Conductor Jack often travels with a troupe of characters, but Wednesday the leader of The Zinghoppers will offer solo shows at libraries in Rockwood and Spring City, Tenn.
Kids can expect the friendly engineer of the Happy Train to have plenty of stories to tell about his animal friends: Penelope the Possum, Olo the Donkey and Coconuts the Kangaroo.
Based in Nashville, the troupe makes positive pop music for preschoolers. The interactive, educational shows are described as "Barney meets the Black Eyed Peas" on the troupe's website. Parent Magazine's Readers' Choice Awards named The Zinghoppers Nashville's No. 1 Kids Entertainers.
Outside of The Zinghoppers, Conductor Jack is known as Jack Norton, one half of the husband-and-wife teaching team who created the characters as tools for their classroom. Despite the success he's found as a children's musician, Norton considers himself primarily an educator.
"My wife (Kitty) and I started as teachers, and I still think of myself more as a teacher that does music," said Norton. "It's important to incorporate music in the classroom because you can really get a kid's attention with something they naturally love, like music and physical activity."
The Zinghoppers' first DVD was released this week. It includes a full live performance, along with magic tricks, comedy skits, special guests and educational segments designed to teach children about different instruments. All of the profits from sales will go toward The Zinghoppers' educational television show, which begins filming this fall.
"It's really just a big dance party, lots of singing and movement," said Norton, who insists that the shows are enjoyable for parents as well. "We like to say, 'Happy child equals happy mom.' "
IF YOU GO
* What: Performance by Conductor Jack of The Zinghoppers.
* When and where: Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. at Rockwood Public Library, 117 N. Front St.; 2:30 p.m. Audrey Pack Memorial Library, 169 W. Rhea Ave., Spring City, Tenn.
* Admission: Free.
* Website: www.zinghoppers.com.
DID YOU KNOW?
The new DVD is not the only big news for The Zinghoppers. Conductor Jack's library performances have become so popular around the Zinghoppers' hometown that recently "Nicole Kidman called to find out when and where his next Nashville show was taking place," said Julia Foster-McPhee, an assistant with Zinghoppers Entertainment Group.