Enjoy 10 Minutes of Fame at Birdhouse’s Family Open Mic

The Birdhouse Center for the Arts, run by Bronwyn Bird and Justin Nawn, is located just off Main and Bridge Streets in Lambertville, NJ. Birdhouse is home to live concerts, music lessons, and fun and interesting events. Family Open Mic Night is a free, monthly open-stage variety show where entertainers can perform in front of a live audience.

On July 24, 2026, the open mic had over 20 audience members in the air conditioned venue, and approximately 11 of them had written their names on the sign-up sheet. Anyone who wants to entertain a family audience can participate—kids and adults alike.

Birdhouse is equipped with a drum set, full-sized keyboard, microphones, amplifiers, hand drums, upright bass, and music stands. Stage lights hang above, and two large PA speakers flank each side of the performance space.

July 24th’s show was very musical, but Bronwyn said the stage is open to poets, storytellers, magicians, comedians, and anyone who has something to share.

Toddlers and teens—each accompanied by at least one adult—sat in a semicircle on cushioned folding chairs. It’s a small room, so every seat is a good one.

Anticipation was in the air, but without the dreaded peer pressure of a school assembly. Nobody has to perform, even if they signed up to do so.

As the show began, host Justin found himself competing with cooing infants.

“At the family open mic night,” he joked, “the first song will be Dueling Babies.”

Adults (who knew the song Dueling Banjos) laughed.

To start the event, Justin and Bronwyn played and sang a song together. After that, Justin was joined by another adult, Jake, and they played two traditional folks songs.

Family Open Mic is a friendly place where kids can be kids: several young girls colored with markers on large sheets of paper as they listened to the musicians, and a two-year-old toddler improvised a tap dance during one of the songs.  

Jake and Justin played acoustic guitars as Bronwyn joined in on her Nyckelharpa, which is a keyed fiddle that looks like a complex violin. Their short opening set established a professional tone for the event.

In between acts, Justin encouraged audience participation in the form of applause.

Up next was Nico, who has been learning drums for the past year. He sat down behind the kit and explained that he would be performing End of Beginning, by Djo, which is a song from Stranger Things.

“If you know the words you can sing along,” Nico said. 

The two musicians sang into microphones as they played. An audience member tapped her foot and videoed the entire song with her camera zoomed in on the young drummer as he experienced his first ever live performance playing on a full drum set.

Next was Joy, who sang a song while accompanying herself on ukulele as her daughters Charlie and Aubrey, ages 7 and 2, did a choreographed dance.

Willow then played two traditional folk songs on violin, accompanied by her mother.

Zack sang and rapped a hip hop song, which he wrote himself. Sonaya sang Dancing Queen by Abba. Then she joined Zack and they did an original song together.

After that, Willow returned to the stage with Violet to sing a duet. Nico, who was ready for another chance, got up and played a second song on drums.

Justin, always the welcoming host, accompanied whomever needed or wanted accompaniment. He also handled the soundboard, arranged microphones, encouraged participants, and created a supportive, easy-going environment.

“Does anyone else want to perform?” Justin asked the audience.

Even if someone signed up, they didn’t have to go in the order of the sign-up list, because it can take a while to build enough courage to get on stage in front of a live audience.

When Jordan was ready, he sang along with Stevie Nicks on a Fleetwood Mac song while it played over the PA from a smart phone.

“Fleetwood Mac,” an older kid said to Jordan, “you have good taste.”

The participants know how difficult it can be to put themselves out there, so they were equally good audience members as they were presenters. However, credit goes to the adults in the room for modeling that sense of camaraderie.

To complete the show, Finley debuted his original composition, Steps, on piano. Aurelia played piano and sang Heart and Soul, and then Jordan and Finley presented an original.

Some of the listeners had left by the end, which was disappointing, but a shrinking audience is typical for any open mic night, so this was a real-world experience.

The next Family Open Mic Night is Friday, September 18, 2026 at 4:30 pm. Arrive early to sign up, or just be part of the audience to check out the next generation of entertainers.