Our kids all have shows THEY love. The shows that make them go crazy at the first note of the theme song. Shows that make them shout “Again! Again!” Shows that make us, their parents, cringe in pain. This is not a post about those shows. I understand that children’s television is not for everyone. There will be some of you that just choose to hate children’s programming because you’re…well, not a child anymore. I, however, want to maybe point out the shows that aren’t that bad. One of those shows in the Horn household is Nick Jr’s The Fresh Beat Band.
Where do I start? This show DEFINITELY has cheese to spare and I’ll admit, I tend to watch my kids watching the show more than I actually watch the show itself but I can tell you this, this show is actually pretty cute. So, what is it we love?
The Fresh Beats
The most important component to any kids show is, of course, the characters. In this case it is a band called The Fresh Beats (fun trivia bit: The Fresh Beats were originally known as The Jump Arounds before their big break on Nick Jr). The group does everything together, including attending Music School where they learn everything thing they need to know from their teacher, Ms. Piccolo. Each character has something special they bring to the table and can attract just about any child. Let’s start with Kiki.
Kiki can be seen in pink and white and rocking out on guitar or blowing you away with her kick butt vocals. She is also a pretty talented dancer. She’s sweet and fun and I would definitely describe her as a voice of reason amongst the group. She always seems to know what to do.
Marina goes on to prove that yes, girls CAN play drums and totally rock at it. I am partial to Marina because I always wanted beautiful red locks like hers and she seems to have a cute, quirky personality similar to mine. She wears purple and turquoise…very fashion forward in my book.
Kids are definitely drawn to her due to her silly nature and I totally get it. Kids LOVE silly.
Speaking of silly, let’s talk about Twist. My girls LOVE him! He is super goofy and silly (KIDS LOVE SILLY) and he does something you don’t see every day…he beatboxes (super cool in my book).
And with his yellow hoodie and pretty sweet dance moves, I’ll definitely give him the Mommy Crush Seal of Approval.
Last but not least, there’s Shout. Where Twist and Marina bring on the silly, Shout definitely rounds out the sensible side with Kiki. I got to give Shout major kudos for bringing back both the Carlton Banks preppy look in his orange cardigan and khaki shorts but also the phrase “Cool Beans”. KU-DOS! Shout is known for playing the keyboard but he’s got velvety smooth vocals that bring a nice warmness to each song.
Shout doesn’t always stick out the way the other characters do but in a way, that’s good. It lets kids know that it’s okay to be the voice of reason sometimes.
The Music
The music in this show is just as much a character as The Fresh Beats. The songs are upbeat, fun, and more importantly, often teach a lesson that goes along with the episode’s problem. My girls both love the end song “Great Day” and Charlotte has even learned the choreography. I’d be lying if I said that WASNT my favorite part of every episode as well…I may have learned some of the choreography too…
The music is just…fun. Nothing more, nothing less. There is nothing I love more than pushing the coffee table aside and dancing with my girls. The Fresh Beat Band provides the perfect soundtrack for that. The music brings out the best in my girls and allows them to be kids. And you can try to resist it’s charm but it will pull you in. Catchy isn’t even the right word to describe these songs.
All in all, I approve of my kids looking up to this group and watching this show. In a world where kids who play sports are considered the top of the heap and the kids who express themselves creatively are looked on as weak and overly sensitive, I think it’s important to have a show that shows kids that expressing themselves in a more artistic way is okay. As parents, we need to stand back sometimes and just let our kids enjoy the joys of youth. I’m not saying you have to jump on board with every show your child falls in love with but maybe just try to watch it through their eyes. You may find a new appreciation for it.
So there you have it. The Fresh Beat Band. If I had to give it a rating on a scale of terrible to awesome I would go as far as to say it’s pretty great. I plan on doing more blogs on this topic so if you have any shows or movies you want me to review, please let me know.
Thanks for reading! Blessings!
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