French 
English As part of the podcast series, “ArtsAbly in Conversation,” Diane Kolin interviewed Heather White Luckow aka Heather Feather, a children’s performer and educator, and a musicologist based in Montreal in Canada.
This post presents the resources that Heather Feather, mentioned during the conversation. The podcast episode will be published soon.
Heather Feather
Heather Feather’s toe-tapping music and sunny, energetic personality will have the whole family singing and dancing along. Her songs are not only joyful and fun, but also encourage physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development in children of all ages. Her award-winning 2022 album, Songs for Growing, is filled with “delightful songs and potent melodies all topped off with a lavish production. The vocals are sublime, as are the lyrics which dramatize the music superbly.” (Dez Staunton, Electric Kids Music), while CBC’s Sonali Karnick noted that her song, “appeal to kid’s intelligence.” Songs for Growing was awarded two Artist Development Grants from FACTOR and helped launch her career as a full-time performing artist and a highly sought-after Teaching Artist in preschools, schools, and community groups. With Songs for Growing, Heather was nominated for the 2023 and 2025 East Coast Music Awards Children’s Entertainer of the Year, 2023 Music NL Jazz Album of the Year, and she won two awards in the Funky Kids Radio Awards in Australia.
Visit Heather Feather’s website
Heather Feather’s new album “Together”
Heather Feather’s music blends her Newfoundland roots and her adopted Montreal home, and she performs in English and French. Her second album “Together” (June 2025), in collaboration with Grammy-award Kindie producer Dean Jones, features a blend of upbeat funk, pop, R&B, and jazz tunes about inclusion, acceptance, and belonging. For this album, Heather was delighted to receive full funding from the Canada Council for the Arts. For her new album, Heather Feather will play some release concerts. The next two ones are:
- June 14, 2025 – Album Release Concert – St. Columba-by-the-Lake, Pointe Claire: Book tickets
- August 9, 2025 – Fundy Sea Shanty Festival – St. Martins, New Brunswick: visit the Festival’s website
Buy Heather Feather’s music on Bandcamp
Song Fill Your Bucket
The video opening the interview is an excerpt of Fill Your Bucket. Watch the full video:
Si la vidéo n'est pas lue, regarder sur YouTube.
RAMPD
RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) est une plateforme professionnelle qui dote l'industrie de la musique et du spectacle vivant d'outils, de programmes et de stratégies favorisant l'intégration des personnes handicapées. RAMPD connecte également l'industrie à un répertoire mondial de créateurs de musique/son et de professionnels de l'industrie ayant un handicap, une neurodivergence et d'autres conditions chroniques ou de santé mentale, afin de trouver des sources et d'embaucher - apportant des opportunités compétitives, une visibilité et une communauté à nos membres professionnels tout en offrant l'inclusion du handicap aux partenaires de l'industrie/des lieux de spectacle. La mission du RAMPD est d'amplifier la culture du handicap, de promouvoir l'inclusion équitable et de plaider pour des espaces inclusifs et accessibles dans les industries de la musique et du spectacle vivant. Fondé en mai 2021 (et établi en janvier 2022) par l'artiste primé et activiste culturel Lachi, le RAMPD a vu le jour après qu'une discussion publique entre la Recording Academy et plusieurs artistes handicapés ait révélé le grave manque de visibilité, d'accès et de représentation pour les professionnels de la musique en situation de handicap.
As a disabled artist (multiple sclerosis), Heather presents on behalf of RAMPD, most recently speaking at Folk Alliance International 2025 as part of the panel on Navigating Disability Culture and Access in the Music Industry with Charlie Mosbrook and Jai Yoko.
Visit Heather Feather’s RAMPD profile
Andrew & Polly
Andrew & Polly are GRAMMY-nominated family music artists and the hosts of the podcast Ear Snacks. The duo’s work is GRAMMY-nominated and has received multiple Parents’ Choice Awards, endorsements from Common Sense Media and the ASCAP Foundation Joe Raposo Children’s Music Award. Together, Andrew & Polly compose and produce music for television and film.
Visit Andrew & Polly’s website
Lachi
Lachi est une auteure-compositrice-interprète, une artiste de tournée, une productrice, une actrice, une auteure, une défenseuse des personnes handicapées et une activiste culturelle basée à New York. La musique de Lachi est souvent décrite comme de la musique pop ou de la musique de danse. Elle est légalement aveugle en raison d'un colobome. Tout au long des années 2021 et 2022, Lachi s'est imposée comme l'une des principales défenseuses des personnes handicapées dans l'industrie musicale, s'exprimant et se produisant dans des lieux tels que la Maison Blanche, les Nations Unies, le Kennedy Center, le Lincoln Center et la BBC, parmi d'autres apparitions notables. Lachi est le fondateur du RAMPD. À partir de 2022, le RAMPD a commencé à travailler en partenariat avec la Recording Academy pour rendre les Grammy Awards plus accessibles : il a travaillé à l'ajout d'une estrade à rampe visible, d'interprètes en langue des signes, de sous-titrage en direct, de description audio, de langue des signes américaine et de rampes d'accès sur le tapis rouge. En février 2024, Lachi a été nommée "Femme de l'année 2024" par USA Today.
Eleanor Stubley
Eleanor Stubley was an Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Graduate Students in the Schulich School of Music. Prof. Stubley earned her Ph.D at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her M. Mus. from Brandon University. In 1989, she joined McGill, where she taught music education, musicology, and performance. Prof. Stubley conducted ensembles around the world, including the Massey Singers, Elektra, Laapula, the Bach Festival Orchestra, and members of the Canadian Opera Company. Her artistic creations include The Pines of Emily Carr, a performance documentary about the relationship between inspiration and place, and Living Gestures, a multimedia concert series that was performed in Canada and Finland. As the founder and artistic director of Chora Carmina, she helped create innovative collaborations between Quebec musicians and visual artists.
Learn more about Eleanor Stubley
Kjellrun Hestekin
During her tenure at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Kjellrun taught all aspects of Theory and directed the MUN Concert Band in the early days of the school. She also sang in the MUN Festival Choir, as well as the MUN Chamber Choir. She served on the MUN Faculty Association on the executive committee and was a long time member of the Academic Freedom and Grievance Committee. She also served as “marshall” for countless convocations as well as occasional instances of “orator. Combining her love of singing with her commitment to community service, Kjellrun became a valued member of Cantus Vocum Chamber Choir. Joining in 2001 she participated in multiple recordings, tv and radio performances, European tours, and conducted mastersclasses from 2001 through 2011. Additionally, her other involvements included service as a board member and or volunteer in numerous musical organizations.