Metropolitan Library System - Days 2 and 3

Tuesday I was on my own - so no photos from Lisa, sorry! I was in Bethany for two morning shows, then Belle Isle in the evening. Crowds were small but spirited! I think "You're a Dinosaur" in Belle Isle may have been the best ever. My volunteer dinosaurs started running through the audience to do their dinosaur moves, but they always came back to a line at the front for the next verse!

Yesterday we were at the Wright branch for the morning and Warr Acres in the afternoon. Lisa was there to take photos, and here they are:

The Wright program was at a nearby church.

Triceratops Bop

Roundy Round - not a regular part of the program, but sometimes I'll throw in a different song just for fun.

At Warr Acres we had a very chatty crowd - I always have fun when I can interact a lot with the kids!

Can you guess what's in this box?

Stegosaur Swing

Tyrannosaur Crunch

Metropolitan Library System Day 1 - NW and Capitol Hill

We kicked off the Metropolitan System tour in OKC today at the brand new North West branch. The building is impressive! Whimsical statues greet you on your way in. Structures resembling oil derricks rise up from the roof outside, and inside the base of each of these defines a smaller space within the open library, such as a checkout desk or study area. There is an outdoor courtyard attached to the children's area with high walls all around so kids can roam free. (When we arrived the librarians were rescuing a mouse who had fallen in!) The program room has an open airy feeling and great acoustics! There were only a handful of folks in attendance at the afternoon show at Capitol Hill, but we had a lot of fun there too! Here are photos: 

Those white areas are dry erase boards. I asked how you write on the top part - and was told that you don't. They double as projection screens, that's why they're so big! Cool - I will be using projectors with my science program next year.

Ants in Your Pants Dance

Here is pretty much my entire audience from the afternoon show at Capitol Hill!

Alva, Oklahoma

Two fun shows today in Alva! In the morning we had mostly pre-K through first graders, plus one group of older kids who usually come in the afternoon. That left us with only about nine kids for the afternoon show! We had fun though; I gave a very informal and chatty performance. Lisa and Evalyn were not with me today, but many thanks to the librarian who took a few photos for me after each program!

After the first show, kids lined up to have strum on my guitar.

Here is the entire audience from the second show.

And here is our "silly" pose!

Yukon, Oklahoma

Great show in Yukon today! There were about 90 kids in chairs - no parents allowed. And the kids were wonderful! I had a lot of fun with this group. Here are some photos to prove it...

Chatting with the kids before the show.

Such an attentive audience!

Rrrrr... I'm hungry!

Singing underwater.

Triceratops Bop

Hadrosaur Hoot

Baldwin County, Alabama

Last week we were in Baldwin County, Alabama for the whole week, right on the Gulf Coast! We stayed in a cozy little apartment provided by the librarian in Orange Beach. We explored the white sands beach there, went swimming in the ocean, and Evalyn brought home a bag full of shells. I did seven library shows. Here are photos from all of them...

Daphne, Alabama

Bay Minette, Alabama - "getting warm in the sun"

Triceratops Bop

Robertsdale, Alabama

This lucky library dog regularly gets read to by the kids, and she gets to come to all the programs!

"Library Bookaneers" in Fairhope, Alamaba

Hadrosaur Hoot

At the sales table

Foley, Alabama - this was a huge program for several hundred kids. The librarians kicked it off with a skit about Pig and Elephant.

Tyrannosaur Crunch

Orange Beach that afternoon - quite a contrast! This was a small, intimate, chatty program! 

Friday morning at Gulf Shores.

Seismosaur Stomp

Paseo Arts FEAST July 16 in OKC

I am one of five artists selected for the July 16 Paseo Arts FEAST! This is a chance for me to receive a grant in support of my work writing songs with kids. This is also a chance for you to support that work!!

Here's how the FEAST works:
During a meal, five different artists get five minutes each to present their proposals. At the end of the evening, attendees vote on their favorite. The artist with the most votes receives all the proceeds in order to make their proposal happen!

My proposal in a nutshell:
I would like to purchase some portable recording equipment that will enable me involve the kids I work with in arranging and recording songs they've written! Making recordings of the songs is an important way to ensure that their efforts will connect with a wider community. Right now I do that for them at home. Being able to arrange and record with the kids during class will increase their exposure to different music-making skills, increase their feeling of ownership in the overall project, and also increase my ability to receive Oklahoma Arts Council funding for what I do.

How you can participate:
Getting as many of my supporters in the room as possible is part of the game here! Tickets are $30 each. For your ticket you get:
- A meal at Joey's Pizzeria, 700 W. Sheridan in OKC, 6:00-8:00PM
- A fun evening watching artists describe their hopes and dreams
- A vote
- The wonderful feeling that comes from supporting the arts. Even if your ticket money doesn't go to me it will go to one of the other four deserving artists presenting that evening.

To help out, you can buy a ticket - even if you can't be there, it'd be a great gift for a friend who can - and/or help spread the word.

You can get your ticket and find out more here:
http://paseofeast.wordpress.com/upcoming-feasts/feast-event-info/

Ada, Oklahoma

One of our highlights every summer is our visit to the Ada public library. We were trying to remember how many years running I've performed there, and it must be about 20! Today's program was as lively as always, with lots of fun audience interaction, including a toddler who tried to make off with my concertina!

Stegosaur Swing

Posing with fans.

She came to the show when she was 10!

This little guy didn't want me to give him back to mom! He was very interested in the ferret.

Emporia, KS

Yesterday was our second time to visit Emporia for the library's outdoor "Brown Bag" concert series. It was also the first day of the summer that really felt hot to us - the car registered some temperatures over 100! We had a great crowd of kids, parents, grandparents, and daycares - about 350 people.

Here are some great photos that Lisa took - for even more great photos see the Emporia Library Facebook Page.