Folks, I have to tell you: I did something crazy last night. I went to a concert. And not just any concert. I went to a rockin’, rollin’, Jana Alayra concert.
For those who aren’t familiar with Jana, she sings fun Sunday School songs geared to preschool and elementary kids. Her original songs and music are pumped up with plenty of hand motions so kids can dance along as they sing. We’ve been watching this YouTube channel to learn the moves over the last few weeks. That way the girls were already familiar with most of the songs before we got to the concert.
The concert was held at a church about 35 minutes from where we live. It had started to rain sometime in the early afternoon, but that didn’t stop us from jammin’ to Jana! We threw on our rain jackets and tennis shoes (“shoes” instead of sandals are a clear indicator that there is “weather” in San Diego) and hit the road. The auditorium at the church only holds 300 or so people, so the place wasn’t too crowded and parking was easy to find.
We had a great time singing along to the words on the screen as Jana modeled the hand motions for the songs. Most of kids between kindergarten and third grade knew all the songs and movements to go along with them! My kids don’t sing along to fast-paced music very well, but Madeline and baby John had a great time dancing their hearts out!
Emily wasn’t too sure about singing and dancing. She stood in a corner or followed at my heels until she found a nice chair to sit in. She was happy just to watch all the action.
A Jana concert may be geared towards kids, but it’s not too unlike a regular concert. For example,
- Random people get on stage with the singer. At a Jana concert, don’t be surprised if she calls up ALL the 4-year-olds in the audience… Or maybe all the daddies!
- There are DVDs, CDs, and T-Shirts for sale in the lobby
- You can choose to be in the “mosh pit” or sit in the audience. One big difference, though, is that a Jana mosh pit is full of children and safe from broken glass. 😉
- Lights and stage decor make the event even more exciting. When you’re at a Jana concert, the lights add bright colors to the ambience and playful cartoon children with balloons make the stage look friendly.
Jana puts on a great show. I am amazed at how she can keep up her energy and patience with an audience full of active kiddos.
At this stage in my life, attending a kiddie concert out of town with 3 kids 3 and under falls under the category of “doing something crazy”. But I am so glad we went because the kids had a blast and the show was entertaining enough so that I did too!