WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Win Tickets to Sesame Street Live in September courtesy of SpartanburgMoms!

[Kim]

Who doesn't love Sesame Street?! Sesame Street Live returns to the Bi-Lo Center in September and SpartanburgMoms.com is giving you the chance to win free tickets to the show AND a meet & greet with some furry friends!

 

Here's how to enter:

This year's show is called "Elmo Makes Music", so we want to hear all about your child's musical abilities. Tell us a story about how they use music to get you laughing, how you first realized their musical "ability" or the time when they burst out in song (maybe in an inappropriate place or at the wrong time)... any story will do! Post your stories below, and share photos if you have them!

 

Our judges will read through the stories and pick 11 winners - that's right, 11!Three GRAND PRIZE winners will receive a family four-pack of tickets to the show on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 10:30 a.m., a Sesame Street plush character and passes to attend a pre-show meet & greet with some of the characters. Eight runners-up will also receive a family four-pack of tickets to the show in the form of vouchers that can be redeemed for any of the shows Sept. 9-11.

 

Entries must be posted to this forum no later than 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30. Winners will be notified and posted on the afternoon of August 31. Grand-prize winner stories and photos will also be featured in an ad to run in the Herald-Journal on Friday, Sept. 9.

 

You must be a member of the site to post your entry, but it's free and easy to join... just click on the "Sign Up" button to get started!

 

Good luck!

[Dori Burgess]

Our son, Harry, is 4 and 1/2 months old. He is in love with his Sesame Street walker. The first time we put him in it, we weren't sure he was going to care anything about it, but we were quickly proven wrong. As soon as the music on the walker started up, he began moving! He grabs the elmo toy on the front and bounces himself up and down, shaking all around! He dances with force!  As soon as you cut the music off, he stops immediately. He doesn't respond this way to all music, just his Sesame street walker.  My husband and I believe he has the gift of rhythm, which he didn't get from us! Here is a picture of him in his walker!

[Pamela Kelley]

My younger sister got a new vehicle winter before last after wrecking hers, thankfully she was okay. She has a real passion for singing and is good at it. All 3 of us sisters love to sing and we have passed that love down to my daughters. Well my sister Dawn's new vehicle has a hook up on the radio where she can plug in her microphone, I had no clue of this..lol. We were going to my a family function about an hour away and we rode with her. I drove while my girls and her were in the back and my husband was in the passenger seat. My youngest daughter, Tonie, sings anywhere we go and she makes up her own songs as well. She sings sentences, she sings nonsense stuff just to make you laugh. There was the song "Temporary Home" playing and all of a sudden I hear her voice booming in my ear, I screamed so loud. It was sooooo funny to them. She was back there singing her heart out with that microphone. Dawn said that she does it all the time. She will be singing really low and then all of sudden she just gets loud. It is the cutest thing to hear. She knows EVERY word to that song and just to hear both of my daughter's voices singing makes my heart full. It brightens even the darkest of days. I recently lost my Grandfather, but even the last weekend he was alive we have video of him singing with all of us in the hospital bed. This shows that music is a part of our entire family, that is every generation of our family is musically enclined. Music is a language that is heard with the heart.

[Angie Waldrop]

 

Our oldest son (CJ) has always loved music, as most children do. When he was really tiny, the only thing that would console him in the car was a CD from Baby Einstein. As he got older, "Wheels on the Bus" would get him dancing and moving. (You can't imagine how many versions there truly are to that song!) He was a happy baby, but nothing got this boy smiling like music! When he was about 18 months, our son was into drumming. We would go to parks and all he wanted to do was to find sticks and drum on anything he could find. Around this time, my husband and I enjoyed a CD with Clemson's theme song on it and he kept requesting to play it over and over again as he "drummed along". I am a huge Keith Urban fan and I have a DVD of a concert with a drumline playing at one point. CJ wanted me to replay it over and over as well. Naturally, Santa hooked the boy up with some drums for Christmas that year. ;)

Around this time, our son was going to a babysitter who loved music as well. When our son saw her son with a guitar, he was hooked! For CJ's second birthday, the babysitter's son gave CJ that guitar, and to this day the boy plays and makes up his own songs. He has created anything from a new theme song for Power Rangers to a song about falling in front of his buddies (his boys). 

Not only does the boy like to make and create music, he is a dancer! If there is music playing somewhere, I am telling you, the boy's grove kicks in and it's like he can't help it. We were at the Greenville Drive game a couple of weeks ago and he was movin' to the music almost the whole time. If he wasn't pretending to play baseball, he was DANCING!

 LOVE to see (and share) our son's passion for music. I truly believe that whatever he does in the future, music will be part of it in some way, and I am so EXCITED to see how it plays out!!!  

Attached - CJ - Serious about drums at age 2! 

[Angel Norton]

