Greg and Steve still entertain

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Greg and Steve put on their “jazz” clothes to give a spirited and “bluesy” version of “The Three Little Pigs.”

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Putting on a “goofy” hat had Greg making an uncontrollable face, which gave Steve pause to worry.

A singing group has staying power when the parents of its target audience know the words to the songs, too. Such is the continuing story of Greg Sclesa and Steve Millang, writers and singers of children’s songs, who were in Bakersfield once again from March 10-12 entertaining preschoolers and elementary age students as they have done for more than two decades. Approximately 8,000 children, parents, teachers and caregivers attended the three-day songfest, an annual fundraiser for Community Connection for Child Care (CCCC), held at Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield.

"My son, who is 24 years-old, still sings their months of the year song," said Lisa Duncan-Purcell, CCCC program manager. She has been the event’s coordinator for the past 11 years. "We get a lot of repeat visitors because many of the preschool, special education and early grammar school teachers use Greg and Steve’s music in their classrooms to help teach basic educational concepts." If you were not aware of that, watching a Greg and Steve concert would be fun enough. The two southern California entertainers got their specialized career off to a start by introducing music into lesson plans when they worked as special education teachers 34 years ago. They discovered how their students were picking up concepts more quickly and appeared more motivated.

"We worked seven years in special education and have a close affinity with these kids," said Sclesa. "The songs we wrote had to be simple but engaging enough to grab their attention. The good news, we found, is the same formula works for all children between the ages of about three and seven."

The beauty of their program is that the music educates without the children realizing they are being taught. Here are some examples. When Greg and Steve performed the "Dance Song," they got the youngsters up out of their chairs, challenging them with the words, "Do you think you can do it?" The children answered back with a loud, "Yes," and the entire audience was dancing. Sclesa introduced the song, "Have a Nice Day," by reminding the onlookers, "You never know how what you say can make a person’s day." Lyrics in the "Chicken Dance" encouraged gross motor skills by inviting the young ones to move their "head, shoulders, knees and toes," to the music. One of the duo’s most popular songs, "The World is a Rainbow," teaches diversity and tolerance for everyone.

"Kids can learn lots of things through memory developed by songs," Duncan-Purcell said. "Plus, Greg and Steve put on a really good show. Their appeal is not just to the children attending school but also to the stay-at-home-mom who may be just getting by. The price of a ticket, $6, has not changed over the past five years. When you compare that with the $37 it costs to see the Disney Channel production of "The Wiggles," in Bakersfield, Greg and Steve are just as entertaining and a lot more economical."

Duncan-Purcell also gave credit to Target Stores, which provided a grant that funded the attendance for about 250 special education students and transportation for children in outlying areas.


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