Alex Mahé: Articles

Articles

Children's performer entertains Providence school - Smoky River Express, Wednesday, June 27, 2001
Goodtime Train rolls into Devon - Devon Dispatch, May 5, 1998
Kids entertainer brings out the youth in all - The Parklander, Hinton, Alberta, Wednesday, April 22, 1998
Lions mixing entertainment and awareness - The Reporter & The Grove Examiner, March 20, 1998
Children's performer sings up storm at city school - This Week, Friday, November 1, 1996
Music breaks language barriers - Westlock News, April, 1996
A business and a pleasure - Cover story for Western People, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, June 15, 1995
Performer gets kids hoppin' - Manitoba Beaver, November 24, 1993
Singer/songwriter performs - Local Express, Dryden, Ontario, November 1993
The chuggy chug of little voices - The Edmonton Bullet, September 9, 1992

Children's performer entertains Providence school
by Kevin Laliberte

When it comes to working for a living, most of us have the final say in choosing our career of choice.

Sometimes, however, the career chooses us.

Case in point, Alex Mahé, who has been entertaining kids of all ages with his energetic voice for most of his life.

"I just can't seem to get enough of it," Mahé said last week, just minutes before a performance in front of students at Ecole Providence school in McLennan. "It's something that has been in my blood since I was a young kid."

The 42-year old was raised on a farm in northeastern Alberta along with his nine brothers and sisters, all of whom shared the privilege of being his first audience in the early stages of his singing career.

He went on to complete high school prior to attending Grant MacEwan Community College (in Edmonton). In 1981 he became the first male in Alberta to graduate from the Early Childhood Development Program.

Through it all he said he never lost his interest for music and song writing -- a hobby which eventually blossomed into a full-time career by the mid-1980's.

Since that time he has recorded four albums, hosted and produced a children's television program called Alex Mahé's Goodtime Train, and been nominated twice by the Alberta Recording Industry Association for Best Children's Artist on Record.

His music, which includes a moderate taste of humor, is interactive and helps to teach and inspire children of all ages while promoting and elevating their levels of self-esteem. He says it's all about opening the doors to a child's heart.

"I believe that music and songs are tools that have long-lasting and positive impacts in a child's life. My commitment is to an art form that enlightens, sparks imagination and causes a feeling of simple well-being," he said, adding he feels obligated in a sense to help better the lives "of our future planet wayfarers."

Mahé's enthusiasm and vocal talent on the stage has captivated young audiences from places like Havre, Montana, to the Northwest Territories, Vancouver, Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.

His likeable personality and warm rapport with children is reflected in his performances, which are carried out in English and French languages -- sometimes both. And when the curtain goes up and the lights come on, it's Mahé who heads straight for the crowd, encouraging members of his audience to share the spotlight on stage.

It's one aspect of his show which he has emphasized since day one as a way of allowing spectators to get into the spirit and content of his songs.

Over the years he has also performed at the Heritage, Fringe and Folk Festivals in Edmonton, the Children's Festival de la Jeunesse in Ottawa, La Sablonniére in Gatineau Que., the Northern Alberta International Children's Festival in St. Albert and the First Night Festival in Edmonton.

Mahé spends most of his time as a performer on the road, including in Alberta schools where he's held an estimated 600 shows over the course of his career.

Another 26 shows have taken place under the umbrella of the Peace Library System.

For Mahé the performances are a perfect way to not only interact with children but also to take in the sights.

"A lot of the time when I travel I bring a tent and a camera with me. It's a great way to get to know the area . . . kind of learn as you go," he said."

"When I arrived here (in McLennan) the first thing I did was take a walk around. It's really a beautiful little town."

Mahé says that when he's not busy writing songs or putting the finishing touches on his albums, he's taking care of the promotional side of the business which includes managing and advertising.

"For me personally, singing, song writing and performing has become a way of life. It's one of those careers where there's little time if any to come home and take a break in front of the TV," he said.

Still, Mahé, who admits he's not exactly making money hand over fist, says he wouldn't have it any other way.

"The money's not huge, but you know it doesn't even matter. I make enough to get by. The important thing for me is the satisfaction of seeing the kids and their smiling faces," he explained.

