-free times. Reflecting on personally meaningful and cherished memories plays a crucial role in helping us to cope with the stress of the current state of the world.
So, next time you’re feeling down or a little hopeless, open your favorite streaming app and think back to the music you listened to growing up. Pop your headphones in, sit back, and let yourself escape to the simple times. You’ll be surprised at how the sun shines just a little bit brighter at the end of your session.
