Berkner at Mountain Laurel

‘Pied Piper of the preschool set’ to perform BUSHKILL — Widely hailed as the “Pied Piper of the preschool set,” multi-platinum-selling children’s music icon Laurie Berkner and her band will perform a special morning concert at Mountain Laurel Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 11 a.m. Tickets range from $25 to $35 for the pavilion and are on sale now via Ticketmaster at 570-693-4100, through Ticketmaster outlets, online at mountainlaurelcenter.com, or by visiting MLCPA’s on-site box office. Tickets for lawn seats are $18 and go on sale Thursday, July 12, at 10 a.m. “The Laurie Berkner Band is a must-see treat for anyone who has young children,” said Richard Bryant, president and CEO of the Mountain Laurel Center. “She is one of the most popular children’s performers in the world, and her music doesn’t talk down to kids n it charms them as well as their parents. She gets children involved with the performance, and that’s an important first step in encouraging kids to grow up with a love for good music and life itself.” Born in France to American parents, Laurie Berkner worked as a summer-camp music counselor, attended Rutgers University and began her working life as a music specialist for preschool children. She created her first children’s album, “Whaddya Think of That?” n available on cassette tape only n in 1997, filling orders for the tapes in the living room of her Manhattan apartment. As her small side business expanded, she retained her full-time job as a preschool music teacher n and as her music grew in popularity she brought in a friend to assist her with the tape orders. Berkner’s songwriting, vocals and melodies have garnered her band frequent appearances on Jack’s Big Music Show, one of the most popular series on Nickelodeon’s NOGGIN Network, a channel with an educational slant geared to preschool children. The hits kept coming, as well as a mass of awards, rave reviews and TV appearances. The band’s 2006 DVD “We Are ... The Laurie Berkner Band” n the first kids’ title co-released by Starbucks n entered Billboard’s Music Videos chart at #1 and went multi-platinum. Parenting Magazine wrote, “The Pied Piper of Preschool pulls together a bouncy set of her best get-up-and-dance music videos, sure to keep wee toes tapping. Today the Laurie Berkner Band tours nationally and internationally, performing everywhere from the White House to prestigious children’s festivals. Berkner has also written a children’s book, “Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco,” based on her song “Victor Vito.” Berkner’s touring band consists of herself on guitar and vocals, pianist Susie Lampert and bassist Adam Bernstein.