Goodtime Train rolls into Devon
by Scott Fisher

You're only as old as you think you are.

Thirty-nine year-old Alex Mahé still feels like a child.

"Some of us are hiding the child within us," he says."Let it out. It relieves the stress of everyday life."

Mahé, a children's entertainer, brought his Goodtime Train act to Robina Baker Elementary School last week.

Although he's performed hundreds of shows over the last decade, he says the Devon children were exceptional.

"Their music teacher, Carolyn Down, had taught them the songs. And you could tell that they knew them because when it came time for the concert, they were focussed.

"They were doing so good that I introduced some new songs and they caught on like that," he says snapping his fingers.

"And I didn't see one kid goofing off. In two shows! I've never seen that before."

Mahé's love for children and entertaining dates back to his own childhood as the middle sibling among 10 brothers and sisters.

Growing up on a farm near St. Paul, young Alex would often give his overworked mother a break by caring for the younger children.

"She'd ask me, 'Alex, can you take your younger brothers and sisters and hold the fort for awhile?'

"They used to love it because we'd make up all kinds of games."

Following his high school graduation, Mahé went hitchhiking through British Columbia with a friend who knew how to play the guitar.

"When I came back I knew how to play a few chords. My friend ended up selling me his guitar for $35."

And the rest, as they say, is history.

As he became more proficient on the guitar, he started to ponder his future.

"I wanted to work with children. But I didn't know where or how."

He decided to enroll in Grant MacEwan Community College's Early Childhood Development Program and became the first male in Alberta to graduate in 1981.

He often brought his guitar to classes to share his love of music and entertaining.

Before long parents began to ask him if he was going to pursue a professional career.

Kids entertainer brings out the youth in all
Rod Kelly

I want to eat, eat, eat eight apples and bananas.

I want to ite, ite, ite eight ipples and bininis.

I want to ote, ote, ote eights opples and bononos.

Ahhh. Remember when?

Remember when the gymnasium floor became and escape from reality and the regular ho-hum classroom? Remember when a surprise visitor came to school to bring some type of song and dance -- a juggling routine perhaps -- or maybe a piece of recent literature? That was the case for 400 or more local youngsters April 17. Students at Hinton's MountainView School stamped their feet, clapped their hands and joined in singing an interesting list of songs written and performed by Alberta-born entertainer Alex Mahé.

A native of St. Vincent, Mahé has toured most of Canada where he performs in schools and childrens' festivals. Mahé brings with him an exhuberant amount of energy, a friendly smile, and, of course, much of the work from his past two albums and his past television program Alex Mahé's Good Time Train. His two albums -- Good Time Train and Railroad Rendezvous -- include a wide range of English and French songs for all ages of children. Mahé said he remembers wanting to be an entertainer when he was a young boy.

"I remember my dad used to tell me that he was a guitar player when he was younger. I would go downstairs and I could see this old guitar case sitting up in the rafters. I thought 'wow, wouldn't that be something to play music for people'."

He never played guitar while attending school. He picked up the use of the basic chords while on vacation with a friend after graduating from high school. "I think I bought the guitar for $35."

Lions mixing entertainment and awareness
by Rich Gossen
Staff writer

Alex Mahé, a franco-Albertan from St. Vincent, north of St. Paul, will bring his Good Time Train and his Popcirn Song hit to the King Street Mall between 1 and 5 p.m.

The show is being supported by the mall merchants association, in addition to the Lions Club. The merchants will provide balloons and there will also be the opportunity for children to enjoy face painting.

After being raised in a large family, becoming the first male to graduate from Grant MacEwan Community College's early child development program, and working four year sin his chosen field, Mahé finally decided to make use of his music, storytelling, and puppetry talents by becoming a full-time entertainer.

He's been at it now for nine years and has three albums out. His connection with the Spruce Grove Lions stems from recording his second album in the community.

Mahé includes a lot of audience participation in his shows and provides a few "antics" between songs.

Adults and seniors tell him they enjoy his performances as much as children do, he said.

Children's performer sings up storm at city school
by Joe Langford

If everyone felt about their jobs the way Alex Mahé feels about his, the world would be a happier place.

