Cracking Wise: Local family uses music, humor to inspire on YouTube channel
When Ceylon and Ashley Wise’s sons were small, they needed a way to keep 5-year-old Ceylon V and toddler Caleb occupied while their mom gave piano lessons.
“I initially started teaching in my home, with my husband doing whatever he could to keep the boys quiet and entertained,” Ashley recalled.
“Ceylon would write little songs for them. One day, he said, ‘Let me do a video just for fun.’”
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One little song and video led to more songs and videos, and what was started for youthful giggles became a recurring YouTube gig that hooked the entire family.
“As I became more involved, the Wise Family Channel just became. When we moved into the Olentangy Local School District, we started doing more and it organically became what it is now,” said Ashley.
What it is now is a resource for almost 22,000 subscribers, including several schools.
Recorded in their Galena home, the channel offers upbeat songs by the Wises, coupled with academic lessons, positive and empowering messages — and a generous dose of humor. Topics range from kindness and leadership to math and Black history.
“Initially, I was posting just for fun, with no schedule. Sometimes there would be months, even years, between videos,” said Ceylon, who is minister of music at Faith Ministries Church.
“I began to think of the channel as more of a resource and a way to get some positivity out there in the world. I’m looking forward to posting more.”
Channeling their creativity
Ceylon V and Caleb — now 15 and 12, respectively — are active in helping their parents create content, as well as offering sage words of adolescent advice: Don’t be embarrassing.
“They’re our ‘cringe police’ to keep us from saying something crazy,” said Ashley, a private music instructor and accompanist for various Columbus-area ensembles.
The brothers shared what they enjoyed most about making videos for the Wise Family Channel.
“I like all the shenanigans that happen while recording them! It’s super fun and sometimes stuff happens that’s funny,” Ceylon V said. “Also, when the finished product comes out, it feels really good to know all the work wasn’t in vain.”
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Caleb responded, “My favorite part is being at school and people will ask how many subscriptions we have to our channel now. It’s like I’m the cool kid with the YouTube channel. Also, when we unveil the music, I like hearing it for the first time.”
Musical like their parents, Ceylon V is a drummer while Caleb plays piano. “They’re both creative folks with unique personalities. It’s to our benefit that our children are involved. It keeps everything fresh and current,” Ceylon said.
YouTube subscribers aren’t the only ones recognizing the Wise family’s musical talents. One of the songs Ceylon wrote and arranged for the channel, “For All,” is included on “All One Tribe” by 1 Tribe Collective. The album was nominated in the Best Children’s Music category at the Grammy Awards in 2022.
New music
The latest venture for the Wises is a new album, “All The Feels,” released Aug. 2. Spanning genres such as hip-hop, pop, rock, jazz, Latin and a cappella, each song represents a different emotion.
The liner notes for "All the Feels" read like a who's who in children's music: In addition to 1 Tribe Collective, Kymberly Stewart and Grammy winners Alphabet Rockers and Lucy Kalantari make appearances, along with several others, including local musicians.
“It was great to be able to collaborate with artists ranging from Grammy winners and Grammy nominees to community musicians and student musicians,” Ceylon said.
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“All The Feels” came about as the result of Ceylon and Ashley noticing a need in their own family and other children in their lives to be able to better explore who they are and manage their emotions.
“The response to COVID, the necessary time we needed to take away from each other left us at a deficit in dealing with each other and our emotions,” Ceylon said.
“We hope to start a conversation with families and classrooms and open the door to greater emotional wellness.”
Ashley agreed, adding, “We want to empower people. It’s an opportunity for families to have conversations, educators to have conversations and just the regular person to be able to identify their emotions.
“Mad, sad, whatever the case may be, it’s OK. There are some tools you can use to work your way through those emotions,” she said.
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The Wises intend to make "All The Feels" available to a wide audience. "We're looking to create a curriculum that can go in K-8 schools. We have a lot of plans," Ceylon said.
The "All The Feels" K-8 curriculum they're working on will complement the album and upcoming music video, with each lesson based on an emotion. The program includes resources such as lesson plans, teachers' guides, worksheets, arts and crafts, quizzes and discussion questions.
The online curriculum is aligned with state social and emotional learning standards, as well as those outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).
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Also in the works is a music video for “I’ve Got That Joy,” a track from “All The Feels” that will not only boost the Wises’ visibility and provide another educational resource, it will benefit a local organization and the youngsters it serves.
“I’m always looking to find ways to have our music and content make a tangible impact. We’re going to donate the ad revenue from the first million views to the Kids Mental Health Foundation,” Ceylon said.
The family has its own cause as well: the Wise Mosaic, a nonprofit that promotes children’s wellness through community and creativity.
Ceylon and Ashley’s wish is that the uplifting messages of their YouTube content and album reaches people of all ages.
“It isn’t just for kids. It’s for anybody. There are good reminders for us as adults that there’s going to be some sadness, it’s a journey, it’s all part of life. It’s positive stuff for everybody,” Ashley said.
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Ceylon wants listeners to take away with them a lesson that he’s instilled in his sons.
“I’ve always told them they belong in every room they walk into. They may not have celebrity or money or power, but they still belong in the room,” he said.
“They have value, they have worth, they have their own sense of power. That’s what I hope kids get out of it.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Wise family makes YouTube videos to inspire and educate
