32 | FEBRUARY 11 • 2021 

R

andy Kaplan teaches in two 
ways — through classes at Farber 
Hebrew Day School and through 
songs he writes, performs and records. 
Kaplan hopes both ways have the ele-
ment of fun.
During the pandemic, Kaplan 
instructs Farber classes that include lit-
erature, composition and drama. 
 His most recent song, “The Mouth Is 
Connected to the Nose,” explains why 
masks are needed. It asks:
“Are you equal to the task of putting 
on your mask
So that it covers up your nostrils 
(those two holes)?”
The inspiration for the song came as 
Kaplan was walking through a supermarket 
and saw two young, muscular guys — each 
wearing a mask over his mouth but not his 
nose — regardless how close they came to 
other shoppers.
“It just seemed so arrogant and hubris-
tic to me,” Kaplan said. “Whatever you 
believe about the efficacy of masks, it’s 
pretty clear about the rules of the stores. 
You can’t come in without a mask, and 
it’s better to operate within a system of 
rules so fairness prevails.
“This day and age, I hesitate to walk 

up to anybody and say ‘put your mask 
on.’ There are horror stories about 
people doing that; but as a writer, I 
always have an outlet. A tune comes to 
me, and I can say it that way. Probably, 
more people hear and get the message 
[through a song] than if I had just said 
something to guys in a store. 
“I don’t know what the controver-
sy is with masks. It just seems like a 
respectful thing to do. It just drives 
me crazy when people are flouting 
that rule for no reason and endanger-
ing people.”
Kaplan, 53, who lives in Bloomfield 

Hills, grew up on Long Island and 
attended the University of Michigan 
into his sophomore year. He moved to 
California to pursue a career in acting 
and music and appeared in guest roles 
on programs such as Growing Pains, 
Beauty and the Beast and A Different 
World.
While working in entertainment, he 
also earned a degree in English from the 
University of California at Los Angeles 
and got a temporary job at a preschool. 
That job veered him into music for 
young people and their families.

ACCLAIM FOR SONGS
Kaplan has released seven full-length 
family albums and about a dozen digital 
singles, available through his website, 
randykaplan.bandcamp.com. During 
the pandemic, he released six of those 
singles. One, “Your Mask Is Like Your 
Underwear,” was written after another 
teacher complained of problems getting 
her son to keep his mask clean.
Kaplan’s recordings for children have 
been recognized with National Parenting 
Product Awards and Nickelodeon 
Parents’ Picks Awards. His work has 
been on the Top 10 lists of National 
Public Radio and People magazine. 
He also is a three-time winner of the 
ASCAP Plus Award. 
With teaching responsibilities partly 
digital and partly face-to-face, Kaplan 
has been able to maintain a studio at the 
school. 
“I like teaching virtually,” said Kaplan, 
who moved to Michigan in 2015 to be 
close to the family of his wife, the former 
Julie May, whom he met in California 
while she was pursuing a singing career. 
“I have tricks of sharing screens, moving 
to a quick video, highlighting someone 
and using the availability to chat. 
“The problem is that it’s hard to mon-
itor certain students who might not be 
paying attention. They could wind up 
falling more into the background, which 
is not good for them. The students who 
are intrinsically motivated thrive online.”
The Kaplans’ 9-year-old son learns dig-
ital techniques from Dad.
“I’ve been doing MP3 digital releases, 
so there’s no CD during the pandemic,” 
Kaplan said. “People can listen to them a 
few times for free. They will eventually be 
linked with iTunes, Spotify and all of that.
“For ‘The Mouth Is Connected to 
the Nose,’ I got to work remotely with 
a friend, Mike West, who is a family 
recordings producer, as well as his chil-
dren — now living in Wales.”
While Kaplan sang and played guitar, 
West performed harmonies and worked 
with banjo, mandolin and bass. Julian 
West can be heard on drums, shakers and 
tambourines. Vega West added to the 
harmonies, and Esther West did unison 
singing. 

Cover that Nose!

RANDYKAPLAN.BANDCAMP.COM

ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC

Farber teacher composes songs for kids about 
facemasks and safety during the pandemic.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

