NOGGIN and Nick Jr. to Roadblock the Premiere of 'Jack's Big Music Show,' NOGGIN's New Original Music Series for Preschoolers Monday, September 12

NOGGIN and Nick Jr. to Roadblock the Premiere of 'Jack's Big Music Show,' NOGGIN's New Original Music Series for Preschoolers Monday, September 12

Popular Children's Recording Artist Laurie Berkner to Perform in Each Episode, Plus Guest Appearances By Buddy Guy, Yolanda Adams and Many More

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- NOGGIN, the commercial-free, educational network for preschoolers, will partner with sister preschool network, Nick Jr. to premiere the new original series, Jack's Big Music Show. The premiere episode will debut on both Nick Jr. and NOGGIN on Monday, September 12 at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT). Jack's Big Music Show will air regularly on NOGGIN every day, Monday through Sunday beginning Tuesday, September 13 at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. (ET).

Produced by Spiffy Pictures for NOGGIN, the 13-episode live-action series will be hosted by Jack, a music-lovin' puppet and his melodious cast of friends who play everyday at Jack's clubhouse. Jack's Big Music Show is a new platform for kids' music and will feature videos and live, in-studio performances by popular children's musicians who visit the clubhouse every week.

Each episode of Jack's Big Music Show will feature a music video performance by acclaimed children's recording artist Laurie Berkner, whose videos have been featured on NOGGIN for the past year. Additional musicians featured in the series include, Buddy Guy, Yolanda Adams, Cathy Richardson, Music for Aardvarks, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Guy Davis, Jerry Lawson and The Talk of the Town, Hot Peas 'N Butter, Milkshake and Dirty Sock Funtime Band.

"A nifty clubhouse, a dog who plays the drums and a ton of great music -- kids will think Jack's Big Music Show is swell," said Brown Johnson, Executive Creative Director, Nickelodeon Preschool Television.

On Jack's Big Music Show, Jack takes a break everyday from his busy kid schedule to visit his favorite place in the world -- his backyard clubhouse. Here he can do what he loves best -- create and enjoy music, sing, dance and have a ball with his friend Mary, his faithful dog Mel and all of his neighborhood pals who stop by. Anything can happen in Jack's clubhouse. Jack and Mary are focused and goofy, adventurous and safe, with a fresh and original way of looking at and hearing things. You never know when a baby bongo bird or The King of Swing may unexpectedly visit the clubhouse, or an entire show is sung in a silly opera style!

In the premiere episode, entitled, "Little Bad Wolf," Jack, Mary and Mel get a visit from The Little Bad Wolf -- the Big Bad Wolf's brother. He huffs and puffs and blows the instruments all over the place making piles of musical messes. How can they get The Little Bad Wolf to stop blowing down the clubhouse? They teach him how to play the perfect instrument for a wolf full of hot air -- a tuba! The Little Bad Wolf helps Jack and friends rock the clubhouse and they all make marvelous music together.

The mission of Jack's Big Music Show is to expose and foster an appreciation of music in young children. Music, and musical instruments, help children expand their universe and develop memory, language, literacy and reasoning skills as well as the cognitive, social and motor skills needed to excel in school. In Jack's clubhouse, music is pure joy -- no expectations and no right or wrong way. To Jack, "playing" music is just that -- playing.

Meet the characters on Jack's Big Music Show: -- Jack - He's a cool music-lovin' kid enchanted by many types of music and new sounds. He discovers music in expected and unexpected places - from an oboe to a drop of water in a pail. -- Mary - Jack's best friend is smart, attentive, and has a great sense of humor and adventure. Like Jack, Mary will pick up anything and explore its musical possibilities. -- Mel - Jack's fearless dog is the musical MacGyver behind the music-making contraptions in the clubhouse. He can play every instrument, with exceptional hearing and perfect pitch. -- Schwartzman Quartet - The four tuneful brothers sing their own brand of barbershop quartet music. They roam around the neighborhood singing their short topical ditties.

To accompany the premiere, Noggin.com will feature several online activities inspired by the series. The activities will allow kids to sing along to their favorite "Jack's" songs and play along with their favorite characters from the show. Each activity is designed to foster a love of music and to treat music as play. Activities included are:

-- Rock 'n' Roll Freeze Dance - An online version of the Freeze Dance game from the episode "Mel's Super Swell Dance Party." The characters will dance and encourage kids to get up and dance too. When the characters shout "Freeze!" everyone has to stop. Then the user gets to decide when everyone freezes by clicking the space bar to shout "freeze." -- Mel's Marvelous Melody Maker - A video jukebox that plays every video featured in the series and gives kids a place to watch their favorite videos from the show online. -- Play Along - A game that gives kids the chance to join in and play music with Jack's band. Kids can select and click on to one of three instruments (toy piano, xylophone, a set of bongos, etc.), and play along with the band.

Laurie Berkner turned her experience as a children's music specialist by day and rock singer by night into a career as one of the biggest names in children's music. With four best-selling, award-winning CDs under her belt, she has received an unprecedented following (among children and parents!) for a self-produced artist who doesn't adhere to the stereotype of a children's singer. Dubbed "Sheryl Crow for kiddies" by national media outlets from People to Parenting, Laurie's inventive, playful, and well-crafted songs, as well as her accomplished guitar playing and warm, engaging vocals, stands out among other, often over-produced, children's fare. Laurie's sold-out concerts illustrate her special talent for connecting with kids on their level, even if it means singing while lying down on the floor. Her 2004 debut on NOGGIN with a series of music videos sent sales of Laurie's CDs soaring. The Laurie Berkner Band, featuring Laurie, husband and bassist Brian Mueller, and keyboardist Susie Lampert, perform across North America. Their concerts have been held at venues from the White House to national and international children's music festivals.

In 1994, David Rudman, Todd Hannert and Adam Rudman started Spiffy Pictures. Since then they have created, produced, written and directed animated and live action projects for clients including: Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and The Jim Henson Co. Their current projects include creating and producing Baby Nick Jr.'s Curious Buddies brand of home videos.

NOGGIN is the commercial-free, educational network for preschoolers owned by Nickelodeon. NOGGIN currently reaches 43 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite tv. NOGGIN, which airs from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (ET), is like preschool on tv, with educational programming both on-air and online at http://www.noggin.com/. NOGGIN and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Jodi Davis, +1-212-654-6646, or Jodi.davis@noggin.com; or Maria Poulos, +1-212-654-6632, or Maria.poulos@mtvnmix.com

Web site: http://www.noggin.com/

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