Fun Freetime: Laurie Berkner's New Themed Albums!

Beloved children's recording artist and preschool TV favorite Laurie Berkner will release six fully remastered, "themed," digital albums on June 16th.  Titled Laurie Berkner's Animal Songs, Laurie Berkner's Classroom Favorites, Laurie Berkner's Food Songs, Laurie Berkner's Movement Songs, Laurie Berkner's Nature Songs, and Laurie Berkner's Transportation Songs, these albums were personally curated by Laurie to support teachers, parents, or anyone needing a song with a particular theme.

I had a chance to interview Laurie to learn more.

Why did you decide to re-release songs in themed albums?

I have been immersed in developing the curriculum and training the teachers for my music program, Laurie Berkner’s The Music In Me, and it really had me thinking a lot about how my songs are used in a class setting.  I realized how helpful it could be to curate the songs I’ve written in a way that would make sense for pre-schoolers, their parents and especially for educators who were out there looking for very specifically themed songs.  I also loved the chance to go back into some more of my very early recordings, remaster them, and make them available along with newer ones at a lower cost. 

Besides the obvious benefits for those in education, how can these albums help parents?

If your child is interested in a certain thing like vehicles, or maybe he or she just loves animals, it’s great to be able to find an album where songs about those particular themes are all brought together.  It’s also helpful to get ideas for parties, for playing music at a themed event or because your child is exploring a certain subject in the classroom.

How do you make sure your songs are educational and fun at the same time?

I don’t think a lot about making them educational, but I do think about sharing the messages that I wish I had gotten as a kid, or that I would want to share with my own child.  I actually remember loving to learn things about the world like the days of the week, or how to spell something, and even just enjoyed having fun with the way different words sounded.  If I sing about those things in the ways that I remember as being fun, then hopefully my songs will also be fun for other people!