Groove with Phineas!
By Sonya Ellingboe, Lone Tree Voice
 
Once upon a time, a group of diverse critters gravitated toward each other to form “The International Band of Misunderstood Geniuses,” orchestrated by a creative monkey named Phineas McBoof, who hoped to write “the perfectest song.”
 
Lone Tree resident Dr. Noize, Cory Cullinan, a family entertainer who at one time was a California music educator and composer, has published “The Ballad of Phineas McBoof,” an engaging picture book for the short set.
 
With the intent of becoming an involved father, in 2006, he shifted gears and moved to Colorado with his wife, where he works in his home studio, spends time with two little daughters and appears locally. (He’ll perform at Denver Children’s Museum’s annual Noon Year’s Eve celebration and the Denver Zoo’s New Year’s Eve event for kids— signing books and CDs at both.)
 
He expresses excitement about the projected Lone Tree cultural center, which is in the planning stages, declaring the city a fine place to live, chosen after extensive research.
 
First came the CD. Then the book, with brightly colored, funny pictures of this growing ensemble.
 
First Phineas sets out to entertain fellow monkeys, but in a fine illustration of “monkey see-monkey do,“ the audience got so noisy that Phineas fled. Park logic at the door and just accept a purple drumming octopus, a grooving hippo bassist, a bright green fiddling lizard and more musical personalities who form a band.
 
The process is probably not too unlike the way many bands come together when folks on the same wave length get together to jam.
And, this is exactly what Dr. Noize wants kids to do— “Now go make some noize.”
 
Cullinan writes that he hopes to put together a Traveling music composition exhibit for children’s museums and a commission to write a Dr. Noize symphony for kids — both ongoing projects.
 
All of this should draw the attention of the national music teacher’s organizations, which have stepped up efforts to convince parents — and school and government officials — about the positive results documented in studies about kids who have music in their lives.