Wild Interest Announces Podcast Partnership with Middle Schools, Features Kid Musicians

Music as the Universal Language, Kid Musicians “Young Mountain Magic,” and “Retro Rebelles,” with Live Performances, Partnership with US Middle Schools

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, May 15, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Wild Interest is the podcast made by kids, for kids. The series is committed to exploring children’s inherent curiosity and providing a space for active listening that touches the heart and fuels the imagination.

Wild Interest has announced their Penpal by Podcast program, in which the podcast donates professional recording equipment, software and expert training to urban and rural US middle schools free of charge. Students learn how to record, interview, and make their own podcasts — some content has already been featured on Wild Interest. Currently Wild Interest has partnered with PS 366 The Shirley Chisholm Campus, PS 66, and PS 961 Lenox Academy in Brooklyn, New York, and Jasper County Middle School in Monticello, Georgia. The podcast is expanding the program, and is now in discussions with the Crow Agency Elementary School in Crow Agency, Montana, and the Scribner-Snyder Middle School in Scribner, Nebraska.

Wild Interest’s creators come up with each new episode based on a theme. One of the show’s recent episodes, entitled “The Senses” is all about the universal language of music. This special long-running episode features two bands of accomplished kid musicians who speak with hosts Evan and Nichole about their own unique musical journeys.

A sister act, New York’s own Retro Rebelles talk about the ups and downs of playing together and take listeners underground to the New York City subway tunnels for a rocking live performance.

A few hundred miles south in the Carolinas the podcast joins up with the bluegrass outfit Young Mountain Magic for a long conversation about what it’s like to play bluegrass as a kid, the specialized instruments you might hear in bluegrass music, and that special feeling that happens when musicians are all playing in sync together. To cap it all off, the players Rainier Finley, Maddox Wilson, Ayden Chappell and Ethan Chappell pick a few tunes for the Wild Interest audience, even showing up again at the episode’s close for a special encore performance.

“Music Makers” also features the variety and spontaneity listeners have come to expect from Wild Interest. Listeners will learn exotic animal calls, including the rare song of the Quetzal, a brightly colored bird native to Central and South America. Evan, Nichole and three of their friends answer once and for all the pressing question of “what’s the world’s best root beer” in a somewhat scientific blind taste test complete with color commentary and voluminous belching, and Evan takes listeners to the mountainous Himalayan peaks in “Cryptid Corner” looking for evidence of the mythological Yeti and Banjhākri. Bobby the Bigfoot even pops in to give his expert opinion on the relative foot size of his cryptid cousins.

In this latest episode Wild Interest airs a new segment called “Grammartime” exploring some of the tricky subtleties of grammar, syntax and usage. Listeners will also hear recurring segments they’ve come to expect, like an ancient riddle, jokes, Favorite Sound, a blooper reel, and not one but two Grandparent Stories. The second Grandparent Stories segment in “Music Makers” is part of Wild Interest’s above-mentioned Penpal by Podcast program. Eighth-grader Melia from Brooklyn’s PS365 talks with her Grandma about her childhood in Haiti.

This kid-conceived and narrated podcast is designed to share experience, foster empathy and advance the importance of auditory storytelling. The underlying philosophy of the series is that the world — and kids especially —needs real human connection now more than ever. Founded in February of 2024, Wild Interest has over 350,000 downloads and counting and is enjoyed America and over 150 countries around the world.

“I’ve only listened to a few episodes so far but it’s my new favorite podcast.” Writes one listener. “It’s so interesting and I love Cryptid Corner. Best podcast ever!!”

Another recent reviewer writes, “Absolute gold! My 8-year-old son says, "I feel like this is the best podcast l've ever heard. I like that you share jokes, and bring in grandparents for stories, and there's so much interesting stuff packed in the episodes. It's overloaded with awesome. It's something I really look forward to listening to."

With new episodes released monthly, Wild Interest promises to captivate young minds with its unique blend of entertainment, education, and music. Parents who find themselves searching for “family podcast for kids, podcast for kids about animals, best kids’ podcasts, tween podcasts, best podcast for car trips,” or even “mystery kids podcasts” are encouraged to tune in and join the Wild Interest adventure.

Parents looking for alternatives to typical kids and family podcasts will enjoy how the show’s topics inspire their children and become the basis for scintillating dinner table conversation, inquisitive queries, and maybe even the inspiration for kids to record and send in DIY segments of their own. Wild Interest provides a wholesome alternative to video-based children’s entertainment, emphasizing the importance of auditory engagement in early psychological development.

Host Evan explains “Our podcast is actually good for you! It’s "brain broccoli," not "brain candy!" Nichole adds “What makes us different is that we emphasize positive emotions like joy and curiosity. Our music is calm, and our segments are thoughtful. We want to leave kids feeling recharged instead of overstimulated.”

For more information about Wild Interest or to listen to the latest episodes, visit www.wildinterest.com or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

About Wild Interest

Created and hosted entirely by kids, each episode is unique. The topics change with every episode: Our hosts and contributors let their curiosity guide them. What’s a leap year? Are all root beers created equal? What’s it like to play football in the NFL? Could Mothman be real? What’s up with Bigfoot? What’s New Year’s like in the Philippines? Experts are interviewed, primary sources are checked, cross-checked, and fact-checked, original music is composed, sounds are captured, and an episode is born.

Wild Interest celebrates the wisdom, curiosity, and insight of children and provides a platform for kids to learn, share, and create together. While adults assist with the technical details, the show is entirely kid-created.

Wild Interest is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Podcast Index, Deezer, Podcast Addict, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Wilson Kello
Wild Interest
+1 917-254-8910
wilson@wildinterest.com
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