Photo up:  The UMKC Community Accordion Ensemble onstage at ATG 2022, Barrows Auditorium in the Billy Graham Center, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.

For accordionist and singer, Jane Christison, 2022 has been a year of firsts: first time to play in a musical; first time to play with a handbell choir, and first time to participate in an accordion petting zoo.

Jane shares, “‘Spitfire Grill’ is a fun musical with a great accordion part if you ever get the chance to play it. The composer knew exactly how to write for and make use of the accordion. We only had three rehearsals before performances started. By the fourth (and final) performance, I almost had my part down. Those catchy melodies from the show kept running through my head for weeks after.

As secretary of the A World of Accordions Museum, I spent World Accordion Day 2022 in Superior, Wisconsin. Kevin Friedrich had a presentation called, “Meet the Family,” in which he gave a brief talk about 17 antique instruments from the accordion family. Remarkably, he played a piece on each instrument, including one on one of the earliest flutinas from 1829. I accompanied him on five of the pieces. Kevin is so much fun to work with, and he did such a great job.

Karen Puckett, a member of my Kansas City Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, was commissioned to write a piece honoring Carol Fleeger, the long-time director of the Lawrence Community Handbell Choir. The piece, “Louisiana Tryptych,” is in three movements and is about nine minutes long. It really was fun to work with this group and to play three concerts with them, one of which was for the Area 8 Handbell Festival.

ATG 2022 was in Lisle, Illiniois. Since I perform as children’s musician JANIE NEXT DOOR®, I was asked to be part of ATG’s first-ever accordion petting zoo. The first day’s event was on a Wednesday morning, from 10 to noon. We weren’t sure if anyone would come, but about three minutes to ten, a lady stuck her head in the door and asked if this was where the petting zoo was being held.

I said, “Yes! Come on in.” She said, “I’ve got to get my kids.”

Kids?!?! She returned with about six or seven preschoolers along with a couple of moms and babies in strollers. Such a fun morning. I played three of my original Janie Next Door songs, then we had the kids move to different tables where there were 12 basses and accordion teachers waiting to help them test drive an accordion.

We had some others join us, too. At one point we invited everyone to troop over to take a look at the inside of an accordion. Helmi Harrington was on hand to show them what it looked like. The ever-creative Kevin Friedrich, who, by the way, is an amazing Chicken Dancer, made a wonderful photo opportunity lining up the kiddos with a 12 bass in front of each one. They couldn’t seem to resist touching the keys and picking them up. Before we knew it, Kevin had them all suited up and playing along with me (or trying to play.) Such a fun morning!

And it was great to be part of the UMKC Community Accordion Ensemble once again – playing for several concerts at ATG, which was their first festival since 2019. The UMKC Ensemble, under the direction of Joan Cochran Sommers, had prepared a lot of music for the festival, and it was great to have some incredible audiences there to listen to us after all our hard work.

I’m still getting last-minute job cancellations because of COVID or flu outbreaks in the senior facilities that I play for, but, thankfully, 2022 was the start of things opening up after the pandemic. It was so great to be back and playing for live audiences.

It was an especially fun summer playing for preschools, festivals, and other family-friendly events. Kids seem to be fascinated by the accordion, and I usually take the time, especially during my school performances, to demonstrate the keys, and the buttons and the bellows and the switches. More than anything, I want them to experience the joy of a live musical performance featuring an instrument that they don’t get to see all that often – an accordion.”

Children’s Musician Janie Next Door would be a great addition to your holiday entertainment lineup. She sings and plays the accordion with a big smile and enthusiasm for sharing the joy of music,  And kids seem to love the accordion, an instrument they don’t get to see very often. You will walk away from her performances with a smile and an enthusiastic attitude toward the accordion!

To book for December, dates in 2023, and further information:
Jane Christison
913-492-3883
janec@musicwithasmile.com

Photo up: The UMKC Community Accordion Ensemble onstage at ATG 2022, Barrows Auditorium in the Billy Graham Center, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois
Photo up: Jane at Accordion Petting Zoo at ATG 2022

Photo right up: The orchestra for “The Spitfire Grill”
Photo right down: Jane and the Lawrence (Kansas) Community Handbell Choir performing at the Area 8 Handbell Festival