Prince’s Bay residents Laura Monaco-Martino, Joey Martino and “JJ,” make music together. (Courtesy of Laura Monaco-Martino)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Prince’s Bay residents Laura Monaco-Martino and Joey Martino have music in their blood. They are songwriters, musicians and producers. And once they became parents 4 1/2 years ago, they realized how beneficial music can be for youngsters.
So much so, that their 4 1/2-year-old son, Joseph John or “JJ,” was the inspiration for a new business — dubbed ET Littles — to complement their existing music businesses, ET Studio Productions and ET Labz, all of which are located in Charleston.
“ET Littles has been a dream ever since Joey and I became parents. … I always enjoyed writing the songs to pitch to shows, like Disney and Nickelodeon. It felt like a miracle that I got pregnant because I was told I couldn’t get pregnant naturally. So when I got pregnant, I was teaching, and music was all around me,” Monaco-Martino. “I would find myself singing to my belly. As my son got bigger and my belly and I grew, he would move every time I sang. And anytime he was around music, he would kick.”
Prince’s Bay residents Laura Monaco-Martino and Joey Martino's son, Joseph John or “JJ,” was the inspiration for a new business — dubbed ET Littles — to complement their existing music businesses, ET Studio Productions and ET Labz, allo which are located in Charleston. (Courtesy of Laura Monaco-Martino)
During the pandemic, Monaco-Martino, who is now pregnant with their second child, realized there was a need for online interactive programs for kids.
“So we wanted to try to do stuff that was uplifting and inspiring, and educational at the same time. Then we started writing a whole bunch of songs. And my son started singing along, so we add him to every single song now,” she said. “I think the pandemic just helped push us more because we weren’t obviously working physically in the studio as much anymore. So we were writing the songs at home, mapping out the ideas and then launched it.”
The result is a series of animated videos — which Martino creates himself — on the company’s website that allow kids to sing along, learn about about different cultures, read and learn new languages.
“We have been writing, singing, producing, and recording together for the last 15 years. Our passion has always been in cultivating the youth, but when our son was born-we started making up songs for him and fell in love with the creation process all over again. Our focus was on the pop and contemporary world for so many years, so this was refreshing for us. Music truly ignites all areas of child development and helps the body and the mind work together,” said Monaco-Martino.
The videos have become so popular, their songs, like the “Hello Song” have nearly 300,000 YouTube plays worldwide.
The program complements the couple’s “mommy and me” classes launched in September of 2021.
“The classes allow kids to hear these unique songs customized specifically for the class. And we use it like a soundboard to see how kids react to the songs,” she said. “The Hello Song, which was one of the first songs we put up [on the company’s website], allows kids to learn how to say hello in five different languages.”
A MUSICAL FAMILY
Monaco-Martino’s interest in music stems from growing up in the Bronx with her dad, who was a singer. From age 11 she was trained in opera, jazz, rock and R&B genres of music. She soon began recording pop tunes and performing in popular music venues in New York City and across the Tristate area.
“I opened up for Lady Gaga when she was first starting out,” recalled Monaco-Martino. “We shared the same stage a few times together at places like the Bitter End [In Manhattan]. I got to talk with her, and that was really cool.”
Prince’s Bay residents Laura Monaco-Martino, Joey Martino and “JJ,” make music together. (Courtesy of Laura Monaco-Martino)
It wasn’t long before Monaco-Martino realized she didn’t want to be in the spotlight. She wanted to be behind-the-scenes, grooming other artists for fame. That’s when she became a development coach. In her career she has taught voice, songwriting, performance and artist development. This led to her partnering with her hubby, who also is a musician, to open ET Studio Productions in Charleston in 2013. That business grooms artists for the big stage.
In 2020, the couple expanded to launch ET Labz, which teaches a myriad of classes in the arts to children and accommodates children with special needs, said Monaco-Martino.
ET LITTLES AT A GLANCE
Address: 630 Sharrotts Rd.
Website: www.etlittles.com
YouTube: youtube.com/c/ETlittles
Instagram: instagram.com/etlittles
Facebook: facebook.com/etlittlesfun
Spotify: spotify.com/artist/2ea7iDJkWa7SkzVWZZSHLw?si=1Aohxtg3RhCGULy_3J2Pwg
Apple Music: music.apple.com/us/artist/et-littles/1626225676
New Businesses in Focus is a weekly column that relates the stories of new Staten Island businesses owners.
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