Mattapan’s Angel Monét Ledbetter-Glaude built a career on music education for young children and students but reinvented herself during the pandemic by incorporating puppets ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Boogie’ into her “edu-tainment” act. Here, she’s shown performing in Almont Park last summer during her and her son’s annual family music festival. Photo by Denise Burton
If Angel Monét Ledbetter-Glaude can’t say it with music, her puppets will fill in the gaps. Monét, 58, and her son, Dominic, 26, are just hitting their stride with two puppets named ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Boogie’ coming off their fourth successful House of Inspiration (HOI) Family Music and Arts Festival in Almont Park this summer.
“I’m so blessed to be doing music and what I love and making a living while inspiring other people,” said Monét, who came to Boston from Virginia in the 1980s to pursue an education at Berklee School of Music.
She thrived there and eventually started teaching in early childhood education, using music to teach numbers and letters along with self-esteem, social-emotional wellness, and motivational skills. She supplemented that with more traditional music classes in upper schools like the Community Academy of Science and Health (CASH) in Fields Corner and MLK School near Grove Hall. She dubbed it “edu-tainment.”
But when the pandemic hit, her formula didn’t seem to transfer well to computer screens. “I was hesitant because I was good in person, but had never done online,” she said. “I began to think that if I incorporated puppets, I could get the kids to watch the screen. It actually worked. Kids were engaged and I could keep them watching.
“One day,” she said, “I was like, ‘Oh, this is a hit.’ I continued with the puppets and gave them names. I love working with the puppets because it’s been such a great change.”
Monet didn’t grasp their growing popularity until one day she was working a community festival for ABCD, and a girl came running to her puppets and hugged one of them, saying, “I love you Boogie!”
She was stretched thin with a full plate of activities, including writing children’s plays, singing in the church choir, running her music company, doing music production, teaching private lessons and organizing the HOI radio show and annual family festival.
About four years ago Dominic, a music engineer who runs his own production company, Diggity Dom Entertainment, saw that his mother needed a helping hand. That’s when the mother-son duo formed.
“Working with Dom is great because we’re so much alike,” she continued. “That’s the easy part. It’s like another me. We like to work on projects until they are finished and we’re up at 3 or 4 a.m. to get things done. We both don’t like doing things halfway.”
Angel Monét Ledbetter-Glaude and her son, Dominic Glaude, have teamed up in recent years on their numerous music ventures – including hosting the annual House of Inspiration summer family music festival in Almont Park. Photo courtesy Inét Entertainment
Dominic, who grew up in the Mattapan home with music constantly filtering up from his mother’s studio under his bedroom, said he mostly stepped in to assist with the festival and production.
“I grew up in a musical household and was in a kids’ band at seven years old,” he said. “But my mom was my first piano teacher and music teacher and the social-emotional and positivity was ingrained into me. I got to experience all the things she has also gifted to so many children around here.
“Now, she’s been running a non-profit and doing so much and she can’t do it all by herself,” he said.
Monet got her musical start at age 3 “banging on the upright piano” and disturbing the adults trying to watch their soap operas. It wasn’t long before she was teaching and tutoring her peers in music, math, and other subjects. That experience propelled her to pursue teaching after Berklee.
“I just have a love for people and when it comes to children, as I got older, I loved to see the kids smile when they ‘get it.’ It’s a moment for me. It’s like gold,” she said.
Dominic remembers how he benefitted from Monét’s teaching. He and his brother, who is also a professional musician, were steeped in music from an early age. He attended Metco schools until 8th grade and participated in the Berklee City Music program from grade 4-12. He came closer to Mattapan for high school when he was accepted into Boston Arts Academy (BAA) for the drums.
A successful run at BAA took him to Berklee, following in his mother’s footsteps, where he studied music production/engineering and music business management. He has translated that into a career in teaching and production at places like The Record Co., Community Music Academy of Boston, Codman Academy, and in his own studio at home.
In his role with his mother, he said he is focusing on the “back end” work and production, while she performs her music and gives life to ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Boogie.’
Working together, they hope to bring much more music to Mattapan, whether at the yearly festival or with their puppets.
“I truly believe in all we’re doing together and bringing change and positivity to the community,” said Dominic.
