Welcome to a Bright New World Welcome to a bright new world – where all children play and get along and are accepted for exactly who they are. Welcome to a bright new world – where we all accept and celebrate each other’s differences rather than excluding, fearing, and bullying those who appear different. Welcome to a bright new world – where we learn at an early age to listen to the good voice inside ourselves rather than following the loudest, most threatening voice.

My name is Dana Fialco. This bright new world I speak of was the childhood dream of my sister, Tara. Faced with autism and gifted musically, Tara used her beloved piano to express many of her thoughts and feelings through music. Often teased and picked on at school, Tara came home and wrote magical, touching melodies and lyrics about a far more accepting world than the world she had to face each day. This is the dream that my mom, Sharon Fialco, captured when she wrote the Starabella series. Through three audio books on CD with music and accompanying magical illustrations, Starabella tells the story of a musically talented little girl with learning differences, whose eyes shine like stars when she is happy. Through the goodness inside her, her wonderful imagination, her special connection to the stars – and of course her music – Starabella becomes a kindergarten rock star who leads her classmates and listeners to the bright new world of her dreams. Children will want to sing, dance, dream, and imagine along with Starabella’s music.

Starabella is a family project, and a true labor of love. Tara and I were born in St. Louis, Missouri, but moved to Hawaii as very small children. Raised in the culturally diverse and creative community of Honolulu, much of Tara’s music was inspired by our beautiful natural surroundings. Our family presents an example of the inclusion we speak of in Starabella. Tara and I always had a special connection through music. Tara composed, played the piano, and sang, and I sang and wrote lyrics. We started performing together and writing songs together at an early age. My mom envisioned and produced the Starabella project and wrote the stories, based on my sister’s music and experiences. Tara composed 17 out of the 22 songs and melodies used in the series, many of which when she was a small child. I narrated the stories, played many of the characters, and I wrote some of the songs and lyrics as well. My Dad has been a support through the entire project, helping to make it all possible.

The three books of Starabella take our heroine through three different stages of her early growing up. In Book One, we see Starabella at home, where she is the star of her family. Her parents start to recognize and react to their daughter’s challenges and her unique abilities. In Book Two, we see Starabella venture out into the community, where she reacts to a world that asks her to conform. Her parents balance wanting to teach their daughter reasons for following the rules with wanting to make sure she continues to believe in herself. In Book Three, Starabella starts her first day of kindergarten. Starabella’s kindergarten class includes children from a variety of backgrounds, all with their own challenges and abilities.

As a young adult, Tara performed musical shows written by my mom for young children in Hawaii schools. Some of the scenarios presented in Book Three were based on true social dilemmas my mom observed in the schools where Tara performed. In the diverse world of Starabella’s classroom, the children learn lessons of empathy, and learn that when they make friendly choices, their eyes, like Starabella’s shine like stars. Children listening at home or at school are asked to make socially sensitive choices as well by using a “magical mirror” in the book. They send their choices to help the children in Starabella’s class.

Starabella, surrounded by starglow, is magically transformed into a kindergarten rock star and leads children everywhere to the bright new world “where children play and get along and are accepted for exactly who they are.” Starabella is a superheroine for all children. The stories and music speak to anyone who has ever felt different for any reason, or who has treated someone else poorly for seeming different.

If we can teach children at an early age to practice empathy and appreciate each other’s differences and abilities, they grow into adults who can achieve a better, more peaceful world. Please join our family in following Starabella there – to the bright new world where all our unique paths meet in harmony.

—Dana

Description by a Loving Sister
A little girl asked Dana to explain what autism is. Here is Dana’s answer: “I think a good way to explain autism might be to say that people with autism see the world a little differently. Sometimes their brains don’t process – or understand – information from the outside world in the same way as people without autism. Sometimes signals get confused in their minds. Because of that, it is not as easy for them to make friends, have conversations, or be social – but all the feelings they have inside are the same as everyone else’s. Because they can get frustrated at not understanding what is going on around them, sometimes they make noise or get scared and scream. Sometimes they also hear noises louder than other people or see lights brighter, and that can hurt them and be scary, too. Many people with autism also have great talents like music or painting or doing complicated math and science. Often they express their feelings (like Starabella) through their talent because they can’t always come up with the words. Some with the amazing skills in math and science use the different way they see the world to help make great scientific discoveries that help everyone. Even though it might be hard for them to make friends, they want to have friends like everyone else and they have a lot of love and beauty to give. Sometimes that means the rest of us have to find ways to help understand them and connect with them, just like those with autism are trying to find ways to communicate and connect with people who think in a more typical way.”

