Bongo Barry Bernstein taps into creativity

Music comes naturally to Barry Bernstein. The Jewish Kansas Citian has managed to make it his career for nearly 30 years now, and this summer, “Bongo Barry” is the featured entertainer of the Johnson County Library System. He will be “Doin’ the Dewey Decimal Stomp” at nearly 60 different library shows in Kansas and Missouri between now and August. (See below for details.)

A registered music therapist, workshop facilitator and recording artist, Bernstein, 55, believes that anyone can sing and play, and he has a passion for creating participatory musical experiences.

That he is skilled in such endeavors was clear Monday morning, as he kicked off his summer tour at the Gardner, Kan., Public Library. Wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt, shorts and a straw hat and switching back and forth between guitar and drums, Bernstein quickly engaged a crowd of about 40 children and adults.

A couple of Woody Guthrie songs, his original tribute to the founder of the library-organizing system, Melvil Dewey (“Do we do the Dewey? Yes we do!”), a couple of rhythmic rounds and before you know it, 45 minutes have passed, filled with a program that delights the children.

Bernstein concluded the show by wishing the audience “Peace, love and barbecue.”

“Everyone had a great time,” said Cassie Coles, a youth-services specialist at the Gardner Library. “Having family events like this makes the library a familiar place, and that is the goal of our programming.”

Bernstein says his children’s shows are always based on a theme.

“For the summer reading program, this year’s theme is ‘Get Creative With Your Library,’ so I decided to get creative with the song-writing and rhythm-wave exercises,” he explained.

There is another new twist to this year’s summer tour, Bernstein said: He will record each show as it occurs, then within 24 hours he will post the audio recording on his Web site, healthysounds.com, for people to download free.

“The technology is there,” Bernstein says, matter-of-factly. “I have always loved being on the leading edge of technology.”

To that end, Bongo Barry also has a facebook page and a Twitter account. (twitter.com/bongob)

He has also recorded a CD of the songs featured in this summer’s show, and he sells them at gigs, along with T-shirts, egg-shaped shakers and more.

Bernstein’s teenage daughters, Leah and Sydney, often serve as roadies and advisers. And this summer, he has hired Elizabeth Boresow, a sophomore music therapy student at the University of Kansas, to help out, too. She played the trombone on one song Monday morning.

Whether he is doing a show for children or for corporate workers in a team-building exercise, his approach remains the same, Bernstein said.

“It’s all focused on getting people to make their own music and the metaphoric content that opens up for them, as far as listening to each other, noting your communal patterns and how you deal with others,” he said.

Bongo Barry’s summer tour

Bongo Barry Bernstein will be “Doin’ the Dewey Decimal Stomp” this summer at the following times and places in greater Kansas City:

• Tuesday, June 9 — 10:15 a.m. at Blue Valley Library and 1 p.m. at the Johnson County Central Library
• Saturday, June 13 — 2 p.m. at the Kansas City, Kan., West Wyandotte Branch Library
• Tuesday, June 23 — 10:30 a.m. at the Lackman branch of the Johnson County Library
• Wednesday, July 8 —1:30 p.m. at the Olathe Public Library
• Tuesday, July 14 — 2 p.m. at Corinth Library, 7 p.m. at Cedar Roe Library
• Tuesday, July 21 — 10 a.m. at the Westport Branch - KCMO Public Library
• Friday, Aug. 7 — 7 p.m. at the Plaza Branch - KCMO Public Library

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