Katherine Ann Dines, founder of Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Music and recent Marquis Who’s Who inductee, has spent more than 30 years creating songs and experiences that resonate with children and families. She has dedicated much of her life to children, teachers, and parents, encouraging growth and bringing meaning and joy to young lives through music.
An Unexpected Musical Direction
Dines always had a passion for music, and that ambition drove her to Nashville, Tennessee, where she began writing songs for the country and pop markets. In Nashville, she met a publisher who asked her to write lullabies. At first, she was reluctant, knowing she was unable to have children. Yet after spending a few weeks researching and listening to historical lullabies, powerful emotions began to emerge in her writing. Two of her songs were recorded on the album “Child’s Gift of Lullabies,” which garnered a Grammy nomination, sold over a million copies, and was translated into five languages. This set her on a whole new career trajectory.
Following that, Dines had opportunities to write music for Dollywood, Warner Brothers and a Barney movie (the purple dinosaur), but they never fully materialized. Still, she became quickly immersed in her newfound passion for children’s music.
Collaborating with Educators for Lasting Impact
After turning down a number of record labels, she chose to remain independent and began collaborating with educators. Several teachers recognized the value of her music in their classrooms and provided her with a strong early foothold. Young Audiences, Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), and The Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts offered many other opportunities for her to work as a Teaching Artist. She tested her new songs and activities at children’s hospitals, and then began performing at schools, bookstores, and festivals, as well as presenting keynote addresses and workshops for early childhood educators and librarian conferences throughout the U.S.
A Vision for Empowerment and Creativity
Dines’ work includes 14 albums, hundreds of songs, and thousands of live performances, plus books and videos that integrate music with movement, developmental activities, and storytelling. As a teaching artist, she conducts songwriting, movement, and instrument-making workshops that teach educational skills and unique forms of expression to young children and educators alike.
Recognition and Advocacy Efforts
Dines’ albums have garnered 41 national awards, including two Parents’ Choice Gold awards and several from the National Association of Parenting Publications. In the late 80s, she founded and directed the 450-member but now-defunct nonprofit Rocky Mountain Music Association, and helped start the outreach and advocacy program in three other states for the Nashville Songwriters Association International. She has held multiple roles in the Children’s Music Network, including board member, co-president, and advisory board chair. She has also served as president of the Monday Forum and as a board member of Compassion and Choices and the Rocky Mountain Conservancy.
Currently, Dines is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children; the Recording Academy; the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP); a judge for the International Songwriting Contest; a Wolf Trap Artist and a teaching artist with Think360 Arts, focusing on songwriting, literacy, movement and instrument-making.
Upcoming Projects and Goals
While the music world has changed during her career, Dines has embraced the digital age and continues to adapt. One of her latest projects includes a series of books and animated videos based on her lyrical story songs. The first book will launch in the summer of 2025. Her dedication to children’s music and education has made a significant impact, and she plans to find new ways to bring meaningful change to the lives of children and the greater community through her music.
