Please join us at the Live Oak and Frances Albrier Community Centers for a Musical Story Time series with the Berkeley Public Library's Story Time Band. These FREE events will occur on third Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. beginning Thursday, September 19th. Each session will feature live music, movement activities, and read-aloud stories for children ages 2-7. See you there!
Locations:
2nd Thursdays at Live Oak Community Center, 1301 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley
3rd Thursdays at Frances Albrier Community Center, 2800 Park St. in Berkeley
The Story Time Band also leads FREE Musical Story Time sessions at Freight & Salvage (2020 Addison St.) on first Thursdays. In 2025 the events will begin in February
Band Bio:
In 2013, children’s librarian Michael Kwende, known to Berkeley youth as “Mr. Michael,” and retired librarian and guitarist Tim DeWolf, began offering Musical Story Time at the Berkeley Public Library’s Claremont Branch. Their events soon became so popular with children and their caregivers that it outgrew the library’s programming space, requiring them to secure a larger venue to accommodate their audiences. That place became Berkeley’s Bateman Mall Park, and soon after, musicians and library specialist Juan Castille and Donovan Russell joined the effort, and The Story Time Band was born. In 2024, the band welcomed a new member, keyboardist Tienne Lee!
They have since brought their Musical Story Time to numerous elementary school classrooms, libraries, and literacy events and have performed at public parks throughout the city where hundreds of children and caregivers regularly attend their weekly events. In 2023, they began an artist residency at Freight & Salvage and performed at the Berkeley Bay Festival, the Bay Area Book Festival (2023 & 2024), and Children’s Fairyland in Oakland.
Follow them on Instagram @thestorytimeband
The Story Time Band art was designed by @jromonkey