lowcountry parent & family life 
Jonas' interactive concert this week
One of the Mount Pleasant area's best-known family events is about to gear up for its third production.
Kids Rock, an annual concert sponsored by Creative Spark Center for the Arts, will be held Saturday at Wando High School, 1000 Warrior Way.
Returning to perform this year is headliner Billy Jonas, known by children for his "singalong, bangalong, whisperalong" concerts. Jonas also played at the first Kids Rock concert. Last year, performer Roger Day took the stage.
"We have brought him to the area several times into schools, and every year we get lots of requests to have him back," says Creative Spark Executive Director Carol Antman. "One thing I really feel passionately about with these shows is that they're great music for kids that adults also like."
The Asheville, N.C.-based Jonas has been entertaining audiences for two decades with his original pieces.
His music makes use of "found objects" such as buckets, broom handles, bottles, key chains and more.
"My favorite instrument is the audience," he says. "I work to 'tribalize' the compositions ... to create songs that provide an immediate opportunity, on first hearing, for the listener to join in, as if the song had been a part of their life for a long time."
Antman says Jonas' style reinforces Creative Spark's mission.
"The idea that 'everybody's in the band' promotes the notion of musicmaking," she says. "Even just pots and pans can be turned into a show. Billy makes his instruments out of the most amazing things like water jugs and stools and skateboards. He's very creative."
If you go
Billy Jonas will play at Creative Spark's annual Kids Rock event at 3 p.m. Saturday. The concert will be at Wando High School Performing Arts Center, 1000 Warrior Way, Mount Pleasant. Admission is $10 per child, accompanying adults free. For advance tickets, call Creative Spark at 881-3780.
Jonas' recordings and live concerts across the United States and Canada have generated an enthusiastic following.
His CD "What Kind of Cat are You?!" received multiple awards including a First Place/Gold from the American Federation of Independent Musicians, and a Parent's Choice Gold. Jonas' videos have received critical acclaim, including Parents Choice Awards and a New York Times "Best" listing.
Kids Rock will be the local premiere of his new CD, "Happy Accidents," which has won several awards and is being considered for a Grammy in the "Best Musical Album for Children" category.
The concert is being held in cooperation with Wando Community Education.
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