Lake Park native gains fame with children’s CD
By ANNA LEWICKI
Staff Writer
Every two weeks or so, a wide-mouthed frog leaves St. Cloud around 7 a.m., hops on a plane and lands in Mexico City at lunch time.
Of course, that’s how kids know Lake Park native Larry Swenson. In the world of recording, his froggy fame is a result of the recently released “The Wide Mouth Frog,” an international children’s CD developed in conjunction with local sponsor Fair Hills
Resort.
Two of the CD sponsors are Mexican (Access &
Pipiol), one is Venezuelan (Campin Rincon Grande), and the other is Swenson’s company, Noel International, which is based out of Lake Park. Swenson started the international training and consulting firm four years ago.
But Swenson’s life is not that of your average Lake Park native. Between working with corporations all over the world as a consultant and donning costumes to dance, sing and entertain children from various countries, Swenson’s life is anything but average.
On average, his schedule goes like this: two weeks somewhere in the United States and two weeks in Mexico.
During April, May and September, when he isn’t focused on the corporate consulting portion of his business, Swenson works primarily at children’s camps and schools giving cultural diversity classes.
Swenson entertains the children in the classes through cultural costumes, songs, dances, stories and games. He also has the children guess the functions of an assortment of “normal” household items from his travels to more than 60 countries.
“There’s a mouse trap that really stumps them,” Swenson admitted with a smile.
The CD is a compilation of 17 songs, including “The Story of the Wide Mouth Frog,” which is more of a comical dialogue than a song.
His “Wide Mouth Frog” nickname dates back to Swenson’s college days.
“I have this famous joke called ‘The Wide Mouth Frog’ from way back in the ‘70s. It paid my university (tuition) and my tuition for ‘Up With People.’ You really have to hear it to understand.,” Swenson said.
In addition to this version of Pig Latin, the CD spans more than six languages and incorporates cultures and ideas from Morocco, Estonia, Mexico,
Chile, Denmark and Venezuela and Sweden.
One of the unique instruments on the CD is the Didjeridoo, an Australian instrument that “makes funny noises” using circular breathing. There are also several unusual Latin instruments used.
Swenson has been playing piano and singing every since he was a kid. For him, music is more than a job.
“I need to have music in my life. This (CD) is another way I can keep it there,” Swenson explained.
Although the CD is marketed for children and teens, Swenson said he thinks “adults will have some good fun with the songs too.”
Swenson wrote many of the songs himself, others he collected and adapted to his zany style.
In a way, the CD was natural progression for Swenson. It gave him the opportunity to combine the songs he had already been performing for young audiences.
“I had always thought I would do a tape,” Swenson said. “But, well, the years of tape passed.”
At a recent seminar, Swenson was asked if he had any material for sale. That “spurred” him to start thinking more seriously about recording, he said.
But Swenson didn’t do it alone. He had help from some Old Goats and a Virgo.”
“We call ourselves that because five of us are Capricorns and one’s a Virgo,” Swenson laughed. Naturally, the production company became “Old Goat Productions.”
Swenson picked up these friends during the 1970s while he was traveling with an international musical production called “Up With People.”
In addition to traveling and performing, the “Up With People” cast stays in communities for three to seven days and performs community service.
Although it’s been more than 20 years since he toured, Swenson had stayed active with the organization’s alumni association.
These friends, Stan Taylor, Bret Whissel, Joe Martin, Gloria Mason Martin and John Van Zanten helped with the production, back-up vocals and a few instruments. And since it’s geared towards children, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are also some very young voices on the CD.
Locally, Swenson spent 10 years directing the 4-H program in Becker County. He also spent many summers directing the weekly Hootenanny’s summer musical production at Fair Hills
Resort.
The CD will be available at Fair Hills this summer. For those impatient folks who want a copy of the CD before then, visit Swenson’s website, www.noelint.com, or e-mail him at moremorefun@noelint.com.