ABOUT THIS PROJECT
As a Hong Kong immigrant raised in San Francisco and transplanted to Oakland with Cantonese-/Hakka-/Mandarin-speaking parents who brought me up in Cantonese, I frequently encounter a lack of bilingual resources both in print and in musical format in specialty bookstores, public/private libraries, gift shops, and even online specialty stores.
While plenty of bilingual media exists for English-speaking travelers and adult learners of the Chinese language, very few actually exist for a younger audience--especially for kids ages 0-5 years old. If they do exist, most of them are either checked out of the library or out of stock at the bookstores.
The lack of bilingual media did not bother me much at all before . . . until I became a mother myself. I now ask my mom why she did not teach me certain things in Chinese, and she tells me that there was no such media at the time. My thought now is, Why not create it?
Enter the Bilingual Affirmations CD
As my active toddlers challenge me to continue to develop an ever-expanding vocabulary of positive phrases and affirmations to use as a parent (yes, they are at the age of facing many rules to regulate safety and I slip into my "don'ts" many times!--and you know what that means cuz most kids don't hear the "don't" but hear the phrase afterward and the cycle repeats itself....), I realize that my kids (and probably other bilingual Chinese-English families) can only benefit if I created a CD in Cantonese, Mandarin and English that I can pop in at night to keep the boogie man away from their sleep and boost their lifelong self-esteem at the same time.
I imagine that this CD can come in handy for parents of children adopted from China, parents who choose to raise their children in Chinese language immersion schools, teachers/educators/specialists who want to play something in preparation for quiet time or nap time, and of course the Chinese American mom or pop raising their kids.
Since the experts say that our subconscious mind absorbs messages much more easily right before bed, this Bilingual Kids' Affirmations CD will allow me to choose from over 300 affirmations (e.g., themes in the CD will explore courage, sincerity, friendship/sharing, kindness, gratitude, etc.) in my ever-expanding collection and:
~ have my kids speak the affirmations right back at me! (Yes, a LIVE radio broadcaster/announcer "mirror" of sorts!) One of my favorite affirmations so far: "I am a problem-solving person. 我是一個解決問題的人。"
~ get my creative juices flowing in a different medium. (I've published books/ebooks, edited print publications, and made videos before; this will be my first "songwriting" project.)
~ make a positive difference in other families and schools raising their children in bilingual Chinese-English settings.
Pledge money goes toward:
~ Studio sessions (3 language tracks: Cantonese, Mandarin and American English)
~ Sound engineer
~ Feeding & compensating musicians
~ Jacket Design (including simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese and American English)
~ Mixing, Mastering, Printing, & Distribution (I want to use the 'zero-carbon' digipak cd case to be environmentally "sound" as well!)
Every penny counts (Project is funded ONLY when funding goal is met!*)*You will only be billed when project is fully funded.
~ Your kind help is very much appreciated. If you know others who may benefit as well, please share about this project. :-) I am looking forward to making the special gifts for all of us!
Thank you for stopping by!
All my best,
Gloria Ng
