You may know JUNO Awards categories like Album of the Year and Artist of the Year, but did you know there is also an award for Children’s Album of the Year?
Two Queen’s alumni are making their mark on the category with their seventh nomination in 2022 and continue to make their mark on the world of children’s music.
Nick Adams (ArtSci’04, BEd’05) and Taes Leavitt (ArtSci’04), also known as Splash’N Boots, met during their undergraduate career at Queen’s. An assignment from their Queen’s Drama Department classes led the duo to create the foundations of what would become Splash’N Boots.
Nick and Taes began performing around Kingston and the surrounding areas shortly after. The pair were also a part of The Barefoot Players, a group which continues to run camps and put on performances through the DAN School.
Since their days in Kingston, Splash’N Boots have toured Canada and internationally, they have been nominated for numerous awards, and won two JUNO Awards for Children’s Album of the Year. This year’s nomination would mark their third win.
Central to their work as children’s entertainers has been the concept of giving back. The duo regularly donate to charities and have also taken time to visit the Faculty of Education. In 2019, the students in the Artist in Community Education program (ACE) were treated to a workshop with the entertainers. During the workshop the pair shared insights about the role of education in children’s entertainment, performed songs, and offered advice to students about careers in arts education.
Coordinator of the Artist in Community Education program, Associate Professor Aynne Johnston, reflected on the duo’s legacy with the Faculty saying: “Nick and Taes have been favourite guests to the ACE class over the years. Their humour, wisdom and song have inspired teacher candidates as they begin professional educational careers. I tell students to think big. And they do. Their message of thinking big takes me back to when we called Oprah's studios from my office to host an alt prac and all three of us felt the adrenaline of big possibility. Of course, now, Nick and Taes do this daily and their big asks have paid big dividends, with music and recording partners, Juno wins and nominations ...and friends and families around the world who are changed forever by their gifts of music, joy and love.”
2023 will surely be another busy year for Splash’N Boots as they regularly perform for audiences and have a TV show, Big Yellow Boot, that airs on Treehouse TV. Tune into this year’s JUNO Awards ceremony on March 13 at 8 pm to cheer on these alum!