NEFLIN Connect

WHO: Shana Banana, Music and Fun for Kids (and Families)!

WHAT: A one-woman interactive musical concert with several themes offered, including customizable themes. For the library theme “Tales and Tails,” Shana Banana presented an animal-themed show featuring her dog puppets, Hal and Henson, who accompanied her on a story-and song-laden journey of celebration of animals great and small. For the 2022 Oceans library theme, Shana presented “Banana Beach Party,” which took Shana, her puppets, and her audience on a journey through the water cycle, where they met all sorts of interesting aquatic and marine species. For the 2023 theme of “All Together Now,” Shana capitalized on her extensive background as a mindfulness and yoga teacher to create the program “Good Vibrations with Shana Banana.” For 2024, we will dive into “Bananadventures: The Adventurous Spirit of Going Bananas,” in which Shana and her puppets make all kinds of incredible discoveries by honoring their adventurous spirits and curiosity! Shana Banana also wrote a BRAND NEW adventure program with Didgeridoo Down Under’s one and only Raihan Alam (“Rai the Guy”) called “Heartbeat of the Earth.”

WHEN: Shana Banana has themed programs for all different times of the year! Consider “Bananaween” for October, “Che-Han-Tah-Mo” Seminole Indian show or “Heartbeat of the Earth” for November, “Merry Chriskwanzanukah” and “Going Bananas for the Holidays” for December, “Bananimagination” and “Fairy Tales Gone Bananas” to celebrate reading any time of the year, and “Banana Beach Party” or “Good Vibrations for a Healthy Planet” or “Heartbeat of the Earth” for Earth Day, and “Good Vibrations with Shana Banana,” “Heartbeat of the Eartn,” and “Bananadventures” for anytime!

WHY: Shana actually paused her research-based Ph.D. program in Oceanography to follow her great love of writing great songs and stories and creating wholesome, educational, music programs for children. 25 years, 5 CD’s, two DVD’s, a television segment, and two kids of her own later, she has never looked back, and continues to “go bananas” as a true heart’s calling.

HOW: Shana travels self-contained, with a sound system, guitar, drum, puppets, a few bunches of bananas, and sometimes one or both of her teenagers in tow. All you need provide is a table and an outlet! She is also set up to offer both pre-recorded and LIVE, interactive, virtual Zoom concerts.

QUALIFICATIONS: 25 years as a traveling, musical, interactive family “edu-tainer.” Multiple awards, including: Parents’ Choice, NAPPA, iParenting, Just Plain Folks Best Children’s Song in the Country, two first-round Grammy nominations. Master’s degree and Ph.D. candidacy.

Links to previous presentations, resources and/or help guides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipQ8vyPDOd8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kv4Su_10m0

https://youtu.be/r7MN-_wPWa4?si=kWimD9iuDZP96W_g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAtIbBCmVmo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su9NFEqoVok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tar2lF7ADJ0&t=8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DLXKVHp6rE&t=505s