Sweet sound of success

T wenty years ago, Rebecca Frezza was a professional dancer performing in "Evita" across Europe. Soon afterward, she traded her jazz shoes and leg warmers for an acoustic guitar and a sippy cup.

Frezza and her band Big Truck now tour across the country. Her groupies are less than 4 feet tall, and for the most part, in bed by 8 p.m. The band is garnering a lot of national attention - Sirius radio has rated them in the top 10 for kids' artists, and they can be seen on television on PBS Kids and Noggin, part of the Nickelodeon channel for preschoolers.

The 45-year-old Watertown native, now living in Montclair, N.J., will return to the western suburbs Saturday morning to perform at The Center for Arts in Natick.

Frezza, a mother of two, said that her success is especially sweet since - like many entertainers - she has paid her dues.

"It's a big step to be playing in concert halls where people are willing to buy a ticket to see you - because it's you - not because they're supporting their kid's preschool," said Frezza. "When there are organizations looking to raise money for their cause, you play wherever the gigs are. Sometimes [the locations] are phenomenal and sometimes you think 'Why am I here in the rain, and the cold, and the mud?' "

These days, Frezza says, the venues are a bit more cushy. Next month the band will head to Florida to perform at SeaWorld.

Of course there are other challenges to contend with in the world of children's music, like keeping a handle on the audience. No, there's no mosh pit, but Frezza says that during concerts, kids often speak to her as if they're the only two people there. Once, in the middle of a performance, a little boy told her: "We have your CD in the car and we play it when we go down to Grandmas and when we went to Grandma's we went swimming in the pool and then my dog jumped in. . ."

Last year, Frezza was commissioned to write eight songs for PBS Kids television. The band filmed music videos that began airing last September. The educational music videos are broadcast between programs and supplement the show's theme of the day, topics like sharing, the birth of a baby brother, responsibility, or rhythm. Frezza and Big Truck were also on the first season of "Jack's Big Music Show" on Noggin.

In addition to Frezza's vocals and acoustic guitar, the band includes an electric guitar, bass, drums, two backup singers, and a member who plays the flute, harmonica, bongos, and the African djembe.

"We try to expose the kids to a lot of different musical styles, tonalities, and rhythms," said Frezza. "It then becomes part of their musical vocabulary."

Growing up, Frezza played the violin. Her mother played piano and violin, and her brother played the guitar.

"Rebecca's play dates often ended with full scale productions in our living room," said Frezza's mother, Helen McElroy. "She then began choreographing pieces for performances at school."

Frezza attended the Cambridge Friends School, where both her parents taught, and the now-defunct Home Base School in Watertown, a small four-year alternative high school that had graduating classes from 1972 through 1981. Since the school didn't have much in the way of facilities, its leaders encouraged students to find other places in the community to take classes for school credit. Frezza said she particularly enjoyed a mime class at The Cambridge Center for Adult Education and dance lessons at Joy of Movement in Watertown Square, which she financed by baby-sitting and working at the Store 24 on Main Street.

For the most part, Frezza said she has wonderful memories of her time in Watertown. One still haunts her, however. During the Blizzard of 1978, her boyfriend, then 17 years old, had been shoveling snow and got into his car to warm up. The exhaust pipe of the car was plugged up with snow and he died of carbon monoxide poisoning. "I was 15," said Frezza. "It was very, very sad."

After high school, Frezza went to the Boston Conservatory, then studied dance at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in Manhattan. World tour musical theater productions followed, like "Evita" and "A Chorus Line."

After five years, however, Frezza had had enough. "Being on the road all the time was great when you're young, but is not conducive to long-term relationships," she said. She met her husband in 1992 and they started a family.

Frezza's foray into kid's music began in 1996 when she accompanied her children to "Music Together," an internationally recognized early childhood music program. The branch owner saw Frezza's talent and asked her to get certified and teach. Frezza has since written more than 80 songs.

Frezza's pint-size fans will soon have another CD to pop in the mini-van. The band is wrapping up production on its fourth self-published disc, with the working title "Special Kind of Day."

For tickets to next Saturday's show visit natickarts.org or call 508-647-0097. For more on Frezza and Big Truck, visit bigtruckmusic.com.

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