Sadako Story ▪ Sadako Song ▪ Aki Kurose ▪ Floyd Schmoe ▪ Folding Paper Cranes

Michiko's Biography

In addition, I am a children's singer and songwriter. 
My first album, "Let's Blow the Bubbles"  won the Parent's Choice Gold Award.

Michiko, the creator of the Award Winning children's album, "Let's Blow the Bubbles", started playing music in her native Japan when she was fourteen years old. Rendering songs with the guitar initially, she performed with a trio singing folk music with some original songs in English and Japanese. She continued to study music privately throughout high school. Following graduation and five years of running her own coffee shop, Michiko won the local Yamaha Popular Song Contest in Nagasaki, in 1980 for writing and singing an original song. It was then she decided to move to the United States to further study music.

Michiko moved to Los Angeles in 1981, and began studying music at the Dick Grove Music School in Studio City, California. She graduated with completion, after two years in 1983, in both the Vocal and Composition Programs. Married in 1983, the birth of her first child in 1984 sparked her interest in children's music and she has written for children ever since. Her goal is to create a contemporary and original sound which both children and parents alike find memorable - tunes they can sing along with, for continued and long-lasting enjoyment. Additionally, she has penned lyrics specifically to help children and parents better understand each other, to mirror their interpersonal relationships and everyday real-life experiences. "Let's Blow The Bubbles" was Michiko's first album, (released August 1992). She wrote and sang lead vocals on most of the songs, as well as produced this wonderful collection. It is filled with many different styles of music to give the album a universal appeal, and exposes children to unique forms not usually available in children's music. "Let's Blow The Bubbles" received the most prestigious award a children's album may earn by being honored with the 1993 Parent's Choice Gold Award. 

Michiko moved from Los Angeles to Issaquah, Washington late in 1992, with her husband Mitchell, and her children, Alex, Alicia and Sarah. 

Michiko's latest work, "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes"  won the 1998 John Lennon  Songwriting Contest in the Children's music category. It is based on the Sadako Story. This Sadako Song, written in both English and Japanese, was recorded by the Sadako Peace Choir, a group made up of both Japanese and American children singing in their respective languages. This song has won critical acclaim and was the featured song at the 1995 Hiroshima Peace Conference in Hiroshima, Japan where it was performed with 10,000 children. The purpose of this song is to bring children of the world together to promote world peace. As an extension of this project, Michiko formed the Sadako Peace Club for Children. International in scope, the club involves children from around the world making friends from other countries and working together for World Peace. 

Michiko has more recently founded World Peace Project for Children, a non-profit organization formed to promote Peace Education for Children. Much of the teaching has been developed around the Sadako Story.

In 1999, Michiko's World Peace Project for Children created the World's Largest Paper Crane. This project involved 10,000 children from around the world. The giant paper crane was assembled and folded at the Seattle Kingdome in November 1999 with 5,000 participating children in attendance.

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