Lou Gallo and The Very Hungry Band

No Marquees but Lots of Little Fans; Birthday and Playground Gigs? That's Showbiz, Boys and Girls
Published: April 23, 2001
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''I think a lot of people are doing this on a low level,'' Ms. Berkner said. ''It's a tiny market percentage, so you don't get a lot of people paying attention to what I'm doing or what other children's performers are doing.''

Mr. Ulz seems to have accepted that he may never be known outside the small circle of children he plays for at Washington Square Preschool in the West Village or the few who gather around him at Playspace on Tuesday afternoons. But he sees how they respond to his song ''Firetruck,'' which leads his 1999 CD ''Songs From the Old School'' and can be ordered at www.ivanulz.com.

'' 'Firetruck' was a big surprise to me,'' Mr. Ulz said. ''It hits a 4-year-old where they live. It really does.''

Firetruck! Firetruck!

I want to ride on a firetruck.

Firetruck! Firetruck!

I want to ride on a fire truck.

''It works like a hit song,'' said Mr. Ulz. ''Kids hear it four or nine months and get sick of it. But that's a good life.'' Watching him perform at Playspace, where some children listen rapt, while others wander away, it is hard to imagine that those kinds of engagements are not humbling, especially birthday parties. But Mr. Ulz and his peers say it is rewarding to reach children with music that does not condescend. He has become part of an informal network of children's performers who share the same philosophy: no overly animated enthusiasm necessary, just play good tunes.

This network includes Wendy Gelsanliter, 37, who last year came out with her second CD, ''Ants Wear Underpants'' (her first was ''Dancin' in the Kitchen'') and also writes children's books. (Her Web address: www.bizzybum.com.)

Another is Brady Rymer, 36, whose Web site (rymersongs.com) says he started making up songs to sing his son to sleep and soothe his crying.

''This is a different kind of children's entertainer,'' Mr. Ulz said. ''We care about children. We want to give them high-quality stuff.''

That means doing up-tempo material if energies seem high and taking it down a notch if the children appear to be overstimulated. It means singing the classics, like ''Oh, Susannah!'' or ''I've Been Working on the Railroad,'' not songs from Barney, the purple dinosaur.

And if you lose them, the performers say, that does not necessarily mean they are gone for good. ''I feel like it's my job to help keep it something kids will want to do,'' said Lou Gallo. ''And if they're going somewhere else, that's fine. They'll come back if they want to.''

The biggest hurdle appears to be adults, the performers say, who should let their children know that it is worth paying attention. ''It's a lot how the adults in the room respond,'' said Suzi Shelton, also a member of Imagination Workshop. ''If parents aren't modeling that, it's degrading. I would rather just go home.''

Ms. Berkner said that was why she preferred concerts; people have paid to be there. If adults don't pay attention, she said, children ''get the message that I don't matter.''

But while some gigs may be taxing -- birthday parties are a four-hour commitment, including travel time, and that means giving up weekends -- performers on the children's circuit cannot afford to turn them down. Ms. Berkner charges $300 a party and does about 15 a month; Imagination Workshop charges $200 a performer; Mr. Ulz about the same. And Playspace pays $175 per performer: not bad for 45 minutes in this business, but not always enough.
- new York Times