The Musicians Behind 'Kindergarten: The Musical' Share How the Show 'Celebrates' the 'Little Things' About Being a Kid

Kindergarten is a big life step for every child. For many, it is the first time they are away from home and their parents, it is when they learn the alphabet and it is when they experience making friends for the first time.

That's why the formative year was the inspiration behind Disney's new series, Kindergarten: The Musicalwhich follows the story of 5-year-old Bertie and her new friends as they navigate life at school. “We were all kids once,” says one of the show's creators and executive producers, Michelle Lewis. Bulletin board.

Her fellow series creator and executive producer Charlton Pettus agrees. “We are both parents. Real children are much more interesting than most people. We tell extremely entertaining stories about people we know extremely well, having grown up with a lot of them.”

Lewis and Pettus are longtime co-creators, having worked as producers, songwriters and musicians for decades. Lewis is a two-time Emmy winner and has written for Cher, Amy Grant, Little Mix and more. He has also worked on a number of children's animated shows including Doc McStuffins, Vampirina and Bubble Guppies.

Since 2000, Pettus has been the touring guitarist, producer and co-writer of Tears for Fears, and has also collaborated with artists such as Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan and Selena Gomez. However, Kindergarten: The Musical it is his first time working on a TV show. “It's much better,” he says of working in television. “In the darkest days of pop songwriting, [Lewis and I] it was in that period where the mission was to write songs that sounded like they were about something, but studiously avoided ever being about anything. So I think we got a little bit burned in the chase.”

He noted that “TV and film seemed like a lot more fun, so we started getting into that,” before adding, “We had a couple of shows we were trying to pitch. Kindergarten appeared as a back pocket pitch. We thought it was clever and fun. As we went out into the world and talked to people, that's what people reacted to.”

However, music is hardly left behind Kindergarten: The Musicalas the name suggests. Lewis calls the series a “love letter to music” and its unifying nature. “We have a song called 'I Wanna Go Home' in the show,” he says as an example. “The thing is, they go to school and they miss home, they miss their dog, whatever. What would seem like a small moment, to a small child is actually a big moment, and long enough to sing. I hope the show will make kids feel seen and heard and celebrate and feel comfortable expressing these things, these fears and anxieties and joys and all of that through music.”

Pettus concludes, “Why do songs make us cry? Because we recognize ourselves. It resonates. I think we want to do the same thing with children. We want them to recognize themselves, see themselves and see that they're making it, that everything's okay.”

Kindergarten: The Musical is available to watch on Disney Jr. and Disney+. Check out a snippet of the song, “First Day,” exclusively via Bulletin board below.