Music

Last week we told you about 13 wonderful kids' shows playing in NYC this spring. Today we're sharing the best kids' bands rocking out on city stages this season.

My four-year-old daughter and I love seeing live concerts, and some of our favorite family bands are playing over the next few months, like the Deedle Deedle Dees and Alastair Moock. I'm especially excited to introduce my kid to a few groups she hasn't heard yet, like Bing Bang Boom and the Bari Koral Family Rock Band, at the annual Kindiefest concert. Here are 13 NYC kids' concerts to put in your calendar, including FREE shows from Hot Peas N' Butter, Elizabeth Mitchell and The Rockdoves.

We love taking the kids to indoor concerts when it's cold outside. It's a great way for them to shimmy and shake away the winter blues. Unlike sing-alongs or jazz concerts, pop and rock bands really let little music lovers blow off steam.

Lots of our favorite kids' groups are playing this winter, like The Deedle Deedle Dees and Suzi Shelton, but we've also included less well known groups we love. Whether you want to see a big name like Dan Zanes or are hoping to discover a new musical obsession, here are 13 cool kids' concerts in New York City.

As you could probably tell from my posts about indoor play spots, outdoor playgrounds and toy stores, I love raising my daughter in Park Slope. One of our favorite things to do in the area is hit one of the many inexpensive drop-in sing-alongs and interactive storytimes.

Now that winter's here, we attend at least one of these every week. It's a great way to get out of the house and give my toddler a little playtime. From the local Ys to the Brooklyn Public Library's central branch to various cafes, we've been to 'em all. These are the sing-alongs and storytimes we think are worth the schlep.

It's a mission of mine to introduce my six-year-old son to as many musical genres as possible. I find that kids don’t really care if music is popular or current, they just know what they like. Last year we were all about classical. I was pleasantly surprised by how much we both enjoyed the concerts by the Little Orchestra Society (especially since I'm a rock and roll girl at heart). He even asked me to take him to the opera and he loved that, too.

My son recently finished reading a book that featured Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong as a main character, and he began asking lots of questions about the trumpeter and jazz in general. With Black History Month coming up, it's the perfect time for me to introduce him to the genre.

Although we may start our journey with a visit to Armstrong's childhood home in Queens, which is now a museum, what I really want to do is take him to a live jazz concert. While there are a slew of jazz clubs in New York City, between the free-flowing alcohol and late night hours, most of them aren't family-friendly. But there are a handful of NYC jazz spots that not only welcome kids, they cater to them.

At this time of year, it's very easy to get caught up in spending a lot of money on gifts for family and friends, or high-priced holiday events. But really, you don't have to part with a penny to enjoy the holidays in NYC. We've been telling you about all kinds of free fun like going to see Christmas trees and giant menorahs, or taking a family stroll past all of the department store windows. Now we have a brand-new no-cost celebration to add to our must-experience list: Make Music Winter.

Every year, Make Music sponsors more than 1,000 complimentary outdoor concerts on the first day of summer throughout NYC. For the first time, the organization will sponsor 12 free music parades to mark the start of winter on Wednesday, December 21. Families can watch or sometimes even join these processions as they travel throughout a dozen NYC neighborhoods. It sounds like a wonderful variation on traditional Christmas caroling that combines three of our favorite things: creativity, community and no-cost entertainment.