Justin Roberts, Class of 1992, knows how annoying children's music can be. That's why he set out to write kids' songs that even parents can enjoy. Now, with three acclaimed albums under his belt and a growing résumé of performances across the country, this independent children's musician has become a hit with children and parents alike.

"I ended up doing music for the kids for a selfish reason," Roberts says. At his first job as a preschool teacher in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he quickly tired of hearing the same children's songs over and over. So he began writing his own material for the classroom.

The plunge was only natural. Roberts, who devised a synoptic major (in the philosophy of religion) while at Kenyon, is a musician at heart.

Great Big Sun, Roberts's first children's music collection, which found its way into homes across the country, earned high praise, and won several awards including the 2001 Parents' Choice GOLD Award and the 2001 Parents Guide Award.

After that, "the kids' music started to take off a lot more," says Roberts. He tours extensively and has built a sizeable following in several cities. His CDs, including Yellow Bus and Not Naptime, have proven popular through word-of-mouth promotion and have garnered acclaim from critics across the country.

The accolades come because Roberts knows what his audience does not want to hear. "I'm trying to make music I would want to listen to as an adult who doesn't have kids," he explains.

Photo of Justin Roberts copyright 2002 Todd Rosenburg