Bari Koral Rocks The Kids At Marjorie Post Park

Evoking a pure, lighthearted spirit of fun, Bari Koral recently spent a  morning entertaining the children gathered in Marjorie Post Park with the delicate rhythms of her guitar and vocals.

A one-woman "Family Rock Band," Koral spun toe-tappin' tunes for kids, covering silly subject matter such as frogs, ducks, and cupcakes.

"She was delightful!" said Hannah Amos of Massapequa Park, who was there with her daughter, Beth. "We picked up a copy of her CD, and it'll be in the player on the car ride home."

Koral's CD, "Rock And Roll Garden," is  available via her website, or through iTunes.

Koral got the children moving with lots of interactive songs, enlisting them for some good-natured audience participation. One example was "The Driving Song," with Koral encouraging the children in the audience to steer and work imaginary pedals in time to her music.

Even though she seemed a natural with the tykes, Koral  said that it wasn't until a friend made a casual suggestion that she decided to go down the path of children's entertainment.

"I was a singer/songwriter, playing a lot of colleges. I had a side project going on at the Long Island Children's museum where we'd make up plays and songs on the fly," she said. "The Theater Director told me that I should really get into doing kid's music full-time, so I gave it a try."

Another well-received tune was "The Backpack Song," an adorable ode to a child's first pangs of independence, as expressed by the desire to pack their knapsack for the first time by themselves.

The thing that Koral enjoys the most about her work is the way she can touch children and their loved ones.

"I like to entertain them and their families," she said. "For me, it's about family quality time...kids and adults, having fun together."

Up next was "Hey Ducky," a song dedicated to ducks everywhere, with the children prompted to yell "Hey what?" whenever they heard the chorus.

"My two daughters love Bari," said Samantha Kavanaugh of Massapequa. "They started dancing once she started playing, and they'll keep going until she stops."

After the conclusion of her performance, children crowded around Koral, asking for autographs and warm embraces, all of which which she happily gave.

"I'm really glad I'm in this business, because I get a lot of hugs," she said. "It's great!"