I had the opportunity yesterday to host an American Idol party here in St. Helena. Since I am a huge fan of the show, I was really excited to plan this theme. As with all of my parties, everything has a beginning, middle and end. My performer Andrea, played Brooke White, a former contestant from Season 7. She started the party with some interactive storytelling about the Idol audition process. Afterwards, the children were formally registered where they received authentic looking back stage passes, contestant numbers and American Idol hats (the hats were supplied by the client and the children got to take them home them home with them.)
Birthday Express carries many Idol products. The children were then divided into two groups. While one group received their "star" makeovers, the other group went with Brooke to learn a couple of songs. The groups then rotated.
If organizing this type of party yourself, my advice is to keep the song selection simple. I opted to have the children learn two Miley songs: The Best of Both Worlds which they sang acappella style for the judges, and Lets get Crazy, which they sang with the karaoke machine. It's also best to have printed song sheets for them to follow along with. After everyone learned their songs, Brooke sang her Idol audition song and the two divided groups then had their chance before the judges. Each group was judged on the way they sang their song, star pose, and attitude. Afterwards, the kids had fun singing into the open microphone.
