Come to the King Library on Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 6:30 PM to hear some great music!  

Jonnie Pekelny (voice) and Toku Woo (guitar) are a local duo who play and sing Russian folk songs and Russian pop songs. Jonnie is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, and has been singing Russian songs since her early childhood.   In addition to performing at a variety of Bay Area venues, Jonnie has also taught and performed at the annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival.    

Everyone is invited to this fun event, which will take place on the 2nd floor of the King Library.   Bring your family and friends!

You can hear a sneak preview of Jonnie and Toku's music on YouTube: 

"Aliosha" / "Алёша"
"Clean Fields" / "Над полями"
"Фонари-фонарики" / "Streetlights"
"Белым снегом" / "Under White Snow"
"Mother I'm Bored!" / "Mатушка скучно мне!"
 

Does your child love music?  You are welcome to bring your child to the Edenvale Branch Library on Tuesday September 18 at 11:30 AM to enjoy Jump for Joy Music, a duet with Wiley Rankin and Miss Debbie.    The engaging and energetic music program will be a lot of fun! Wiley will excite the audience with his songs.  Children will even learn a bit about music education.  For more information about Jump For Joy Music, please visit their website.

This educational program is made possible by the generosity of the Friends of the Edenvale Branch Library.

You are cordially invited to a concert with Bev Barnett and Greg Newlon.  This fun event will take place on Tuesday, July 17th, 2012 at 6:00 pm in the Community Room of the Edenvale Branch Library. 

Jumping the lines between acoustic soul and folk rock, Bev Barnett and Greg Newlon combine varied musical pasts to create a place where listeners can relax in the comfort of the musical groove.  For more information about Bev and Greg and their music, please visit their web site.  They also have a YouTube channel.   

This delightful musical program is part of the 2012 Summer Reading Celebration, and is  possible by the generosity of the Friends of the Edenvale Branch Library. 

Do you like to sing?  Do you like holiday music?   If the answer is yes, you are invited to sing classic holiday tunes, accompanied by Mr. K on oboe and Auntie Dawn on ‘ukulele.  Song sheets will be provided. 

This fun event will be presented twice:

Friday, December 9 2011 at 3:30 PM at the Almaden Branch Library

and

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 12:00 Noon at the Edenvale Branch Library

Earworms...  According to Urban Dictionary, an earworm is a song you can't get out of your head. Usually these are the "worst" songs and having one running through your head all day can drive you crazy! Other terms for earworm are "tune wedgie", "sticky tune" and "aneurhythm".  If you look up at the top of this page and click on articles and type in earworm, the first article you will see is a scientific study of "stuck song syndrome" that was published in the British Journal of Psychology. In this study, they relate that most people play a different song to get the song out of their head, though a small minority (less than 2%) imbibe alcohol.

A friend of mine from college posted on his facebook status that the song Wildfire by Michael Martin Murphey was on in the elevator and he wished he had his ipod with him. I love that song, but that's just me. And so, my friend was earwormed...by a pony she named Wildfire...busted down his stall...in a blizzard he was lost... I just downloaded it on Freegal...and so can you if you know it won't be buzzing in your head hours from now.

Three of my personal earworms are Who Let the Dogs Out by the Baha Men, Sk8ter Boi by Avril Lavigne and Barbie Girl by Aqua.

What songs have you had stuck in your head? How do you get them out?

I remember singing a version of “Knick Knack Paddy Whack” way back in elementary school.   I recently discovered a book called Knick Knack Paddy Whack that has colorful collage illustrations by Christiane Engel.  An older gentleman plays a drum and several children play a variety of musical instruments.  A cute dog with a bone follows the man and the children as they parade through the neighborhood and stop for a bite to eat.  A CD with vocals by Mr. Steve accompanies this delightful book, so that readers can listen and sing while turning the pages. 

Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? is another fun book with a CD.   The 1864 song, composed by Septimus (Sep) Winner is accompanied by illustrations by Erica Pelton Villnave.    

Happy reading, listening and singing!