THE WASHINGTON POST • FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2010
40
ForKids
Rocknoceros
Friday at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m., Discovery Theater, 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW, $3-$6, 202- 633-8700 or www.
discoverytheater.org.
Sunday at 5 p.m., Hern- don Festival, Elden and Lynn streets, Herndon, free, www.herndon
festival.net.
Aug. 10-14 at 11:15 a.m., Wolf Trap Chil- dren’s Theatre-in-the- Woods, 1645 Trap Rd., Vienna, $8, 703-255- 1868 or www.wolftrap.
org. Ages 2-6.
The Sippy Cups
Saturday at 2 p.m., Al- den Theatre, 1234 In- gleside Ave., McLean, $20, 703-790-0123 or
www.mcleancenter.org.
Ages 2-6.
DAYNA SMITH FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Robbie Schaefer, music director for Sirius XM Radio’s kids’ channel, says young audiences are “not going to lie to you. They’re not going to be polite.”
Father knows best (kids’ music)
by Christina Barron
When Robbie Schaefer volunteered to teach music at son Ethan’s preschool back in 2000, it was the beginning of his own education in chil- dren’s music. “It’s a much tougher audience, that’s for sure,” he said, comparing the kids with the crowds that would come see Eddie From Ohio, the local band Schaefer had been singing and playing guitar with for almost a decade. “They’re not going to lie to you. They’re not
going to be polite. Either you have their atten- tion or they’re going to move on to something else,” he said with a laugh. The preschool experience led to his own chil-
dren’s album, “Songs for Kids Like Us.” After ap- pearing at then-XM Radio to promote the al- bum, he found out the station was looking for a kids host.
“I thought, ‘I could do that,’ ” Schaefer said.
Three weeks later, he had a full-time job figuring out what music appeals to 5-to-11-year-olds and testing it on his live show, “Robbie Schaefer Is Stuck in a Really Tall Tree.” Now music director for Sirius XM Radio’s Kids Place Live channel, Schaefer hosts “Robbie Schaefer’s Bandwagon,” a new show he says is “centered on kids, commu- nity and music.” Schaefer still performs when he isn’t in the studio or out interviewing young musicians for his show. (He will appear July 6-10 at 11:15 a.m. at Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods.)
MIKE BELLEME
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, with daughter Saki, has D.C. dates in June and August.
And he has managed to find time to write and record a new kids EP, due out this summer. With credentials in nearly every aspect of the kiddie music world, Schaefer is the ideal choice to help Weekend readers find the summer’s best kids shows. Here are his top five.
Recess Monkey
Three teachers from Seattle known as Recess
Monkey are on Schaefer’s list of go-to summer shows. The trio is high-energy and does a great live show, he said. “Before too long they’ll be list- ed with all the A-list people” including Dan Zanes, Laurie Berkner and Justin Roberts, Schaefer said. Recess Monkey’s space-themed new release, “The Final Funktier,” has the group moving from an earlier Beatles-inspired sound that elevated the mundane — “I Got a Toy (But I Played With the Box)” — to something more funky but still very funny. “Ukulalien” finds a vis- itor from outer space crash-landing in Hawaii. Somehow, it works.
Recess Monkey, July 10 at 11 a.m., Jammin’ Ja- va, 227 E. Maple Ave., Vienna, $8, 703-255-1566 or
www.jamminjava.com. July 10 at 4:30 p.m., Gaithersburg’s Summer Safari at Kentlands Market Square, Market Street and Centerpoint Way, Gaithersburg, free, 866-677-8676 or
http://summersafarifestival.com. July 11 at 10:30 a.m., Great Kids Village, 8504 Fenton St., Silver Spring, $10, 301-309-2386, Ext. 3. July 13 at noon, Great Kids Village, 6570 Dobbin Rd., Co- lumbia, free with admission to facility, 301-309- 2386, Ext. 3. Ages 4-9.
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
The idea of hip-hop for little kids could easily
be written off as a gimmick. But 23 Skidoo and his “kid-hop” sound is the real thing. “He’s abso-
children’s concerts continued on 41
Milkshake
Saturday at 4:30 p.m., Baysox Stadium, 4101 Crain Hwy., Bowie, $10 (includes admission to game), 301-464-4865 or
www.baysox.com. July 14 at 7 p.m., Strath- more, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, free, 301-581-5100 or
www.strathmore.org.
July 20-24 at 11:15 a.m., Wolf Trap Chil- dren’s Theatre-in-the- Woods, 1645 Trap Rd., Vienna, $8, 703-255- 1868 or www.wolftrap.
org. Ages 3-7.
Suzi Shelton
June 13 at 10:30 a.m., Sixth & I Historic Syna- gogue, 600 I St. NW., $8 in advance, $10 at the door, 202-408- 3100 or
www.sixthandi.
org. Ages 3-7.
Brady Rymer
July 10 at 7 p.m., Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Govern- ment Center Way, Fair- fax, free, 703-324-
8428. Ages 3-7.
Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer with Christylez Bacon
July 29 at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, $7, 301-581-5100 or www.
strathmore.org. Ages
3-7.
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