Mahé has been spending the last 13 years writing and singing songs for children, and Tuesday afternoon the bilingual performer was at Brookwood school for a pair of shows. About 500 students from the K-Grade 6 school engaged in a little hand clappin; and tongue-cluckin' as the St. Albert performer brought his act into the 'Grove.

"I usually have some extra microphones so I can get some of the kids to come up and help me out," said Mahé. "My concerts are highly participatory in nature."

Mahé split the school in half and did separate shows for Kindergarten to Grade 3, and Grade 4-6 classes.

"In the younger division I try to use a few more antic, like putting my hat on backwards . . .There was between 250 to 300 kids and I got them all roaring, but the challenge comes when I have to bring them back down again," said Mahé.

Brookwood officials sought out Mahé to perform as part of the school's cultural events program, after receiving his advertising pamphlet.

"It was excellent," said event organizer Pat Spence, chair of the cultural events committee. "I was in the first division and the children loved it . . . We really wanted something light and happy and student-involved to start off the cultural events program. He had good humor and he knew the level of kids to whom he was performing."

He should -- Mahé was the first male to graduate from Grant MacEwan Community College's Early Childhood Development program in 1981. After working in day cares and Kindergarten, Mahé eventually brought his guitar and started to use some of his time to perform. Finally, in 1989, he recorded his first album and began to perform as a full-time children's entertainer. Now, three albums later, he sings and dances his way through more than 200 concerts annually in school, festivals, and various other community events.

"The dream I had ever since I was knee high to a grasshopper was to perform and write songs," said Mahé. "I had it in my heart and soul all the time, and it started to flow out."

It may have been a dream come true to make a living doing what he lives, but there are still aspects which often bring him back down to Earth. The business side of his career and the constant traveling are both things which tend to dull the shine in this career. His last performance was in Red Deer, and his next two will be in Calgary and Edmonton respectively. His travels have taken him from coast to coast across Canada and even into the United States.

"I get a real big rush from the show, but then I have to come down and I'm alone for however long it takes to get from Point A to Point B," said Mahé.

Another drawback is the fact that he often finds his own wage tied in closely with education cutbacks. He estimates that he has taken a 60 per cent pay cut, because there are far fewer dollars available for the arts.

"I know in my heart there's a lot of influence I passed on to those kids. Even though I may never know where that will go, maybe they'll do something better than they might have have they not heard what I have to offer.

"It makes me so angry that (the arts) have been cut so far . . . They -- certain sectors of the government -- just don't understand the gut of what it can do."

Music breaks language barriers
News staff

Alex Mahé has a way with children.

The St. Albert singer is three feet taller than most people in his audience, but he sees eye to eye with the kids.

"I like the sincerity of children. I use the analogy that I'm rowing in a boat," said Mahé.

"The first couple of songs they're wondering if they should hop in, and after the third or fourth song they're right in there rowing with me."

Students at the Westlock Elementary School jumped in the boat quickly during Mahé's two performances there Thursday afternoon.

The kids responded as soon as he went up on stage. And after the performance, they waited up to 40 minutes for his autograph.

The 37-year-old Mahé is a bilingual singer who specializes in children's audiences. He plays in school gyms throughout the province, mixing music with a language lesson.

Although he plays in both French and English, the children could care little what tongue he uses.

"Because I know two languages I choose to speak in both. There's a demand for a bilingual singer," said Mahé.

"Music is such a universal language. I don't want to be pegged as a francophone entertainer."

His love for kids is evident in his performance. Children have played a big part in Mahé's life. His own two kids are a major inspiration and he has a background in early childhood education.

He comes from a family of 10, growing up in St. Vincent, a small community near St. Paul.

"I was a middle child, so quite often mom's load would get pretty heavy so she would ask me to take the younger ones out and I would keep them busy. That's where it pretty well stems from."

His roots go back to Bretagne in France, where storytelling and Celtic music are commonplace.

He learned English for the first time when he French school in St. Vincent was shut down and he moved to a bilingual school in Mallaig.

"Because I was brought up with French, that's my mother tongue. I couldn't speak a word of English when I started Grade 1."

