Weekly Summary (1/13/14 - 1/19/14)

Kids Music in Kids' Museums (Interactivity 2014)

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I've spoken about kids music in a number of settings over the years, and while it's always nice to talk with fellow kids' music nerds, I get a particular kick from talking about kids music with folks who aren't as dialed into the kids music scene.

Which is exactly what I get to do in May, when the Association of Children's Museums hosts their annual Interactivity conference in Phoenix.  I've been booking kids' shows at the wonderful Children's Museum of Phoenix for several years now, and I helped them put together a panel for this year's conference, which they're hosting.  The panel is called "How To Rock YOUR Museum!" (see page 27 of the preliminary program) and so on Thursday, May 17 I'll be joining Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis from Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band and Jim Packard from the Long Island Children's Museum as well my main partner at CMOP and a local Music Together provider (from whom our family actually took classes).

I am really looking forward to sharing what I know about the world of kids music with who I believe are more than a thousand attendees at the conference -- no offense to the other sessions scheduled at the same time, but they should all attend our session.

And if you're planning on attending, stop by and say hello -- I'd love to meet a reader in person!

Concert Recap: Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band (Phoenix, August 2012)

On an August weekend in Phoenix, there's generally only one requirement for any activity:

Air conditioning.

But it also helps if you can play and listen to music.

Los Angeles' Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band made the trek out from the coast to play a couple sets at the Children's Museum of Phoenix on August 20, and since I help book the series, I was definitely eager to see 'em play.

One thing CMOP has started to do is put a few of the shows in their large atrium.  What it does is let a lot more people see a show at any particular point in time (that picture there doesn't quite capture the dozens more outside of the frame), or just let the people playing in the 3-story-tall Schuff-Perini Climber (which you can see just a very small portion of at the top left) hear music while they scamper around.  It would be a bad setting for a solo artist playing an acoustic set, but for the more active rock and pop shows, the kinetic and vocal energy helps encourage the kids who are there in front to move around and dance.  I think if artists are willing to accept the less-than-distraction-free environment it can be a fun show.

I'm a big fan of Lucky, of course, and he and wife/co-band member Alisha Gaddis made a fair amount of noise considering it was just a duo.  I was particularly impressed by the kick-suitcase Diaz had fashioned to give his songs a little bit of extra "oomph."

Anyways, here's a clip of the band playing "Lemonade Stand" off their latest album A Potluck.

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band - "Lemonade Stand" (Live at the Children's Museum of Phoenix) [YouTube]