The Laurie Berkner Band: Waiting for the Elevator

I can’t sing. I think I may even be tone deaf. But I didn’t let that stop me from singing to my girls when they were babies. I even made up lots of lullabies and silly songs.

And I always emphasized how much I loved them. By the way, I also thought it was funny to talk and sing to them in third person so they’d learn to say ‘Mama’ first. It worked! At least it did with Mini Me and I’m 89% sure it worked with Little Lion. I confess that I don’t remember all of her little milestones as well as I do with my eldest.

Now that my girls are older (9 and 13), the times when I resist singing is when I’m with my littlest of patients. Mostly if a baby is upside down (I’ve got a song for that) but also when I’m tickling the toddler-preschool kids (also a song).

Here’s where Laurie Berkner comes in:

Mini Me and discovered The Laurie Berkner Band when the band was featured on Jack’s Big Music Show on Nick Jr and Noggin. See more here. Her fun and catchy songs were so loved in our house that we had to buy all of her albums. Mini Me has always loved music and she learned so much from singing these songs. As did I! (Please note, I’m still tone deaf. But I can sing a lot of Berkner’s classic songs.)

We did meet Laurie Berkner at the L.A. Times Festival of Books a few years ago, when we were treated to a mini-concert. Though my girls are getting older, Berkner’s music will always be in our hearts. So I’m thrilled to review The Laurie Berkner Band’s latest album, Waiting for the Elevator.

This is NOT elevator music, people! Well, it is. But it’s not what we think about when we talk about ‘elevator music’—about the re-worked, watered down version of popular music. It’s music about elevators, about the quintessential WAIT and the expectations that happen. It really reminds me of any parent who has waited patiently for an elevator with their toddler and what they might talk about to distract them while waiting. Been there, done that, and I may just miss those toddler days.

As always, Laurie Berkner is always so inclusive. If you’ve seen her videos on her youTube channel or when she was on Noggin and Nick Jr, you know that she includes kids of all different shades and neuroabilities. It’s not mentioned or acknowledged, it just IS. Just as her lyrics aren’t overly preachy, but still can teach a lesson, as is seen in “Did you go to Ohio?”

“Did you go to Ohio? Yes I went to Ohio . And when I went to Ohio, the people were so nice.”

Berkner continues this lovely song with other destinations in the U.S., showing acceptance in so many different ways.

One of my favorite songs on this album is “Purple Bricks in the Sky”, which is a super catchy tune about purple bricks in the sky. In other words, it’s full of imagination and fun.

I also have a soft spot in my heart for “I Am Angry (Yes I Am)” because I can see this as a great song to sing when we’re frustrated and don’t know how to articulate it.

Even better? The bonus track is a Spanish version of one of our favorite Laurie Berkner Band songs, “We Are the Dinosaurs” AKA “Somos Los Dinosaurios”. For the dinosaur lovers out there, you can get the picture book version of this song too, which is illustrated by one of our favorite artists, Ben Clanton.

Laurie Berkner set out to write an album all about various forms of growth, and achieved that goal. I still hope my kids never grow up. If you know me personally, you know that I’m a big kid at heart. Though my girls are now 9 and 13 years old, we still have a love for music and for Laurie Berkner’s music in particular. We are thrilled to see her in concert this upcoming April and hope she plays some of our favorites. (In fact, I’ve seen that this is a solo tour, labeled ‘Greatest Hits’ and I really CAN’T wait!)

If you have a toddler, pre-schooler, kindergartner on up, you MUST check out the Laurie Berkner Band. You won’t regret it. Especially when you’re tired of Baby Shark on constant loop. :D

Bonus: Laurie Berkner’s album is out now. You can also listen to her songs on her youTube channel and go on a “Berkner Break”.

The Bookworm Girls met Laurie Berkner at the 2017 L.A. Times Festival of Books when she was promoting the picture book version of We Are the Dinosaurs.