In this age of Wiis and Ipods, children rarely have a chance to connect to traditional music and the arts in a fun and entertaining way. This Saturday, Bookophilia will host a special Kids Book Club with musician and author Joy Brown who will be leading a sing-along of favourites like Sammy Dead, Linstead Market, Chi Chi bud oh and Yellow Bird.

Joy Brown has produced a book and CD entitled Sing and Play the Jamaican Way, intended for children to learn and enjoy traditional Jamaican folk tunes and she is targeting children in her quest to keep the music alive.

Joy is a consummate musician and artist, specialising in piano and Clarinet having trained at the Royal School of Music, in London. She specialised in Organ and Dance at the Edna Manley College, Kingston and has played Jazz piano with Maurice Gordon. She also played Afro-Cuban music with Sara McGuiness and the Sierra Maestra band in Cuba and trained in choral performance with Noel Dexter, and performed in the prestigious Duke Ellington Choir led by Professor Bonds. She studied music entrepreneurship and notation and is also certified as an arranging specialist by the Berklee Music College.

Joy has held the position of musical director and tutor of the ensemble of the University of Technology, Jamaica as well as assistant tutor to the brass, woodwind, percussion students of Alpha Boys’ School. Currently the musical director and accompanist for the Guardian life Singers and the Scotia Singers and hosts a website www.soundofjoyonline.com.