GIVEAWAY! Tickets to the Laurie Berkner Band in Morristown

Background:

Laurie Berknerhas been a professional musician since 1992, but her success as a children’s recording artist was a surprise to her.  “It was so unexpected,” says Laurie.  “I’d been performing in rock bands and struggling to write original music.  Writing music for kids has not been a struggle at all.  The more I started working on material for children, the more I realized that it opened up creativity in me that I never knew I had.”

These days critics widely acknowledge Laurie’s major contribution toward launching what is now dubbed the progressive “kindie rock” movement – i.e. less saccharine, more rocking music that is not dumbed down for children.  But it wasn’t simply an enormous amount of talent that helped create an entire genre and skyrocketed Laurie to her current position as “the queen of children’s music” (People Magazine).  It was an ability to gain parents’ enthusiasm for the songs as well.  According to Laurie, “When I’m writing a song, I’m thinking about whether the kids will like it and whether I’m going to connect to them through it.  I’m also thinking about whether I want to sing it over and over again, so I guess that’s the part that connects with adults.  Old MacDonald Had A Farm is a great song for kids, but I couldn’t sing it 100 times!” 

While Laurie never planned to be a children’s performer, looking back on her career it almost seems inevitable.  While growing up in Princeton, New Jersey, Laurie was always involved in music, whether singing in choirs, playing in bands, or performing in musical theater. After graduation, Laurie spent several years as a children’s music specialist at New York area preschool and day care centers.  Working with children became the perfect creative outlet for Laurie to express her talents and create something that, she says, “has turned out to be incredibly rewarding.”

The Laurie Berkner Band began performing high-energy live shows that inspired tots to form kiddie mosh pits and throw stuffed animals on the stage.  After their national TV debut on the Today Show in 2001, the band’s fan base grew so much that Laurie was able to move her record company (Two Tomatoes Records) out of her one-bedroom apartment and into a real office.

In 2004, the band debuted on the Nick Jr. TV channel with a series of six music videos for the network’s Move To The Music series. The network then asked Laurie to be a regular guest star in its’ new original half-hour series Jack’s Big Music Show.

Laurie has been able to further explore her creativity with the new short-form animated musical preschool series, Sing It, Laurie!, which debuted in March, 2013 on 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout.  Sing It, Laurie! is the first collaboration between Laurie and Little Airplane Productions, the Emmy Award®-winning studio behind Wonder Pets and Small Potatoes.  Starring Laurie’s voice and featuring her original music written for the series, Sing It, Laurie! is about a little girl who uses her music and songs to help her better understand the world.

Laurie has released multiple best-selling, award winning CDs (Whaddaya Think Of That; Buzz Buzz; Victor Vito; Under A Shady Tree; Rocketship Run; The Best Of The Laurie Berkner Band and A Laurie Berkner Christmas), and DVDs (We are . . . The Laurie Berkner Band and Party Day!). She has authored four books based on her songs, including two Barnes & Noble NOOK Kids™ e-books.   Her first-ever lullaby album is due out in April, 2014.

Laurie continues to be inspired by her audience. “I want to create songs that matter for children,” she says.  “I was singing once and saw a four-year-old girl shut her eyes and start swaying to the music.  I thought, ‘That’s the reason I got into music.’  It keeps me wanting to do more.”

When she’s not making music, Laurie enjoys visiting the farmer’s market for organic produce, knitting, biking and spending time with her husband and daughter.  They live in New York City.