Tell us about yourself and your role in “Alma’s Summertime Musical.”
I make songs, picture books, and dairy-free ice cream for children and families to enjoy! My role in “Alma's Summertime Musical" is to write songs. I'm super lucky because I get to be creative for a living. For this episode, I got to imagine being a kid living in the Bronx during the summertime, and I wrote lyrics, melodies, and raps that inspired Alma and her friends. I have a pretty cool job!
Have you worked on projects like this before?
Yes! I've written songs and done voice acting for other PBS KIDS TV shows and podcasts, such as Work It Out Wombats and Jamming on the Job. I've written and directed a PBS animated series, History of White People in America, and an Emmy-winning PBS Digital Studios web-series called Beat Making Lab. Most of my songs are on my GRAMMY-nominated original albums, which you can stream on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever else you stream music. Just search my name: Pierce Freelon, and you'll find a bunch of fun, family-friendly songs about Afrofuturism, setting boundaries, brushing your teeth, and little mushrooms!
Did you have to do any research to prepare?
Yes, I did lots of research, watching tons and tons of Alma's Way episodes. I also thought about the Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop, and tried my best to incorporate themes of fun, community, and summer vibes into my lyrics.
What was your favorite TV show when you were growing up?
My favorite TV show as a kid was a PBS show called Reading Rainbow. I loved the theme song and really enjoyed learning about different books. Reading Rainbow was hosted by a cool dude named LeVar Burton, whom I wrote a song about on my album “Black to the Future.” Burton also played a character on my other favorite childhood show, Star Trek: The Next Generation. He played an engineer named Geordi LaForge and was the coolest guy on the spaceship!
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Lucky for me, I get to play for a living! I don't think of it as work. I play music, I write stories, I make dairy-free ice cream, and I get to perform all around the world! When I'm not making money doing that stuff, I like to play basketball with my friends, go on nature walks, ride bikes with my family, and teach kids everything I know about music.