The Fresh Beat Band is Nickelodeon's new music group and self-titled original live-action comedy series. Premiering Monday, August 24, The Fresh Beat Band centers on four best friends in a band who attend music school together and love to sing and dance. The twenty-episode, half-hour series has a broad-based music curriculum focusing on self-expression through music, music appreciation and comprehension of music terminology.
The Fresh Beat Band centers on four best friends (left to right: Twist, Kiki, Shout, Marina) in a band who attend music school together and love to sing and dance. Set to original pop songs, the half-hour series teaches preschoolers about music appreciation and how to express their feelings and emotions through movement, song and instrumental music. Kids will also be introduced to the fundamentals of music such as melody, rhythm, tempo and performance styles. In each episode, preschoolers will sing and dance along as they help The Fresh Beat Band solve everyday challenges. Viewers will also learn the importance of friendship, working together in a positive way and respecting each other's differences.
Twist (Jon Beavers) - Twist is a DJ, a skilled rapper and a beat boxer. His instruments of choice are his super-cool mix-tables and his voice. Twist is really imaginative and a natural jokester. Even when his outrageous ideas don't come through, he doesn't get into a twist; he just goes with the flow.
Kiki (Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer) - Vivacious, bubbly and spunky, Kiki is also a "kickin'" dancer who loves making up new dances and teaching them to her friends and band mates. Plus, she can rock the guitar and the violin.
Shout (Thomas Hobson) - Intelligent, confident, and bursting with energy, Shout loves to jam on his keyboards, and he loves to dance, too. He gets really excited about everything, and his excitement is contagious.
Marina (Shayna Rose) - Marina is an awesome drummer and the "rock steady" beat of The Fresh Beats. She brings her drumsticks with her everywhere she goes and can play any drum (or anything resembling a drum) that is put in front of her.
The Fresh Beat Band features original songs with preschool-friendly lyrics written by series creators/executive producers Nadine van der Velde and Scott Kraft. Van der Velde and Kraft have won three Emmys for their work on children's television programs and share an extensive background in television, film and theater. The music on the show is composed by Matter Music, an award-winning company that creates original compositions for film, television and commercials.