MUMBAI: Preschoolers will get up and dance to the original pop tunes of The Fresh Beat Band - Nickelodeon's new music group and self-titled original live-action comedy series. Premiering Monday, Aug. 24, The Fresh Beat Band centers on four best friends in a band who attend music school together and love to sing and dance. The 20-episode, half-hour series has a broad-based music curriculum focusing on self-expression through music, music appreciation and comprehension of music terminology.

The Fresh Beat Band will premiere with two back-to-back episodes on Monday, Aug. 24, at 12:00 p.m. (ET/PT), followed by two weeks of brand-new episodes Tuesday, Aug. 25 -Thursday, Aug. 27, and Monday, Aug. 31 -Thursday, Sept. 3, at 12:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Nickelodeon will encore the Monday premiere on Friday, Aug. 28, and Friday, Sept. 4, at 12:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Two back-to-back episodes will also encore on NOGGIN, Sunday, Aug. 30, and Sunday, Sept. 6, at 7:00 p.m. (ET).

"Kids and their parents will sing and laugh along with The Fresh Beats as the four friends tackle daily adventures in each episode," said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "With fantastic original songs, a core music curriculum and a multi-talented cast, The Fresh Beat Band is the perfect addition to our lineup."

Meet The Fresh Beat Band:

Marina (Shayna Rose)

Marina is an awesome drummer and the "rock steady" beat of The Fresh Beats. She brings her drumsticks with her everywhere she goes and can play any drum (or anything resembling a drum) that is put in front of her.

Kiki (Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer)

Vivacious, bubbly and spunky, Kiki is also a "kickin'" dancer who loves making up new dances and teaching them to her friends and band mates. Plus, she can rock the guitar and the violin.

Twist (Jon Beavers)

Twist is a DJ, a skilled rapper and a beat boxer. His instruments of choice are his super-cool mix-tables and his voice. Twist is really imaginative and a natural jokester. Even when his outrageous ideas don't come through, he doesn't get into a twist; he just goes with the flow.

Shout (Thomas Hobson)

Intelligent, confident, and bursting with energy, Shout loves to jam on his keyboards, and he loves to dance, too. He gets really excited about everything, and his excitement is contagious.

In the premiere episode, "Stick Together," Kiki, Marina, Twist and Shout have a special surprise birthday party planned for their music teacher, Ms. Piccolo. They're going to decorate the music room with new wallpaper, birthday party goodies, streamers and balloons. But when The Fresh Beat Band arrives at music school, they each have their own ideas about how to wallpaper the music room and decide to work separately. Their surprise for Ms. Piccolo quickly turns into a sticky, wallpapery mess. They decide that the only way to wallpaper the music room and surprise Ms. Piccolo is to work together. They decorate the music room beautifully and Ms. Piccolo is surprised and delighted, especially when they present her with her birthday present. . . a piccolo!

Nickelodeon will support The Fresh Beat Band premiere week online and via wireless with dedicated playlists beginning Monday, Aug. 10. The playlists will include themed clips, music videos and a sneak peek of The Fresh Beat Band on Nick Jr. Video.

Nick Jr.'s award-winning website (www.nickjr.com) will feature activities to complement The Fresh Beat Band series premiere. Throughout the month of August, NickJr.com will feature music-themed printables, crafts, activities and more.

The Fresh Beat Band centers on four best friends - Kiki, Marina, Twist and Shout - in a band who attend music school together and love to sing and dance. Set to original pop songs, the half-hour series teaches preschoolers about music appreciation and how to express their feelings and emotions through movement, song and instrumental music. Kids will also be introduced to the fundamentals of music such as melody, rhythm, tempo and performance styles. In each episode, preschoolers will sing and dance along as they help The Fresh Beat Band solve everyday challenges. Viewers will also learn the importance of friendship, working together in a positive way and respecting each other's differences.

The Fresh Beat Band features original songs with preschool-friendly lyrics written by series creators/executive producers Nadine van der Velde and Scott Kraft. Van der Velde and Kraft have won three Emmys for their work on children's television programs and share an extensive background in television, film and theatre. They have written music video treatments for many pop music superstars including Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Faith Hill. The music on the show is composed by Matter Music, an award-winning company that creates original compositions for film, television and commercials.