But music doesn't run in the family, although his passion was fuelled by stories from his dad and the sight of an old guitar case.

"My dad told us he played a little guitar but the only thing he ever had was an empty guitar case up in the rafters of the basement.

"I used to go down and think; "Wow, this is great." I always had a fascination with music and a fascination with wanting to learn."

A business and a pleasure
by Karen Morrison

A set of drums set into the bay window of Alexandre Mahé's living room announces that musicians live here.

The drums inside this narrow two-storey Alberta home belong to his son, Jean-Paul, 12, a small keyboard to his daughter, Rachelle, 10, and a guitar to Alex, a bilingual children's entertainer. "The children are a big part of what I do," he said, noting it was singing to his kids since they were "knee-high to a grasshopper" that helped launch his own musical career. "They motivate me."

All have performed and sung together on his two recordings (a third is not being produced locally) and appeared in some of his stage shows. But mostly Mahé has performed solo at schools, in children's festivals and other venues.

The 36-year-old divorced dad said he is married to his music and to his children, whom he sees on alternate weekends. When he's not making music, he squeezes in a few sports, a little skydiving and some wine-making. "I can't imagine finding time for more than that," said the singer, who also acts as his own agent and manager.

He makes his home in St. Albert, Alberta, an easy commute from Edmonton. For him, there is also the appeal of its large Francophone population.

Mahé's family's roots go back to Bretagne in France, where storytelling and Celtic music are commonplace.

Born into a French Catholic family as one of 10 children, he grew up on the farm at St. Vincent, Alberta. His family's only musical link was an empty guitar case that teased him from its place up in the rafters of the basement, he said.

His brother later got a guitar and learned a few chords, as did Mahé, who taught himself to play with a friend's help. He eventually bought his first guitar, for $35, and studied music as part of a college course but found the theory too heavy-duty.

Mahé said his mother really encouraged him to play. "It must have sounded awful, but she'd say I sounded like Paul McCartney," he said.

His growing-up years were positive and happy ones, despite an absence of modern conveniences. "We didn't live in luxury," he said, recalling how clothes were washed from melted snow in the winter and the house was heated by a woodstove. "If we got cereal on Sunday, we were happy. When you don't have a lot of money, you need to be creative. We had to imagine we had these things."

"That's the same with music, creating a song, music is one of the most amazing things in the world."

His first public performance as a principal in a grade school play, "really planted a seed of passion to perform live," said Mahé, who attended a French school at St. Vincent until it closed. He then moved to the Mallaig school where he leanred English for the first time.

Farming appealed to him but he also knew there were six other brothers in the family. "Farming was a dream, music was an aside," he said of his high school and college years where he tried out food preparation before settling into an early childhood development program at Grant MacEwan Community College.

It seemed a natural choice for the big brother to five younger siblings who spent much time helping with their care and feeding. "I was like a father to the younger ones. I'd make up little games and songs . . . creative story lines or plots. "I had to look after a newborn at age 11 when Mom was sick," he said. "I found those duties no different than other [farm] duties."

But others found his career choice unique and he became the centre of much media attention as the first male student and graduate in the program designed to train preschool workers. With no shortage of job offers, he eventually settled on a position in Edmonton.

Mahé figured most men shy away from such programs because they wonder "what will my pals think of me" but mainly because of low wages. His monthly wage in 1981 was $1100.

Mahé began playing the guitar during the course and then later at jobs in daycare centres and with special-needs children. He was a licensed daycare inspector briefly but found it took him away from the children.

The day-care work was good background for what he would later do, providing him with much-needed experience in story-telling, puppetry, music, and working with groups of children. He also started performing to larger groups at city malls on weekends.

"I saw the power, magic of music," said Mahé, who saw its value in teaching and getting "points across in a gentle, kind, loving manner."

His performing led to the creation of a community access television program called Alex Mahé's Good Time Train, which later became the name of his first recording.

Teacher Gail Noble of Marshall School in Marshall, Saskatchewan, found him to be an energetic and upbeat performer with a strong interaction with his audience. While his shows occasionally "went a bit slow" before groups of 120 students, she found his strengths lay in performing to the younger students and in small group settings in the classrooms.

"When he came around to the classes was when he really shone," she said.

