"Big songs for small ears."

The Relative Minors is an indie rock band for kids. 

The project was the first-born child of Matt and Kiersten Robertshaw—a couple of fun-loving musicians and educators. Kiersten is a classically trained pianist and elementary music teacher. Matt played the drums in various ska, indie and folk-rock bands for many years before pursuing a career in academia. Matt and Kiersten began writing creative and catchy children’s songs in 2011 for their niece and went on to stage numerous performances at libraries, schools, summer camps, birthday parties, music festivals and other community events in their hometown of Cambridge, Ontario and the surrounding area.  

In its current format, The Relative Minors is a six-piece, electric guitar- and piano-driven rock n’ roll band which performs energetic and witty songs for kids of all ages. 

Drawing inspiration from everything from The Beatles and Electric Light Orchestra to The Muppets and The Wiggles, The Relative Minors offer a fresh take on the Children’s Music genre by combining the rock band format with catchy and clever lyrics, sophisticated instrumentation and an enduring respect for their audience. The Relative Minors believe in the power of play and imagination, and they hope to inspire a generation of young people to keep learning, keep playing and keep those toes tapping. 

Since 2019, they have been producing a series of music videos, singles and full-length studio albums. Their debut album Play Music was released in 2020. The second album The Full Circle was released in October 2021, and their third album, Minor Third, followed in October 2022. Their songs have been featured on several Children’s Music radio shows and websites including Spare the Rock, The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl, Radio Active Kids and more, and they have been interviewed on podcasts and radio shows. In 2021 they won their first award— The Folk Music Ontario Songs From the Heart Award, Children's category—for their song "A Successful Career as a Dog." In October 2022 The Full Circle was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Children's Album, and in February 2023 Minor Third won Global Album of the Year from Funky Kids Radio in Australia.