INTERVIEW: Laurie Berkner has ‘so much to give’ audiences

Laurie Berkner’s longevity in the arena of children’s music is the gift that keeps on giving. The singer-songwriter has been crafting toddler tunes for more than two decades, and now there are multiple generations who have been influenced by her lyrical poetry, catchy beats and interactive fun.

Berkner brings her solo show Sunday, June 24 to the John Cranford Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The performance, presented by Marion and Aaron Gural JCC, begins at 3 p.m., and audiences should expect the many hits that have put Berkner on the radar screen of children for so many years.

“I usually perform my own songs, and they’re very interactive,” Berkner said in a recent phone interview. “So there will be a lot of dancing and singing and clapping and moving around. I guess I’m sort of pointing that out because it’s not the kind of show where I ask everybody to stay in their seats. They should just hopefully come and be ready to sing and have a really great time, even if they don’t know my songs. Usually people find out that they do know some of my songs, and they didn’t realize that they were mine. And other times, it doesn’t matter because it’s so easy to catch on to them that everybody is singing them by the time the song is halfway through.”

There should be a good mixture of children and adults at Berkner’s New York show, and the musician finds that both age groups enjoy the tunes. Perhaps the children are getting up out of their seats a little quicker than the parents, but everyone is having a good time.

“I’m usually asking the kids to get up and move more than the parents, only because if you have a tall adult standing up, then a kid who isn’t standing might not be able to see,” she said. “So that actually works out.”

Berkner’s songs include “Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz),” “We Are the Dinosaurs,” “Pig on her Head,” “Bubbles” and “I’ve Got so Much to Give,” among many, many others. When writing these tunes, she always considers her target audience of youngsters and what they would learn, appreciate and be entertained by.

“I think that’s part of why I really like writing songs for kids,” she said. “They are what’s important when I’m thinking about writing a song. I think kids are often underestimated, so it feels great to be able to hopefully bring something to them that they feel like does treat them seriously.”

A big break in Berkner’s career came thanks to Nick Jr., the television network devoted to toddler programming. She is the first artist to appear in a music video on Nick Jr. and was a common presence on the channel’s Jack’s Big Music Show. The exposure led to greater name recognition and more album sales.

“I was on the Today show, and I had a similar kind of experience,” she said. “But because the Nick Jr. exposure was over and over again, and not just a one-off time on a news program, it made a very big difference.”

It seems as if Berkner is always writing tunes, and during those early stages of creation, she is unsure which ones will impact the audience and prove to be long lasting. She would have never guessed which ones became hits.

“I think I am terrible at that actually,” she said with a laugh. ”  remember writing ‘We Are the Dinosaurs’ and thinking, well, the kids want a dinosaur song, so I’ll definitely make something for them. But once I had written it, I thought: kind of a simple, not-that-great song. And clearly it has hung around for more than 20 years, so I was wrong. I feel like I’m wrong about so many of them. I have a lot of friends or people around me who’ll say, ‘Oh, that’ll be great.’ Like I just wrote a song called ‘Waiting for the Elevator,’ and I thought, it’s OK. And I got a lot of feedback, like, oh, this is going to be a hit, and it has been organically a hit without being on an album. I don’t know. I like the songs when I write them, but then once I take a step back, I have a very hard time being objective. So it helps a lot when I get feedback from a kid.”

For the Hofstra show, Berkner will be on stage by herself without her band. This intimacy will allow her to be more improvisational and spontaneous.

“It’s just going to be me,” she said. “I usually plan a set list, but sometimes that changes more when it’s just me. And it’s also easier to do more of the a cappella songs, which, especially for the younger kids, I think really connects with them.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Laurie Berkner will perform Sunday, June 24 at 3 p.m. at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Click here for more information and tickets.