Mister G (children's performer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mister G
Mister G
Background information
Birth name	Ben Gundersheimer
Born	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States
Genres	Children's music, funk, rock, ska, bossa nova, folk, blues, bluegrass, salsa
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Coil

Mister G, whose real name is Ben Gundersheimer, is a talented musician, author, and teacher. He has created ten amazing albums of songs for kids and families. Four of these albums are bilingual, meaning they have songs in both Spanish and English. In 2015, his bilingual album Los Animales won a special award called the Latin Grammy for Best Children's Album.

Five of his albums have won the Parents' Choice Gold Award. These include Chocolalala, Los Animales, The Mitzvah Bus, Mundo Verde/Green World, and Fireflies. His album ABC Fiesta was also nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2014. Many magazines like People Magazine, Parents Magazine, and The Washington Post have chosen his CDs as the best children's albums of the year.

Mister G's Journey to Music

Mister G grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mom, Karen Gundersheimer, is a children's book author and illustrator. He went to Amherst College and later received a scholarship to study songwriting at the Berklee College of Music.

Before making music for kids, he was a singer-songwriter for adults. He traveled and performed all over the world. He also earned a Master of Education degree from Smith College. For his master's project, he created a way to use songwriting to help students learn. His fourth-grade students started calling him 'Mister G'. While teaching at the Smith College campus school, he began writing songs especially for children.

Mister G's Music for Kids

Mister G performing in Mexico

Mister G's first children's music album, Pizza for Breakfast, came out in 2010. He got the idea for this album from his elementary school students at the Smith College campus school.

His 2011 album, BUGS, won awards from the Parents' Choice Foundation and the National Parenting Publications. Parents Magazine and People Magazine also named it one of the top ten children's albums of 2011.

Mister G's bilingual albums, Chocolalala (2012) and ABC Fiesta (2013), were inspired by his concerts in Latin America. These albums feature the voices of families who speak both Spanish and English.

In 2014, he released The Bossy E, an album focused on helping kids learn to read. It features many different music styles and won a NAPPA Award. Famous musicians like saxophonist Charles Neville and Senegalese talking drum master Massamba Diop played on this album.

For his Latin Grammy-winning album, Los Animales (2015), Mister G worked with many talented Latin music artists. These included Arturo O'Farrill, Oscar Stagnaro, and Marlow Rosado.

The Mitzvah Bus (2015) is Mister G's album with Jewish themes. It mixes different music styles like funk, folk, and rock. The songs celebrate family, holidays, food, and language.

Mundo Verde/Green World (2017) is a collection of original, bilingual songs about the environment. Seeds of Shalom (2018) is another collection of original songs that celebrate different cultures.

In 2019, Mister G released Fireflies, an album that goes back to his American folk and country roots.

Mister G writes, produces, records, and mixes all of his albums himself. He has performed at many famous places, including Symphony Space in New York, The National Zoo, and The Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Mister G also visits schools in the United States and Latin America to teach students about songwriting. He also helps teachers learn how to use music in their classrooms.

Mister G's Albums

• Children of the World (Coil Records) 2020
• Ritmo y Rima (Coil Records) 2020
• Fireflies (Coil Records) 2019
• Seeds of Shalom (Coil Records) 2018
• Mundo Verde/Green World (Coil Records) 2017
• The Mitzvah Bus (Coil Records) 2015
• Los Animales (Coil Records) 2015
• The Bossy E (Coil Records) 2014
• ABC Fiesta (Coil Records) 2013
• Chocolalala (Coil Records) 2012
• BUGS (Coil Records) 2011
• Pizza for Breakfast (Coil Records) 2010

Mister G's Music Videos

Mister G as an Author

Mister G has written four picture books for children. These books are based on his original songs. All of them, including Señorita Mariposa, Lilah Tov/Good Night, How Many Squirrels Are in the World?, and We'll Make Things Better Together, were published by Penguin Random House.

Mister G as an Activist

Mister G at the 2019 Play-In for Climate Action

Mister G has used his music to support important causes. He performed at the National Climate Rally in Washington, D.C. He has also led four concerts on Capitol Hill for children and families from all fifty states. He does this as an advocate for Moms Clean Air Force, a group that works for clean air. Two of his albums, Mundo Verde/Green World and Seeds of Shalom, have songs about protecting the environment. His picture book Señorita Mariposa is about the amazing journey of the monarch butterfly.

Mister G as an Educator

Mister G often visits schools in the US and other countries like Mexico, India, England, and Guatemala. He leads special programs where he teaches students about music and songwriting. He also helps teachers by leading workshops and giving musical presentations at conferences.