What inspires a lifelong love of music? For rapper, musician and music producer Deezle, it all started at just five years old, thanks to his favorite uncle!

Deezle is from New Orleans. He raps and sings, plays the bass, creates his own music, and also works with many other musicians like Lil Wayne and Drake. Deezle has won many awards for music, producing, and engineering. He has even won Grammy awards, the highest honor in popular music in America!

In this Confetti Park music memory, Deezle looks back on fun days with his cousin Tanya when their uncle would babysit them. They would sit on the edge of the bed, happily swinging their legs, while their uncle—decked out in fly outfits, cool hats, shades, and jewelry—practiced his bass guitar across the room. Talk about making an impression!

Watching his uncle make music with so much style planted a seed. "I want to be like him," Deezle remembers thinking. It's a dream that came true, as Deezle grew up to play bass in his own band and make Grammy-winning records!

Thank you, Deezle, for sharing your childhood music memory with Confetti Park!

We're so glad you found your own musical groove.

Confetti Park is supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.

Music has a way of finding us early in life and staying with us forever. For New Orleans musician and retired educator Edwin Harrison, the spark was lit before he could even read a music sheet.

"My grandfather used to walk around in the living room like he was playing the trombone and I wanted to play music ever since then. I must have been 2 or 3."

That early passion set off an incredible lifelong musical journey through New Orleans schools. Edwin started on the trumpet at St. Peter Claver, moved on to the tuba at Andrew J. Bell Middle School, and became the drum major at Alcée Fortier High School. His talent and leadership took him straight to Southern University in Baton Rouge, where he earned the honor of drum major in his very first semester as a freshman!

Throughout his career, Mr. Harrison played the tuba as his main instrument while dedicating his life to shaping young minds as a music teacher across New Orleans public schools—including Joseph S. Clark, Gregory Junior High, L.B. Landry High School, and Walter L. Cohen High School.

When retirement came, sitting at home watching TV was not an option. Noticing an unused piano at the local public library, Mr. Harrison saw an opportunity to continue doing what he loves most: inspiring the next generation. After six months of determination and persistence to get the program approved, he launched free piano lessons for local youth.

"Do whatever you were put on Earth to do. I'm in my place—this isn't work for me."

Through his Musicians and Mentors initiative, Edwin Harrison is keeping the rich musical legacy of New Orleans alive, one lesson at a time.

What: Free Piano Lessons

Where: Regional Public Library (Algiers)

Who: Open to kids and young learners eager to discover the joy of music!

Check with your local library branch for schedule updates, or follow Musicians and Mentors on Facebook.

Thank you, Mr. Harrison, for all the music you've given and built in New Orleans — and for sharing your memories with Confetti Park!

Confetti Park is supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.

In a recent episode of Confetti Park, host Katy Hobgood sat down with Alison Toussaint-LeBeaux to discuss her beautiful new children's book about her dad—New Orleans musical legend Allen Toussaint. It's called The Prince of New Orleans: The Life of Allen Toussaint.

"When my dad first passed, I was just thinking I certainly didn't want him to be forgotten. And not that I was really afraid of that, but I knew how important the city was to him and how much he poured into the city. And I wanted to find a way to honor that and how he felt about New Orleans. And the best way I could think to do that was to give to the children of New Orleans."-Alison Toussaint-LeBeaux

A Lesson for the Quiet Kids

Allen Toussaint was known worldwide for his incredible musical genius, but at home and in the studio, he was famously gentle, reserved, and soft-spoken.

"My dad was an incredibly calm, soft-spoken person," Alison shared during the interview. "He said the least amount in the room, but knew the most."

As a child, Allen was so shy that he stayed close to his mother's side. Everything changed at age five when a piano was brought into the house for his sister. The moment his hands touched the keys, he found his true language. Alison hopes this biography shows children who might feel small and invisible that they have magic inside them.

"You don't have to be the loudest person to make a difference in the world… Find a passion, stick with it, throw everything you have into something you love, and let that take you where you need to go." — Alison Toussaint-LeBeaux

Rooted in Family and "Southern Nights"

While the book functions as a biography—following Allen from his childhood to receiving the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama—it relies heavily on the family values that shaped him.

Alison recalls stories of childhood trips out to rural Louisiana to visit family. Packed into a house filled with French-speaking relatives telling ghost stories, the children would sit at the bottom of the stairs and listen. It was these exact memories that later inspired Allen to write his most famous masterpiece, "Southern Nights."

Divine Intervention and Visual Magic

The book's vibrant illustrations were created by local artist Brendan Palmer-Angell. Alison had admired his work for over a year after seeing a massive public mural he painted of her father on Claiborne Avenue.

Through what she calls "complete divine intervention," Palmer-Angell ended working on a project at the architecture firm where Alison works.

Despite having never illustrated a children's book before, he jumped on board. The collaboration resulted in stunning imagery, including a deeply personal final page featuring a silhouette of Alison as a little girl alongside her father.

The Prince of New Orleans: The Life of Allen Toussaint is an essential addition to any family bookshelf or school library in Louisiana. Keep an eye out for Alison as she brings book readings and live musical accompaniment to schools and libraries around our state! And considering the Allen Toussaint is an American musical legend, music lovers everywhere will want this book.

Thank you so much, Alison, for sharing your memories and your book with Confetti Park!