The Fresh Beat Band - a fun Nick Jr. children show

I try my best to limit television time for my kids, but there are days when I just need to turn it on to keep sane. When I do let my little ones watch a show, it’s usually The Fresh Beat Band on Nick Jr. or certain cartoons on Sprout. Thank goodness for my DVR because I have five episodes of The Fresh Beat Band recorded, and they’re always a lifesaver.

If you haven’t heard of The Fresh Beat Band, it’s actually a great musical show geared towards pre-schoolers on Nick Jr. There are four main characters – Kiki, Marina, Twist and Shout, and they go to music school together. The premise of each show starts out with a problem they encounter and with music, singing, and dancing, they work together to find a solution. The music is upbeat and sounds relevant, and it gets my children dancing which is a plus. It also helps that my husband and I don’t get annoyed with the singing. It’s like humming along to a pop song. Yo Gabba Gabba is great and all, but I would much rather watch and hear The Fresh Beats than those characters.

The Fresh Beat Band cast is as follows:

Kiki is played by Yvette Gonzalez Nacer. She is the energetic one in the group, and is my daughter's favorite. She plays the guitar on the show as well as off the show too.

Twist is played by Jon Beavers. He is the DJ, and his real life main interest is hip-hop. He loves to joke around.

Marina is played by Tara Perry, formerly Shayna Rose. She is the drummer and probably the most calm out of the bunch. Tara Perry is actually the new Marina for Season 3, and there were mixed reviews about Nick Jr. replacing Rose. Honestly, it's just a TV show, but I guess people (parents) weren't too happy with the decision.

Shout is played by Thomas Hobbson. He's a fun character who really gets my daughters moving. He plays the keyboard.

Most of them are still in their 20s, and they are all vibrant and energetic characters. I think they would do great if they went on tour! Just like Hannah Montana, these four actors have true musical talent and can sing. I'm guessing if there was a fresh beat band tour, it would sell out very quickly.