Get To Know Children’s Entertainer & Singer Keri Wirth

It is always good when someone realizes their very own vision and hones in on it to establish a great career for themselves.  keri Wirth is a great example of that, and is doing so in such a positive and inspirational way.  Keri, a children’s entertainer and singer, has just released a fantastic album called “Me And You” as a way to comfort children, help them relate to their emotion, connect with their parents, and essentially help them in the ever hectic life of a growing child.  As an uncle of two incredible nephews, something like this can be very beneficial for both parties, IE the child and the parent.

With the album being out for only two months, I was recently able to sit down with the New York local on how she got to this place in her career and where she sees her booming future.  Take a look.

So you have quite the impressive background outside of your music.  What really was the pivotal moment that drove you to make the switch?

When I graduated Physical Therapy school, I decided to get experience in the field before I settled down to assist my father, who owns his own sports medicine practice back in my hometown, East Meadow, NY. I lived in Manhattan at the time, wrote music, and sang in the clubs.  I liked my duel life as a singer and a physical therapy student, and when I graduated NYU Physical Therapy school, I thought I could continue to work during the day and sing at night, this was not the case. My first job out completely sucked me dry of all my inspiration. I worked in a hospital.  Unfortunately, I had a different idea of how patients should be treated in this setting. I wanted to be a “Patch Adams” my bedside manner was extremely important to me. I was disillusioned by the insensitivity in a hospital environment and became very depressed. I left this job and tried a Sports Medicine environment like my fathers practice. Although this experience was definitely more my speed, I was not inspired and thought, this is my father’s dream, not my own. This job was pleasant but temporary and when I thought about applying for another physical therapy job, I just couldn’t motivate and felt hopeless. This was the pivotal moment. I walked across the street from my apartment and applied for a waitressing job and decided to live my life completely as a singer/songwriter and have the ability to be creative and inspired for the rest of life. I never looked back.

Growing up, did you have any major inspirations in music that inspired your singing and writing?

Every Disney film soundtrack…  Aladdin, Lady and the Tramp, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, My sister and I would play each cassette over and over every day singing all the different characters. I would of saved a lot of time and money if I had realized then what I know now.

Tell us more about your program called “Me and Your Music” and how it helps both the children and parents at the same time?

I had completed my 1^st album, which was in a genre of dance music called Euro Dance. I was getting myself out there in the music industry, on the verge of being signed by Sony, Interscope and I had trouble performing. I loved writing and recording but performing was tough for me. I had severe stage fright and need to get over it so I picked myself up and joined a course called Music Together which is a music program created by psychologists and musicians in the 1970’s for parents and children ages 0-4yrs. I figured I would give performing in front of children a try. I never baby sat, I did not have my own children. This was a whim, a feeling. I just figured children were very honest and would let me know what they were feeling. It was amazing how calm and happy felt with babies, toddlers and pre-school age children. I had finally found my calling! I worked as a Music Together teacher in Cobble Hill Brooklyn and Greenwich Village for two years. I was then offered my own Music Together in Greenwich Village.  l was so incredibly stimulated by the bond between parent and child created by music, I was inspired to have my own child.  I needed to explore this beautiful connection.  I decided to create my own music course that was more contemporary. Me and You Music by Keri Wirth debuted on the lower east side of Manhattan and went from 7 parents to 20 in 3 months time!

My daughter Penelope (8 yrs old) became my muse and everything she pointed to from ages 0-4 I wrote about. I presented all my songs to my parents and children taking my course and realized I was not only calming the children, I was calming the parents as well!

Do you feel that modern parenting has become a lot more problematic due to the insurgency of technology?

Being a parent is extremely difficult regardless of technology. Technology makes it problematic. There is a lack of control. I constantly feel overwhelmed by the amount of activities and responsibilities raising my children. I have two!!  I think it is a shame we have to raise our children in an extremely competitive world full of You Tube. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In my opinion we need to slow down and enjoy the moment and shut down the computers and relish in human connections. The simple comforts are powerful and underestimated.  Parents should create a community for each other that calms and inspires.

What is your best advice that you would give to parents nowadays who have growing children?

Slow down, calm down and enjoy. Teach your children to be individuals and give them the power to rise above the negativity of others with kindness and sensitivity.

You also just released an album called “Me & You”.  Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

The songs on this album are a compilation of songs I created to calm both my daughter and I. Music is an extremely powerful tool and I needed a way to communicate with my newborn daughter. A new mother, clueless how to raise a child. I tried to see the world through her eyes. I tried to see the world as a new parent. I made fun of myself because I was far from perfect, so I used humor and honesty to express what I was feeling. I wanted the songs on my album to help other parents who feel the same way.

What is your ultimate goal regarding your program and career overall?

I love the preschool environment. I would love to run a performance art preschool where the early education curriculum focuses on creativity. This of course would include a parenting/baby classes with the same ideal.  I definitely would be writing and recording songs in the process. I do think there are many CDs ahead.

For more information on Keri, including how you can get her new album “Me And You”, check out her official site.