How it feels to have a virtual show with Latin Grammy winning kids rock sensations
The live shows of 123 Andres are bilingual, creative, and most importantly, FUN!
(PHOTO: 123 Andres on Facebook)
As a connoisseur of independent music for kids, I was exposed to the music of 123 Andres ( a musical duo comprised of husband and wife team Andres and Christina), and they have been advocates for family music that reflects and respects all cultural backgrounds and teaching the kids the wonders of diversity, music, the arts and appreciating global cultures.
They have committed to that with their string of live shows in years gone by, visiting schools, libraries, and arts centers across the United States and even across Latin America, where Andres came from.
And that has held true especially in the midst of the pandemic. Despite moving to virtual engagements, the duo still is rockin' it!
And speaking of virtual engagements, I was lucky enough to take part in one of those engagements.
It was for an arts organization that has a series of virtual programs that aim to stoke arts education among the youth, especially during this pandemic as many arts spaces were shut down. 123 Andres as among those who were part of the lineup for kids and families. And as I was one very special friend of theirs, I wanted to join in and share how I felt about the show as live concerts return to the US.
123 Andres' live shows are filled with lessons about music, language, and more!
(Photo courtesy of the author)
When the show started, they opened up with one song from their album, "Une Idea Tengo Yo", which tackles science and technology and it's a Spanish action song about driving in a car. This helped us participants get pumped up for the next activity, the song called "Ten Little Birds" in both English and Spanish. This was a great part of the show, as Andres added many musical elements into the tune as we all counted the little birds on the roof fade away and return. This feels quite theatrical and well laid out and can get kids moving and shaking the way 123 Andres always does. This has become a standard at many of their shows (as I have seen some of their previous streams), like how Laurie Berkner always does "We Are The Dinosaurs at all her shows) Oh and it's a book, too, and you can get it where books are available.
One of the many typical activities at an 123 Andres show is their song, "Ten Little Birds"
(Photo courtesy of the author)
Then they went on to introduce us to the unique elements of the musical instruments that they used, like a flute called "gaita" which Andres showed off that was from his home country, Colombia. They also showed us a unique instrument called a "tounge drum" that Andres acquired from a friend of his. It looked very much like a UFO upon first sight, but we were mesmerized by the fact that it can play actual musical notes and the sound is, well, beautiful!
Andres shows off his "tongue drum" to us participants.
(Photo courtesy of the author)
We moved on to the next part, where they sang a piece about the sunflower, the official state flower of Christina's home state. And then another participant requested a song about a cow. And it lead to a very silly moment: Christina making duck sounds in the middle of a song about a cow. That made me smile as it was very funny!
And last, but not the least, we ended with a fun interactive activity: We were asked to make a song together and we submitted some characters and we ended up making a song about cicadas (which Marsha and the Positrons had made before). I loves the ideas that other participants sent in and we were making our own creative magic, something that has happened among the kindie community in the past year or so.
Andres and Christina getting us involved in making our own song about cicadas
(Photo courtesy of the author)
The overall experience of being in a 123 Andres show, even though it's only virtual, is that we were able to feel the positive energy radiated by the duo in their songs and their activities. The interactive portions of the show really get kids to move and groove along and broaden their cultural horizons, introducing us to the wonders of Latin America. We danced along, counted along, and learned some new things and made fascinating discoveries together. All in all, it has to be an enlightening experience that will leave you singing, dancing, and creating.
Muchas gracias to 123 Andres as well as Carpe Diem Arts, the arts organization that made this amazing event possible!
If you want to experience the fun of 123 Andres in person, you can find out more about upcoming arrangements at https://123andres.com/events/
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