TEDDY BEAR BAND: A Brief History
By TBB guy Ron Gustafson

The Teddy Bear Band played their first show in 1985, at a fundraiser for the Bloomington, Minnesota Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program. I was a teacher with the program, and I approached a group of guys in our "Daddy & Me" class about bringing our "circle time" onstage for a one-time benefit. The rest--as they say--is history!

Over 200 preschool children attended that first show, and almost all of them brought a teddy bear. Appropriately, we closed the show with our first original song, "Bears in the Air!" Well, the mood was one of celebration and good feelings, and one of the musicians asked me what I thought about taking this show on the road. I said that it was a great idea, but I didn't know how to go about doing it. "Well I do," came the reply. That musician was Richard Erickson, and seeing as we performed 150 times that year--and thousands of times since--he knew what he was talking about!

BAND on a MISSION

From the very beginning, the Teddy Bear Band has been committed to sharing a positive perspective on child development. Besides offering a fun and entertaining show, the Teddy Bear Band supports educational and social issues for communities, organizations, schools and businesses, including:

D.A.R.E. The band wrote a new theme song and developed a show with D.A.R.E. officials.

Children's Trust Fund This organization funds several TBB performances each year, with a goal of strengthening family relationships and respect for one another.

President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports The Teddy Bear Band collaborated with children's fitness experts to create 2 "Bear-Robics" tapes, proclaimed "a hit!" by the council.

In addition to these and other programs, the Teddy Bear Band is proud to represent Minnesota through concerts--and workshops for child development and early childhood professionals--around the nation. These opportunities make performing with the Teddy Bear Band doubly rewarding, and go a long way toward explaining the band's long lasting success.

The Envelope, please...

We've been fortunate enough to receive numerous honors over the years, including:



September 10th, 2005 was TEDDY BEAR BAND DAY in the state of Minnesota! CLICK HERE to read the official proclamation!




The "Family Favorite" Award from Minnesota Parent Magazine, every year the poll has been conducted--since 1988!




The Minnesota Music Award for "Best Children's Music Artist," voted by our industry peers in the Minnesota Music Academy.





We consider it a great honor to have presented for the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) many times over the years, from Atlanta, Georgia to Toronto, Canada.



By the way...
The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame is considering inducting the Teddy Bear Band! Please drop us an email of support...and wish us luck!



What did we miss?

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