My youngest Son Logan has enjoyed playing Drums for the last 2 years. He is now 4 years old. When Logan turned 2 in July of 2009, he decided to play on an old Drum Set that my oldest Son stopped playing with. The Set wasn't in the greatest shape. The Bass Drum Pedal was broken completely and it didn't have any Drumsticks. Logan improvised and decided to use a Comb and Brush as his Sticks and He literally Kicked the Bass Drum with his foot for Sound!! He started playing this set everyday. On Christmas of 2010, we bought him an Inexpensive Set to test him some more and see if he would continue to play. The Set only lasted 2 Days before he busted the Drum Heads with his Passionate Play. When he recieved this Set, he would sleep with the Sticks along with his Elmo every night(and continues to do so). During this time, Logan started taking his Drumsticks everywhere  he went. He also took them to Church. He also had to sit where he could see the Drummer in our Church or he would get very Upset. 4 months ago, we determined that he was ready for a real set. My Husband (who plays in a Gospel Group) went to the Music Store that is owned by a Friend who played the  Drums with him in High School,  ordered a Small Set for Logan. The Owner also allowed Logan to go into a Room where there was a Full Drum Set. He was so amazed at his ability to hold a Beat and his Rhythmic ability! When my Husband came home with the Drum Set that was ordered, Logan was so excited that he wanted to play in the Garage before we could get it in the House! Now he continues to play those Drums everyday. He has broken 1 Drum Head and 1 Cymbal so far but they have been replaced. He doesn't like the smaller Sticks that came with the Set so he uses a Pair that my Husband uses. 2 months ago, during Sunday Service while Logan was watching the Drummer, My Husband asked Logan if he would like to play his Drums in Church, Logan said Yes Daddy! We asked the Pastor for Permission and he agreed to allow him to play. The following Sunday, Logan started playing and he has played every Sunday that we attend now! Everyone in Church talks about his Passion and his ability to play in front of a Large Group. He really loves Gospel Music the most. His 2 Favorite Songs are "Nobody Greater"&Give Myself Away". When he visits his Great-Grandmother's house, he plays along with the Gospel Music on her Radio throughout the Day( That's all she listens to!) Sometimes the Drummer at our Church keeps his Cymbals in a Bag and gets them out prior to his play. Now Logan has to something similar. He packs his Cymbals in his Backpack and attempts to take them every where he goes. Just Last Week, He took them to the Barbershop with my Husband and started using the Chairs for Drums and hitting that Cymbal!  We are very excited about Logan's passion for the Drums and wanted to share this incredible story

[Kristi Jones]

My 21 month old son Eli Love Elmo. His favorite thing to do is to go on Youtube and watch Elmo's song and Elmo with the ducks. He watches it and we all sing the LA LA La La Eli and Elmo song. He goes around the house now singing LA LA LA La Mo Mo song. He has also started doing it in the car with the radio, when you hears a song he goes LA LA La La. He loves to dance around singing LA LA LA. It cracks everyone up and makes them smile. You should really hear him in the car with his dad when Keisha songs come on cause they always include noises that he can make so he sings along with them. But his favorite is when he can sing an dance to LA LA LA Mo Mo and ELi song. I hope he has a passion for music because i could see him being a very talented singer.

[Kim]

Bumping the contest back to the top! Don't forget to enter...

[Dana Gambino]

My son Parker (2 and some change) received an electronic keyboard from his great grandmother for Christmas.  After turning it on, he discovered how to find his favorite pre-recorded song.  As he scrolls through the songs, his favorite starts, he stops, and then proceeds to wiggle his little bottom back and forth.  He also waves his hands and arms as if he is a little conductor...if you can catch him wiggling, you are sure to catch his Daddy wiggling too! 

[Christi Cokeley]

My 9 month old, Grace, loves classical music. When we are in the car and I am listening to news or talk radio, she yells at me. Doesn't cry, just yells really loud, which is even worse in a closed up car. But if I put in her classical music cd, it is complete silence immediately! I don't know how it works, but there is something to classical for babies. She loves it! I have listened to more classical music in the last few months than I have in my entire life!

[Julia A Price]

Our sweet 20 month old Annabelle loves music.  We sing songs all day and one before bed at night.  She now makes requests and recently wants to sing "Happy Birthday" each evening.  She will say "to you" to request the Happy Birthday song and then give a name of a loved one like GG, Poppy, Ya-ya, Mimi.... We sometimes end up singing Happy BIrthday five or six times before bed.  Not traditional sleepy time music, but it is sweet to see who in on her mind. 

[Odalys Martinez]

Our son Joshua is 23 months old and LOVES SESAME STREET!! As soon as he hears the music for the show, he runs to the TV set to sing along and starts dancing and twirling around. His favorite is ELMO and as soon as he sees him he will yell his name ELMO ELMO!! He has an Elmo book which he enjoys reading everyday and

the only bottle he wants to drink out of is an ELMO one of course!

Joshua loves all kinds of music and loves to play his father's keyboard. Whenever he hears his Dad playing, he is instantly drawn to it like a "moth to a flame". Joshua will immediately start stroking the keys and begin composing with his father. While he plays he loves to move to the rhythm and nod's his head like a rock star. Eventually, Dad moves out of the way and lets Joshua do his thing. He starts experimenting with all the different melodies and usually finds the loudest combination of all. He has even figured out how to "PUMP UP THE VOLUME" when he wants too. Eventually the nodding of the head doesn't suffice and he will start stomping his feet left, right, left, right and then spins around and around. You can't help but get as happy as he does and join in the fun.

Joshua responds with absolute JOY to all MUSIC which is contagious to all who are around.

[Carla Hatchette]

My daughter Carson turned 1 in July and Sesame Street has been huge part of her motor and visual skill development. She loves music, she nearly laps out of her walker when "Elmo's World" comes on. She was diagnoised with a sensory delay and she does not like to touch certain textures. But when Sesame Street is on she claps her hands and sways to the music. ashe is our only child and we are learning about certain situations as they develop, but Sesame Street has alwayts been a contant. Her Daddy and I can sing along with many of the songs because we remember them from our childhood. Carson is learning some of those same song and will have those same memories.

[Carla Hatchette]

Our daughter Carson was 1 year old in July and she loves Sesame Street. She has a sensory disorder that will correct itself as she matures, but one thing that seems to help is songs and clapping. She loves all sorts of music and really responds to the music on Sesame Street, especially to Elmo. It would be such a treat for her to experience all this action live and in person.