As the rock ’n’ roll musician put on his headset and took to the stage to start the concert, his fans began to scream. Some jumped up and down. Others grabbed onto their mommies’ and daddies’ hands and dug excitedly into their cake pops.
This was the scene when children’s musician Jeff Klemm, known onstage as Mr. Jeff, played a set at the Starbucks inside House Three Thirty as part of PorchRokr, Highland Square’s annual, one-day community music festival.
“Everybody was really ready to kick off PorchRokr and party, so I went all high-energy the whole time,” Klemm said. “With kids, it’s a flow. It’s a give-and-take. It’s very active and engaging, and that’s how my songs are designed.”
The show on Aug. 16 was Klemm’s 57th of the summer — it wrapped up his 2025 Loud in the Library Tour. This was his fourth summer tour, and fans at Mr. Jeff’s PorchRokr set were privy to a big announcement from their favorite musician.
He invited them to attend a free listening party last night at WAPS “The Summit” radio station, where he promoted his third album, “Big Kid Stuff,” which officially launched today.
Appealing to a larger demographic
Klemm’s newest release is a full-length album with 12 songs, including “You Can Do Hard Things” and “I’ll Never Be Anyone But Me.” He said it expands the demographics of his fandom.
“What about the kids that aren’t into grown-up music yet,” he said. “I really wanted to have something for them.”
The new release also features collaborations with children’s musicians Ronnie Boy Kids, FYÜTCH, Miss Jessica, Tara Trudel and Mega Ran. Mr. Jeff’s first video from the album, a song called “Picasso,” is available on his YouTube Channel.
“My job is to spread joy,” Klemm said. “And I just want to do it 110% every single second that I’m with these children.”
Klemm plans to host a larger album release party this fall and is hoping to submit “Big Kid Stuff” to The Recording Academy of the United States for consideration for a Grammy Award.
Music from an educational perspective
Klemm, 38, grew up in Stow, moved to Highland Square as a young adult and currently lives in Cuyahoga Falls with his wife, Jillian, and children: Silas, Juniper and Jonah.
Mr. Jeff plays eight musical instruments and started his career as a preschool teacher. He taught music lessons but soon decided to pursue performances as Mr. Jeff full-time. He writes, plays, produces, records, mixes and masters all the songs used in his shows in his home studio.
“Every song that I make, I go into it with certain objectives in mind, hitting child development pillars or specific movements, whether that’s gross motor, fine motor, executive function, things like that,” he said. “I come at it from an educator perspective, but also from rock ’n’ roll.”
Klemm’s first album, “Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful,” received nine national and international awards for children’s music. His second, “Slumberful Slumberful Slumberful,” he said, included “dreamy piano versions” of the songs from his first album.
Locally, he was a 2025 recipient of the 30 For the Future Awards of the Greater Akron Chamber.
“The accolades are cool, but smiles are way better,” he said.
