A Place To Be Launches New Children’s Show

Focusing on social-emotional learning promotes well-being and positive relationships.

LEESBURG, VA — Marking the 10th year of its partnership with Loudoun County Public Schools, the music therapy and expressive arts organization A Place To Be is launching “A Place To Be Me,” a disability-inclusive live musical show designed to strengthen social-emotional learning among elementary school students.

Since 2014, A Place To Be has brought touring shows and educational programs — most recently, the musical “5 Ways to Make a Friend” — to tens of thousands of LCPS students from kindergarten through high school. Now, the organization is offering its new show as a field trip destination within its own theater, supported in part by a grant from Inova.

A Place To Be’s Dan Miller, a specialist in youth theater and social-emotional learning, will host the show along with entertaining characters such as a rat named Rocco, a singing campfire, and a board-certified music therapist as a park ranger. Roles in the cast and crew will also be filled by former A Place To Be music therapy clients.

“With ‘A Place To Be Me,’ we’re building on the legacy of beloved children’s classics such as ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ and ‘Blue’s Clues,’” Miller says, “not only by focusing on crucial themes such as kindness, acceptance, empathy, and inclusion, but in actively involving children in the show as they have the chance to think about situations, answer questions from the host, and sing along with the characters.”

Kyle Boardman, who directs and cowrote the show with A Place To Be’s cofounder and creative director, Tom Sweitzer, emphasizes that the songs and educational messages go beyond simply teaching positive concepts. “Kids are having fun while they’re singing along with the cast,” he says. “But at the same time, they’re learning skills that they can directly put into action, including goal setting, emotion management, self-reflection, and friendship making.”

Community members are invited to get an early glimpse of the 40-minute show on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at 1 or 3 p.m. at A Place To Be’s Mars-Schmidt Theater at 1600 Village Market Blvd. SE, Suite 108, Leesburg, VA 20175. Tickets are free but must be reserved online at aplacetobe.booktix.com.

Featured image courtesy of A Place To Be.

Posted on: September 4, 2024