On Saturday, January 10 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, members of the Helena Symphony Orchestra continue this Season’s Education Concerts with a Symphony Kids program titled BOOM! POW! Shhh… Exploring how dynamics (the different volumes of sound) shape music, the concert features the fable of The Lion & The Mouse as an interactive program including costumed actors, narrator, and the musicians of the Helena Symphony Orchestra.
Created for children ages 5 to 10, Symphony Kids is a free one hour concert for all children and their families. As one of the Symphony’s educational programs, Symphony Kids brings the power of live instrumental music into the hearts of children with specific concerts designed to introduce them to the world of music and instruments.
“Live instrumental music is a wonder to discover,” says Barbara Berg, HSO Principal Flute and one of the creators of the program. “These concerts are designed to make a personal and relevant connection with the children, and we are thrilled to invite children to hear fun, imaginative, and interactive performances by the Helena Symphony Orchestra musicians. This introduction of classical music to children becomes a friendship that lasts a lifetime.”
Performed in the more intimate setting of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, children get to enjoy up-close and personal performances meant to enrich and enhance the music education in the Helena area. “The concert will explore various levels of dynamics from gradual shifts to sudden changes that determine how music makes an impact on the listeners,” explains Music Director Allan R. Scott. “After the very popular last Symphony Kids featuring different aspects of tempo and The Tortoise & The Hare, we wanted to continue with another appealing fable. Based on the fable of The Lion & The Mouse, the concert will tell the story of how a good deed is never wasted all the while hearing different musical volumes using the music of Grieg’s popular Peer Gynt, along with some music from Prokofiev and Wagner.
“The Symphony Kids concerts also capture important life lessons,” explains Symphony Kids writer and music educator Barb Berg. “While we will experience the wonderful levels of dynamics in music in this concert, we will also learn that ‘good things come in small packages,’ and ‘no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted’.”
Symphony Kids is a free program, and children receive an activity book, and are welcomed to enjoy the Instrument Petting Zoo sponsored by Piccolo’s Music immediately following the concert in the lobby.