Local New Yorkers collaborate on award winning philanthropic musical

November 14, 2013 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Across the United States, Pacha’s Pajamas is the first and only full-length Children’s Pop Musical making a philanthropic footprint along the way. The musical movement features local up-and-coming superstars: Les Nubians, an internationally acclaimed Grammy-nominated group that resides in Brooklyn, Devyn Tyson, an 11 year-old Trinidadian singer from Brooklyn, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) from Brooklyn, Talib Kweli from Brooklyn, MacArthur Genius fellow, Majora Carter from the South Bronx and Bill McKibben, an award-winning author/founder of 350.org, which is based in Brooklyn.

The story of Pacha’s Pajamas is centered on the child character Pacha, a little girl whose magical pajamas whisk her away to imaginary worlds where she has wild and comedic adventures with the characters on her pajamas. The story is about using one’s gifts and imagination to create the world children want to live in, and employs a variety of imagination-based activities including visualization, mindfulness, song and dance.

“The goal behind Pacha’s Pajamas is to leverage entertainment, music and humor to cultivate social conscience in a playful and inspiring manner. The story is not only fun, but also addresses important topics and teaches kids to dream big and discover their own creative talents,” said the author of Pacha’s Pajamas, Aaron Ableman, based in Oakland, CA. “This story utilizes the core languages of popular culture – storytelling, music and dance – to support the healthy development of today’s kids,” said Ableman.

“The nice thing about working on this project is that it’s spreading a message early, so it becomes a cornerstone or a foundation for children as they get older. It’s my belief that speaking to children in a language they understand is a way to use education that is practical and applied beyond the classroom. The story of Pacha’s Pajama’s allows us to communicate a valuable message in a way that is relatable to children. It’s nice to be a part of that,” said Talib Kweli

Pacha’s Pajamas is also a part of Imagination Heals, a new program that brings award-winning inspirational music to hospitalized children across the United States and soon in Canada. As part of the initiative, participating hospitals receive donated Pacha’s Pajamas albums, books, and musical performances for patients. The program recently received its pilot sponsorship through a generous donation from A Forever Recovery and Best Drug Rehabilitation.

“We are very excited about the Imagination Heals program. It’s great to give back to children across the nation, and spread the fun story and message of Pacha’s Pajamas,” continued Ableman. “A lot of these children are very sick, and it’s nice to be able to give them even a few hours away from the reality of being in the hospital, transporting them to a place of imagination and fun.”

Beyond the musical, the Pacha’s Pajamas is also available in book form and a full-length album showcasing 70 artists spanning four generations. The first album, which featured songs from the musical, recently won Best Children’s Album (People’s Choice) from the Independent Music Awards along with the Parent’s Choice Recommended Award.

In time for the holidays, the Pacha’s Pajamas double-album is for sale on the company’s web site pachaspajamas.com, Amazon.com, and CDBabynow.com, as well as all online music sites (iTunes, Pandora, etc.). Digital downloads of the new Pacha’s Pajamas chapter book are available on the company’s website, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iTunes and Google Play while the physical book will be available to pre-order for late-November delivery.