Karaoke Forums

Done a kids party on Saturday, mainly 9-13 year olds. Some of the kids came up on stage and sung while they were chewing gum and another cane up holding a sandwich. Would you allow kids to sing while eating or chewing gum on stage?

I took a kid's karaoke gig a couple years ago, and wasn't told it was a pool party. The kids were literally all swimming around in the pool, then expecting to jump out of the pool and sing. I immediately told the adult hosts that I could not let the kids handle a wired mic while wet, and even wasn't comfortable with them toweling off before grabbing the mic.

Fortunately, the adult host understood completely, and we ended up letting a few of the dry kids sing, but basically agreed to turning the karaoke party into a DJ party, and I agreed to stay an extra hour for full pay.

Same base issue going on with the gum/sandwich thing. I don't think I'd worry too much about a kid bringing a sandwich up, but I'd be upfront with the adult hosts that the gum kid and the sandwich kid may choke if they try to sing with something in their mouth, and ask their help in keeping everyone safe. If they don't understand that request, then it isn't worth the millions of dollars in liability you are looking at for the small fee you are getting from the gig!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

Kids need to be taught how to act in social environments. Some things are acceptable and some things are not. Chewing gum or eating while on stage/poolside singing is not acceptable behavior for child or adult.

My answer is NO. Mostly because I don't do kids shows.

1) If adults don't get it, I can't expect a young child to,
2) Even trying to NICELY tell a child how to do something can bring down the wrath of today's over-protective helicopter parents,
3) My kids are grown up. Been there, done that, no desire to ever do it again.

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-Chris

I like kids parties.

but you have to put your foot down right away with them and let them know the rules.

and keep repeating them.

with kids it repetition of repeating the rules.

but you have to like kids and have some patients with them!

sometimes I think they are easier then the drunk adults.

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It's all good!

I never did a kid's party, and I never want to. The main reason is, those kids know most of today's pop (uncensored), and I can just envision all of the stares and objections I would be getting from the Parents for allowing their kids to sing those types of songs.... Gee Mr. and Mrs. Parent... the kids already know the songs because they listen to them on the radio or ONLINE. Where were you when it came to controlling what your kids listen to???

Bottom line... I just don't want to deal with it.

And then again, some of those drunk adults get into accidents and become patience in the hospital.

i did one for an elementary school and got really surprised.
most of the kids (6-12) were not doing the songs i expected, i did hear Billie Jean, Thriller, and Beat It many times though.
kinda makes up for the Justin Bieber i had to endure

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

My karaoke shows have been declared "Justin Bieber Free" zones... and all my patrons know it. I've never had a complaint. I'm ashamed to call him Canadian.

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Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

Yeah true, I was just amazed because some of the kids who were chewing gum took big breaths between verses and lines etc while chewing to sing out but they held their gum in quite well I thought.

I'll do kids parties. They pay more money than weekly gigs.

Some kids parties are ok. You definitely have to have a stomach for them either way. Some kids are very well behaved, others are terrors. Some parents expect you to be a clown or a babysitter, others are happy with whatever you can do for the kids.

Gum is fine. Food and drinks, dirty, sticky, disgusting, filthy hands, NO.

Same with pool parties. NO WET KIDS can do karaoke.

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DJ Don

I love my kids. Everyone else should keep theirs as far away from me as possible. Hansel and Gretel would never have a chance against me.

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-Chris

Kids love to pop the mics and scream in the mics. I tell them before they start singing I have 2 rules not to pop or scream in the microphones. At every kid/teen party there is always one person that always request some off the wall songs that know one has ever heard of. I pretend to look it up and tell them sorry I don't have that one. Is that wrong.....

Rule number one for any kj doing a kids party - don't use the good mics. This is when the cheap $35 Behringer SM58 knockoff will work just fine.
Rule number two - got to have a compressor/limiter on the mics - mainly for the accidental drops, although when I did a couple kid shows, didn't really have any issues with them dropping the mics more or less than our regular club shows.
Rule number three - rotations pretty much go right out the window, kids like to sing with groups & with partners. Also you might hear the same song more than once.

Otherwise I loved running the kid shows, it was much needed around here, we were always packed and it paid well. Usually ran it from 6-9 - then the kids had to leave & started the regular show.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I would absolutely LOVE to do do a family show for the following reasons

1. You get to play the music a HECK of a lot more quietly than at a bar gig and i wouldn't have to wear earplugs

2. No drunk people to deal with

3. I Know maybe 20 people at the most from my regular karaoke haunts. I know almost 300 people from my church and almost all of them have extremely large families

4. There is virtuallly NO family entertainment here in high river, because the movie theater only just re-open two weeks ago after the high river flood

stramgely enough, despite all these good reasons that I have discussed with restaurant owners and managers, none of them have been willing to give it a try


-James

Most of the kids I have encountered know how to use the mics better than the adults and are pretty good about the equipment. I don't know if it is from growing up with American Idol or what but they have it down. There hasn't been a problem with them bringing up food yet as they like to be able to strike the rock poses when they sing. But usually I just tell them we have to be careful and they are good.

Agree with Lonman that they sing in groups and you will hear the same song over and over but that is what they like to do.

I have "clean" song books but stretch the rules a bit depending on the situation and the age of the kids. If it is the Boys and Girls Club then song selection is very strict. If it is a private party it is usually the parents who tell me that they sing the "questionable" songs with their kids at home all of the time so let them at it.

Some of the kids already have "Diva" down. They have even tried to pull the, "Can I sing next because my parents are here to pick me up and I have to go now" card. Now I make them show me the parents.

Oh man I can't help but think the obvious, kids that age learn from their parents and how many times do your adult patrons at shows in barrooms and night clubs bring their bottle of beer or drink with them and take a swig during the instrumental. I don't blame the kids, adults can and do choke on food too when trying to eat during a conversation or when you bring a drink to your lips and someone cracks a joke and we wind up with our beverage down our windpipe and all over our $50 shirt, it happens. But kids certainly emulate their parents especially with singing karaoke, they watch and learn.