Enthusiasm is catching! Al deCant’s family concerts bring excitement, warmth and vitality together
for a lively and exhilarating experience for children and their parents. (Al’s music and character-
education theme
We Are CARING is being used in schools and classrooms throughout Connecticut.)
                 To find out more about the We Are CARING program, contact Al.
Parents, teachers and children immediately respond to the catchy tunes and lyrical wit of this veteran
singer/songwriter/educator. Al’s original comic and soulful songs are enjoyed as much by adults as
they are by children. Audiences are engaged in an interactive program: dancing, singing, clapping,
marching, playing percussive instruments and signing about caring, friendship, family, the
environment and the silly things in life.

Al’s musical styles have been compared to everyone from James Taylor to Randy Newman to Elvis,
but he clearly expresses his own unique style of children’s music. With high-energy tunes spanning
genres from traditional folk, rock and roll to Afro-Reggae rhythms, Al knows how to engage his
audience in singing along, dancing, and having one heck of a good time. His sing-a-long songs;
“Wake it Up, Shake it up,” “I Don’t Wanna go to Bed,” “The Earth's My Home,” “Welcome,”
and “Energy Cop”
personify the enduring themes Al writes about. Al says, “There is nothing more
exciting when families and friends are singing, dancing and making music together.”

Al deCant has taught elementary school for over 15 years and is currently an elementary school
principal in Connecticut. He holds several advanced degrees in Elementary Education, Educational
Media and Administration. He actively performs throughout Connecticut for school, libraries,
hospitals, local fair, fundraisers as well as private and corporate functions. He is also a presenter for
the Connecticut Association for the Gifted – Minds in Motion and the Early Childhood Development
Council.  

To reach Al by email,
click here.
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Orange Town News  
Monday, December 10, 2010          
by Laura Fantarella
Al deCant is like a pop star to the
under ten-year-old set. The talented
songwriter and musician, who also
happens to be principal of Peck Place
School, just recorded “Meta Morphosis,”
a new CD of upbeat songs for children.       
deCant has been performing for kids
for nearly two decades, ever since his own
children were toddlers. “I started out writing
about what was going on in my own
family, with songs like ‘I Don’t Want
to Go to Bed,’ or ‘Time to Brush Your
Teeth,’” deCant said. At that time his kids
thought dad’s local performances and
impromptu songs about their family life was
a lot of fun, but by middle school they were
a little embarrassed. Now in their twenties,
sons Zack and Kyle are his biggest fans.
“They think I’m cool again,” deCant said.
Today he still writes songs that appeal to
kids (and their parents as well) with lively
lyrics and catchy melodies that get toes
tapping, fingers snapping and everyone
singing along. His songs are motivational
and inspirational with a positive message
throughout. In “Think Big,” he sings, “If you
can dream it, you can do it, you can
change the world, -- think big”. In “One
Step At A Time,” he sings, “Everything has
a beginning,
everything has an end, but to
get from here to there, only one way my
friend – take one step at a time.” His
backup singers are past and present
students from Peck Place School
including Caroline DelVecchio, Alayna
Dixson, Clarea Gamsu and Emily Kilian.
“They sang their hearts out and ate me out
of house and home,” deCant writes in his
CD cover. deCant is never at a loss for new
song ideas, whether from his school’s
curriculum and/or the children he is
surrounded by everyday. “Inspiration
comes from everywhere,” he said. “I got the
idea for the title song, ‘Metamorphosis,’
from a unit on butterflies.
In ‘Welcome Song,’ I sing ‘hello’ in many
different languages.” deCant’s journey as
an artist is also a metamorphosis of sorts.
He
started playing rhythm guitar and was
a vocalist for rock and roll bands while a
student at Amity High in the late 1960s.
He was a member of “We the Living”, a
local band that played at area clubs,
weddings and Yale University mixers. “I
was also writing
songs and jingles at the
time and trying to market my music. I was
rejected by a lot of top companies!” he
said with a smile. “But I came close.” At
the time he was also teaching sixth grade
at Mary L. Tracy School and music took a
back seat for a while as he established
his career and married his wife, Karen.
When his children
were born he found a
new niche performing
in concerts for
children at local libraries, schools and
community centers.
Now, deCant says, he
is lucky enough to indulge both his
passions. “I like the balance of academics
and music. I have the best of both

worlds,”” he said. “It is so enjoyable
for me to perform for kids and their
families and see them dancing, singing
and having fun together. I actually like it
better than being in a rock band!” He
continues to perform at local venues, the
Milford and Norwalk Oyster Festivals, and
hosts occasional Friday night “Pajama
Jams,” an interactive show for children
and their parents to benefit literacy
programs
in West Haven and Seymour.
“Everyone
comes in their pjs; they bring a
blanket and a book,” he said. And, of
course, he is a frequent headliner at
Peck Place School assemblies. His latest
CD can be purchased at Jesse’s Toys in
Orange; Yellow Moon
Toy Company in
Milford; Racebrook
Market in Orange;
CDbaby.com,
iTunes, Amazon.com; or by
visiting aldecant.com.