This is the 19th year for the Please Touch Museum's Junior Jazz Festival. Usually held in February, it has moved to May with live concerts every weekend through month's end.
The Festival kicked off, last weekend, with Louie Miranda and his friends, singing in both English and Spanish and adding a touch of Latin to the sound.
Ann Goering, Music Coordinator of the Please Touch Museum says, "It's a great way to introduce kids to jazz, especially our artists always incorporate songs like Old MacDonald had a band instead of a farm and that's a fun way to get the kids interested in a song that they know but have a jazz spin on it, get to learn the instruments."
Because the Please Touch Museum is interactive, kids and adults are invited to get up and dance to the tunes and even pick up an instrument and join the band in a little improv.
"We kind of promote the arts through music, which is a great method for children to be able to express themselves and find a sense of rhythm and associate, internalize the beat," said Goering.
They have a great time. They really relate to it. It's a fun, upbeat type of music in general and they really have a sense of rhythm. You can really see them having a great time and just enjoying themselves with the music," added Goering.
The Junior Jazz Festival runs through Sunday, May 29th and is free with museum admission. Warren Oree and The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble will provide the live beats, next weekend. You can go to http://pleasetouchmuseum.org for the performance schedule.
