Laurie Berkner:
- Unprecedented sales to latte-sipping Starbucks customers
- Billboard's #1 Music Video
- Concert tickets being scalped at $100+
Who is this rock star sweeping the nation with her fanatical following?
If you have young children and you don't know who I'm talking about,
get with it! She's
Laurie
Berkner, a children's music phenomena, the hottest thing
ever to hit the pre-K set, and
Boopadoo
has an exclusive interview!
Boopadoo:
There was alot of buzz on the internet leading up to your recent Today
Show appearance. Do you have any unique experiences to share
from this year's visit?
Laurie Berkner:
It was the first live performance I had done without my husband in five
years. Before I got there I felt kind of sad, but during the
show I felt very excited by the new energy of playing with someone else
(Adam Bernstein, who has performed on three of my CDs). I
also enjoyed the fact that we were not on a stage this time; it felt
more intimate.
Boopadoo: What
would you have said if someone had told you, back in 1991 when you were
teaching music to preschoolers, that it would all lead to this?
Laurie Berkner: “Are
you kidding me?”
Boopadoo:
So what's it like to play the White House?
Laurie Berkner:
Well, we weren’t actually in the White House itself; we were
on the lawn. What I loved about it was the part before we
officially went on, when we played for the 5,000 or so people waiting
to get in (they let them in to the bleachers in shifts). It
was at that point the biggest crowd Susie and I had ever played
to. Brian wasn’t performing with us yet.
It was really fun that the people were so excited – the
energy we felt from them was tremendous. It was actually more
fun than the official performance itself, when we were just part of a
lineup with other bands and people were milling around. We
didn’t get to meet the Clintons or anything.
Boopadoo:
The White House, the Today Show, Billboard chart toppers... you must be
having a ball! How do you stay so grounded with all your
recent success?
Laurie Berkner:
Spending time with my daughter Lucy, doing a lot of therapy,
and having good people in my life.
Boopadoo:
How does motherhood influence your perspective? What kind of
rules you might set for your children with regard to listening to music?
Laurie Berkner:
When I first had Lucy I wasn’t writing much at all.
My creativity was going into being a mom. I’m not
sure how it’s different yet. As for
“rules” - if she doesn’t like it I turn
it off. If she says “again” I keep
playing!
Boopadoo: My
kids and I absolutely love your latest DVD. Whenever things get a
little crazy and we just need a fun break, "We Are the Laurie Berkner
Band" never disappoints. You look like you're having so much fun on
that recording! My first-grader loves watching your DVD, and
wants to know "if she [Laurie] uses it, too". This begs the
question, do you have any favorite songs on that DVD?
Laurie Berkner:
Part of the reason I picked the ones that are on there is that a lot of
them are my favorites. I especially feel closest to the new
one, “Walk Along The River.” I almost cry
when I watch the kids dancing to that one, it’s so beautiful
to me. I love watching it.
Boopadoo:
What advice do you offer to the mother of a young child when it comes
to music?
Laurie Berkner:
I feel like I’m learning myself, being a new mom.
The one thing that kept me going as a teacher is that as long as I kept
the music fun for the kids, it seemed right. One
thing I’ve noticed with Lucy is that she picks up more than I
think, so just to be as conscious when they’re listening to
music as you would be when they’re learning new words, etc.
Laurie Berkner Video
Laurie Berkner DVD
Laurie Berkner Music CD
Laurie Berkner Noggin videos for Move to the Music.
Laurie Berkner Concert
Laurie Berkner Bio
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