The Kinders

The Kinders perform crowd-pleasing set list at Kindergarten Center ​
Posted on 12/14/2021
The Kinders

The Kinders put on a children's Christmas concert for students of both the Poplar Bluff Kindergarten and Early Childhood Center in the first combined school assembly at the Camp Road campus.

Brian and Terri Kinder of Little Rock performed a selection of their whimsical songs designed to drum up audience participation among students and educators alike on Tuesday, Dec. 7, in the Kindergarten gymnasium.

“It’s fun and we have a ball,” said Brian following the duo’s afternoon session. “We lay our heads down after we do a program, sometimes exhausted, but we never get tired of doing it.”

Prior to the health crisis, the Fredericktown native said he and his wife were booked to perform music from his dozen children’s albums around 275 times per year in schools, libraries, churches, festivals and private parties around the surrounding Arkansas area.

A former music and art teacher for the Little Rock public school system, Brian took an early retirement in 2008 after serving more than 20 years, and began touring full time. He explained that he had gained a reputation for putting on "huge" school concerts, and could no longer satisfy all of the requests coming in during his summer breaks.

Terri, a former X-ray technician in Little Rock, laughed saying she “never dreamed” of becoming a performer when they first began dating. Today she plays an active role at the shows, even lending lead vocals on some of the original songs. According to Brian, the children’s genre allows them to continue to book shows while some of their counterparts in the industry just focus on the studio aspect.

A prolific songwriter, Brian has recorded over 500 songs, according to the biography on his website. His first album in 2002, “A Kid Like You,” contained perhaps his biggest hit, the title track, which remains the concert opener. His most recent release is entitled, “Jelly Beans.” He also has published “Buck and Ollie,” a Christmas book that he wrote and illustrated.

The Kinders are returning guests at Poplar Bluff Schools. Brian reminded Early Childhood Principal JoAnne Westbrook that they performed three times for the preschoolers one school year alone. "We're super fans," Westbrook responded. Kindergarten Principal Jessica Thurston added that incorporating Early Childhood students during such events will allow for a “smoother transition.”

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Cutline: Performing for preschoolers and kindergartners last week, The Kinders have the ability through their songs to “bring both young and old together as they laugh and sing, dance and clap along with the music,” their website states.

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