http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html Betsy Stern Kids' Music: Blog Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:37:37 -0700 http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/coyote_hills_regional_park_butterfly__bird_festival Butterfly & Bird Festival. The weather was superb and there were a lot of people, as well as many beautiful butterflies. I love this event, the people, and the location. What wonderful day!]]> http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/coyote_hills_regional_park_butterfly__bird_festival Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:37:37 -0700 Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Blog http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/wonderful_festival_at_the_childrens_museum_yesterday
I'm not sure when my next day off is, as things are so busy right now. Well, I never really get a whole day off, but when you're doing what you love, that doesn't matter. I never cease to be amazed by how much music draws us together, all ages and all walks of life. It's an absolutely amazing feeling to see people come together at a concert.

I'm not posting all of my gigs on this calendar, as most are private and I'm doing between 40 and 50 events a month. I'll post the public ones.

Well, I have a hundred things I need to do today, so off to get started...]]> http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/wonderful_festival_at_the_childrens_museum_yesterday Sun, 16 May 2010 13:30:43 -0700 Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Blog http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/to_answer_a_question_that_comes_up_at_gigs
Sometimes at gigs people ask me about my family and our background. It’s a wonderful mix of cultures (Native, Latino, African-American, Filipino, and European), languages, and food! We’re a big family, with five generations living in California, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. I have three siblings, and there are 11 grandkids, 18 great grandkids, and two great great grandkids (with a third on the way). The main languages (not everyone speaks all of them) are English, Gwich'in, Spanish, and French. My siblings and I are half Hungarian and half Russian, but we don’t speak either (our cousins speak Hungarian). So, depending on who is cooking where, dinner can include anything from caribou stew to lumpia to crêpes to alcapurrias to the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with lots of Hungarian side dishes. My dad loved rhythms from all over the world and incorporated many into his children’s music. He also loved to cook and often made Russian dishes.

My family owned a wholesale import/export company that bought primarily from Japan and later from China, India, and other Asian countries. My grandparents, who started the company and lived close by, always had foreign business colleagues over for family dinners, which I loved to attend because I got to see all sorts of different traditions.

I remember one time when I returned home from living in France. My sister also arrived from Mexico, where she was living at the time time. Our older brother arrived with many visitors from his village in Alaska. There were so many people at my parents’ house that we were using table cloths for blankets, but it was such a great gathering.

So, what I do with and for kids with my programs comes from all the music I heard and played growing up and from my multicultural family. I hope that this helps to answer the question about my background! Oh, and my kids are half British!]]> http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/to_answer_a_question_that_comes_up_at_gigs Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:06:12 -0700 Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Blog http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/new_recordings http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/new_recordings Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:04:12 -0800 Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Blog http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/april_in_paris http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/april_in_paris Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:05:48 -0800 Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Blog http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/the_power_of_music
Tomorrow I'm playing at the wonderful Children's Museum at La Habra, then over to Long Beach to visit with a dear French friend, and then back to San Diego. This is a wonderful trip!]]> http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/the_power_of_music Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:37:46 -0800 Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Blog http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/how_funny_kids_can_be_at_gigs
Our public libraries in the States are doing an absolutely incredible job of reaching out to local communities and bringing families into the fold of literacy and culture. Funding for libraries is extremely tough, yet they march on. I still go to the library once a week to check out books. (I'm reading Willie Nelson's book on the Tao right now. He's pretty funny, and I've learned from watching him live what makes an amazing performance.)

My youngest is about to turn 18. I should be feeling old, but I'm not! I'm trying to decide what to cook for his birthday. We're doing a 5-course potluck. He's been absolutely amazingly supportive of my playing, from helping me load in and out to making suggestions for songs and arrangements. He's well on his way now in his own career, and I'm really proud of him.

My next public performance will be in a couple weeks, at the Children's Museum at La Habra, a museum that I love and play several times a year. This show will compliment their new exhibit on farm animals, and is called "Down on the Farm." I'm also going to San Diego to play at a friend's school, and am very much looking forward to the trip and the performances.]]> http://betsysternkidsmusic.com/blog.html/how_funny_kids_can_be_at_gigs Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:01:30 -0800 Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Betsy Stern Kids' Music - Blog