Marshall has brought in drama and entertainment before, but money is limited so it's a special treat for the children to see a live performance, she said.

Mahé has made music his full-time occupation but declining dollars for cultural events at kindergarten to Grade 8 schools, one of his main markets, makes that tougher every year. "Where I am now is a lot of hard work and not big money," he said.

"This career is not an easy one by any means and it's difficult to make a good buck. I'm not rich by any means but I enjoy what I do and I do a lot of good out there which makes it all worthwhile when all is said and done."

He stressed the value of cultural events for school children. "When they have someone in French having fun, they taste a little bit of what being French is," said Mahé, who typically dresses in bold colors, a hat, and the French voyageur belt (la ceinture fléchée) to show off his heritage.

His positive message also includes stressing the value of staying in school, getting a good education, and knowing more than one language

"There are reasons beyond what we sometimes see," he said.

Unlike high-profile children's performers like Raffi who spend millions marketing albums, his promotional work is limited to flyers sent out to various schools and festivals. Recordings, which cost him a minimum of $25, 000 to make, include his own original songs in both French and English.

His bilingual status is a mixed blessing, making him unique among other performers but a puzzle to record stores that are unable to classify him easily. His goal is to make an all-English record, perhaps even an adult album one day.

The children's music market in Alberta and across Canada has seen an influx of new performers in recent years, said Edmund Oliverio, president of the Alberta Recording Industries Association (ARIA). There are more children's festivals and recordings available across the Prairies, he said, and more demand for tapes.

Alberta is starting to develop a uniquely Albertan sound, producing an ever wider range of music styles. "Alex is changing the image of it as strictly country," he said.

In a small but well-packed upstairs office, Mahé meticulously files his musical future. Scribbled notes of lyrics and ideas that come to him in the car are alphabetically filed alongside 40 to 50 tapes of melodies "in the making" and binders featuring albums, past, present and future.

"If I get to album No. 12 and I'm 50, I'll feel I've accomplished a lot," said Mahé.

Performer gets kids hoppin'

Alex Mahé has been performing for children since he himself was just a youngster helping to entertain his brothers and sister so "Mom" could get a break! Now he's a professional entertainer, delighting young audiences wherever he goes.

Mahé was at Beausejour Elementary School on October 19th as part of a Manitoba Tour sponsored by Canadian Parents for French. He is a French-speaking Canadian from Alberta. His show and songs mix French and English, encouraging everyone to enjoy and appreciate the diversity of our two official languages. Throughout his show he brings the children along, singing comfortably in French or English whether they speak the language or not . . . his exuberance, sense of humour, and joy in plain ol' good fun is not lost on the kids. Children shout and clap, exclaim and moan as his musical comedy fills the room.

Canadian Parents for French offers, through the cultural tour, a live French performer each year to our schools to help support the French language program, and promote better understanding among our children of the value of all languages.

Singer/songwriter performs
by Leslie Booth

Singer and songwriter Alex Mahé spent time with students at St. Joseph's School Wednesday, singing and performing in both French and English.

His animated program involved the children to a great extent, and he had them singing, doing actions and laughing a lot. Mr Mahé is from Alberta and has been a professional children's entertainer for more than 10 years. In the 80's he hosted his own television program on the Edmonton Cable Network, called "The Good Time Train."

Mr. Mahé performed at St. Joseph's through the efforts of the school and the Canadian Parents for French, Dryden Chapter. Bob Hamilton, President of the Dryden chapter, is the one responsible for finding Mr. Mahé.

Mr. Hamilton came to know of him while at the Manitoba Canadian Parents for French conference this past spring.

"I learned that this was the entertainer contracted by the Manitoba groups to do a cultural tour," Mr. Hamilton says. He liked what he saw of Mr. Mahé and was able to convince him and his contractors to extend the tour into Northwestern Ontario, with help from the Dryden Chapter and St. Joseph's School.

"I have been trying to establish communication with the Manitoba chapters," Mr. Hamilton explains. It is difficult for the Dryden chapter to work with the southern Ontario chapters due to the great distances involved and the great expense of travel.

In all, Mr. Hamilton was pleased with last Wednesday's p