It wasn’t hard to see over the heads of the sold-out crowd on Saturday morning at Crowell Concert Hall—after all, most of the audience members had yet to complete the 4th grade.
The event was “SteveSongs”, a concert of children’s music as performed by Wesleyan University alumnus Steve Roslonek ’93. Roslonek was joined by band members Scott Kessel ’89 on drums and vocals, Anand Nayak ’96 on bass guitar, mandolin and vocals, Matt Steckler ’95 on the saxophone, clarinet and flute, while Sam Bigalow (not a Wesleyan alum), played drums.
The set included a diverse array of songs, ranging from the fanciful “On a Flying Guitar,” to a tribute to Harry Potter, to the educational “The Spinning Around Song,” which is about the earth’s orbit around the sun.
Roslonek repeatedly invited the whole audience to participate. Children were encouraged to stand up and dance throughout the show. Roslonek also led the audience in special movements for songs like “The Gravity Song” and “I’m Going On a Polar Bear Hunt.” He also engaged the children with questions, encouraging them to offer examples of kindness before singing a song of the same name, and gave T-shirts to several children in attendance.
But for the yowls of a few infants, the audience’s reaction was uniformly positive—and enthusiastically so.
“Steve’s so cool,” six-year-old Jessica Framton whispered repeatedly.
The performance was sponsored by the Wesleyan Club of Middletown, whose chair, Bill Gillespie ’73, emphasized the family-friendly nature of its events.
“We’re dedicated to events that keep alumni and families of alumni in touch with the University,” said Gillespie.
The audience, which was filled to the capacity of 417 seats, responded in kind; many members enthusiastically reported that they’d seen Roslonek perform at other shows in recent days.
“He played at our elementary school earlier this week,” said Lisa Gilbert, of Tolland, CT, who attended the concert with her husband and two sons. Roslonek had performed at similar venues in Massachusetts and New York in the previous weeks.
Suzanne Schilling, who says her two-year-old daughter enjoyed particularly Rosloniek’s “Pirate Song,” commented that “SteveSongs” accomplished perhaps music’s most basic function.
“The songs made our daughter dance,” she said. “It was just fun.”
Linda Kavan of the Office of Alumni & Parent Relations, who coordinated the event, was also positive about “SteveSongs.”
“They played for Camp Cardinal at Reunion/Commencement last year,” she said. “They’re wonderful people. It’s thrilling working with them and we’d love to have them back. They’re a huge part of my daughter’s life.”
Roslonek often travels without his band. Having left his job with Andersen Consulting in 1999, he’s the only fulltime member of “SteveSongs,” and has released four albums to date, including “Morning ‘Til Night” and “Little Superman.”
Bandmate Matt Steckler, who, with Nayak and Bigalow, has joined Roslonek on a series of gigs, offered some advice for the University’s aspiring musicians.
“It’s good to be involved in extracurriculars and music at Wesleyan,” said the former music major.
Roslonek is currently taking his music on the road. In January he began a tour of the East Coast.
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