Dana Fialco Masters, multi-talented composer, singer and narrator of the Starabella audio-picture book series for children. Supportive and loving sister of Tara Fialco whose musical compositions provided the seed from which everyone else’s creativity grew. The Starabella stories are based on Tara’s music and vision of a Bright New World.

Thank you, Dana. We love you, Mom and Dad

Welcome to a bright new world – where all children play and get along and are accepted for exactly who they are. Welcome to a bright new world – where we all accept and celebrate each other’s differences rather than excluding, fearing, and bullying those who appear different. Welcome to a bright new world – where we learn at an early age to listen to the good voice inside ourselves rather than following the loudest, most threatening voice.

My name is Dana Fialco. This bright new world I speak of was the childhood dream of my sister, Tara. Faced with autism and gifted musically, Tara used her beloved piano to express many of her thoughts and feelings through music. Often teased and picked on at school, Tara came home and wrote magical, touching melodies and lyrics about a far more accepting world than the world she had to face each day.

This is the dream that my mom, Sharon Fialco, captured when she wrote the Starabella series. Through three audio books on CD with music and accompanying magical illustrations, Starabella tells the story of a musically talented little girl with learning differences, whose eyes shine like stars when she is happy. Through the goodness inside her, her wonderful imagination, her special connection to the stars – and of course her music – Starabella becomes a kindergarten rock star who leads her classmates and listeners to the bright new world of her dreams. Children will want to sing, dance, dream, and imagine along with Starabella’s music.

Starabella is a family project, and a true labor of love. Tara and I were born in St. Louis, Missouri, but moved to Hawaii as very small children. Raised in the culturally diverse and creative community of Honolulu, much of Tara’s music was inspired by our beautiful natural surroundings. Our family presents an example of the inclusion we speak of in Starabella. Tara and I always had a special connection through music. Tara composed, played the piano, and sang, and I sang and wrote lyrics. We started performing together and writing songs together at an early age. My mom envisioned and produced the Starabella project and wrote the stories, based on my sister’s music and experiences. Tara composed 17 out of the 22 songs and melodies used in the series, many of which when she was a small child. I narrated the stories, played many of the characters, and I wrote some of the songs and lyrics as well. My Dad has been a support through the entire project, helping to make it all possible.

The three books of Starabella take our heroine through three different stages of her early growing up. In Book One, we see Starabella at home, where she is the star of her family. Her parents start to recognize and react to their daughter’s challenges and her unique abilities. In Book Two, we see Starabella venture out into the community, where she reacts to a world that asks her to conform. Her parents balance wanting to teach their daughter reasons for following the rules with wanting to make sure she continues to believe in herself. In Book Three, Starabella starts her first day of kindergarten. Starabella’s kindergarten class includes children from a variety of backgrounds, all with their own challenges and abilities.

As an adult, Tara performed musical shows written by my mom for young children in Hawaii preschools, kindergarten classrooms, after school and day care programs. Later, in New York, our current home, Tara performed the stories in various educational venues. Some of the scenarios presented in Book Three were based on true social dilemmas my mom observed in the venues where Tara performed. In the diverse world of Starabella’s classroom, the children learn lessons of empathy, and learn that when they make friendly choices, their eyes, like Starabella’s shine like stars. Children listening at home or at school are asked to make socially sensitive choices as well by using a “magical mirror” in the book. They send their choices to help the children in Starabella’s class. Starabella, surrounded by starglow, is magically transformed into a kindergarten rock star and leads children everywhere to the bright new world of friendliness and acceptance “where children play and get along and are accepted for exactly who they are.”

Starabella is a superheroine for all children. The stories and music speak to anyone who has ever felt different for any reason, or who has treated someone else poorly for seeming different. The Starabella stories speak directly to the place in all children yearning for acceptance and understanding. If we can teach children at an early age to practice empathy and appreciate each other’s differences and abilities, they grow into adults who can achieve a better, more peaceful world. Please join our family in following Starabella there – to the bright new world where all our unique paths meet in harmony.

Dana Fialco Masters
Vocalist/Composer/Lyricist/Narrator/Associate