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Willie Aron
CD production, original songs, curriculum development and teacher training committee
Willie Aron grew up in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. When he was a toddler, his parents noticed how much he liked to bang his silverware on the dining room table, and they thought he’d be a drummer. Then he started banging on the living room piano too. They put him in lessons at age four.
Willie trained as a classical pianist and soon branched out to multiple instruments, absorbing a variety of musical influences—rock, folk, jazz, and world music. These influences came together in the critically acclaimed folk-rock group that Willie co-founded in 1984, The Balancing Act. Signed to IRS Records, the band made three albums and toured with R.E.M., 10,000 Maniacs, and They Might Be Giants, amassing many international tour miles and gaining a small, devoted following.
After the band broke up in the late 1980’s, Willie became a sought-after session musician, recording and performing with such talents as Rickie Lee Jones, Lucinda Williams, Joe Henry, Van Dyke Parks, Rebecca Pidgeon, and many others. In 2000, he transitioned to composing for film and television. He garnered awards for his work and also developed a fruitful relationship with celebrated singer/songwriter, and fellow film and TV composer, Peter Himmelman, who later enlisted Willie to co-produce a children’s album he was recording. Willie’s interest in children’s music had preceded the project, as many of his musician friends had recorded kids’ albums, but it was Peter’s invitation that really sparked his interest in “making music for no other reason than for pure joy.” The result of the collaboration, My Green Kite, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album of 2007.
Willie began writing children’s songs and found it to be a transformative process. He has since begun a promising career as a music educator, teaching music and leading group sing-alongs for several preschools in the Los Angeles area. Willie’s gregarious, gentle personality and infectious songs have been embraced by both children and parents, and as a grateful father of twins, born in 2008, he feels that his entire musical journey has led him to this place. He is excited and proud to be associated with PLAY music.
