 Aric Bieganek is literally a rockstar. He is the founder and front-man of a band called ROCK, which stands for the Royal Order of Chords and Keys. But, their audience isn't necessarily who you'd expect. Aric and his bandmates play what's known as Kindie Rock music. That's a combination of "kid" and "indie," and the band is wildly successful with kids and adults alike. ROCK has performed at festivals and conferences in Brooklyn, NY and Ann Arbor, MI and plays frequently all around the Twin Cities. In 2011, Aric even received New England Public Radio's Arts and Humanities Award for Emerging Talent.
Aric has always searched for ways to focus his music on building community. He was involved in music and theater groups growing up, and has experienced first hand the power of music on a community. He certainly experienced this while he was living in New York City, working as an early-childhood music educator. The classes there didn't want to hear "Mary Had a Little Lamb" or the other kids' classics, so he took their feedback like any good community-focused artist would, and decided to write his own songs. He put pen to paper, and before he knew it, he had written hit songs like "Central Park Kitty," "The Pizza Song," and a rap song called "Cookies and Milk." And the crowd went wild. In 2006, Aric brought his unique teaching style to Northampton, MA, where his original songs were so popular that his classes grew, and he had 50-60 families coming on a weekly basis to rock out together to his Kindie Rock music. Wanting to be closer to family, Aric moved back to Minnesota in 2012, and found a home in St. Louis Park. He loves living in a vibrant, open-minded, social community, going to events at Wolfe Park, and enjoying all the creative activities the Twin Cities has to offer. These days, Aric is advising students at McNally Smith College of Music on how to follow their dreams in pursuit of careers in music. On weekends, you can find him teaching children in Northeast, and rocking out with kids all over the community. While he's found his professional vocation in teaching and children's music, Aric's favorite job is being a dad to his eight year old daughter. He's encouraged her to make art and music, but has let her passions grow on their own. She loves to drum on the kitchen table, give concerts in the back yard, and draw her own comic books. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll see the two of them share the stage with their own Kindie Rock band. You can read more and hear Aric's band, ROCK, at welcometorock.com
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