Where does your inspiration come from?

For Alison and Cyndi, inspiration doesn't come from one place - it is found in all sorts of nooks and crannies. Both Cyndi and Alison keep their eyes and ears open, gathering pieces of inspiration, which leads them to say ‘you know, that would make a great song!’. 

What is Cyndi’s Background?

Cyndi has taught music to young children for about 15 years through the internationally acclaimed program, Music Together. It has given her a rich background in why music for young children is so important. Cyndi is truly dedicated to making the world a more musical place by bringing music to young children. She has held on to some of the delicious things the children have said to her. And now her own son not only gives her daily inspiration, but he deepens her desire to create music for little ones. 

She has also been a performer for the past 25ish (yikes!) years. She has performed all over Ontario, Canada and in the US. She is a singer, actor and musician that has enjoyed singing backups, singing music from the 60s, 80s, country, jazz, music theatre and rock and roll. If it’s good music, she loves to sing it. But her heart is truly with children’s music.

What is Alison’s background?

Alison has been singing ever since she could remember and discovered a love for musical theatre in high school.  She is a Jessie Award winning performer and has spent the last fifteen years working professionally in theatres all across Canada.  Recently, she was approved by the Patsy Cline Estate to portray Patsy in “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline” – a show she has performed a number of times in BC and Ontario.  She also adores “oldies” music and a few years ago she co-produced/recorded an album of 1950s/60s cover tunes.

When it comes to song writing, Alison finds great delight in writing playful rhymes and coming up with matching melodies with her trusty, red ukulele.  She also enjoys singing in her car when driving down the highway and often, it is during these mini road trips that a catchy musical phrase will pop into her head. Once she has stopped driving (safety first!) she will record the idea on her phone in order to flush it out later. In addition to writing with Cyndi for The Whoopsie Daisies, Alison has also written personalized songs for friends and has been commissioned to write songs for small organizations. 

In her travels, she has worked on many different projects, but the ones that are closest to her heart are the ones where she gets to work with children.  Whether they are audience members or fellow cast mates, children always seem to bring genuine joy to the table.  Being able to nurture this innate enthusiasm through music and positivity is a real passion for Alison and she is so happy to be doing it alongside her good friend Cyndi!

How did you two meet?

Cyndi and Alison had the fortune of working together in 2011 on the show The Marvellous Wonderettes at the Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque, and then again doing The Winter Wonderettes with Theatre Kingston. They became fast friends, and knew they wanted to work with each other again. Cyndi had for about 10 years been thinking about writing some children’s music of her own. And once Cyndi and Alison sat down together to write, it was as if there was some magic in the room. They instantly knew that this was something they needed to keep doing. And thus the Whoopsie Daisies were born!

What’s your biggest challenge?

Time and Distance!  Alison and Cyndi are both busy performers.  They also live on opposite sides of the country – Alison is a prairie girl based in Edmonton and Cyndi is based in the hustle and bustle of Toronto.  This makes it tricky for them to get together in person as often as they’d like, but they have created songs through the magic of Skype, and manage to book shows so that they can perform together - a joy that is so important to them both.