Southeast Iowa Symphony hosts a special event each November—Kidsymphony—with
three performances on the second Saturday in November—Ottumwa ,
Mt Pleasant, and Burlington . Tickets are $3 for kids and $5 for adults.
Each year, there is a different theme for Kidsymphony. We’ve enjoyed a “Super Hero” theme and this
year, it was Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham.
Each child selects an instrument—finger cymbals or a
triangle—to play along at certain portions of the concert, when they enter the
auditorium. Now, the rule is supposed to
be that the parents hold onto the instruments until it is time to play, but
that rarely happens. So, if you are
expecting a civilized and quiet symphony audience, this performance is not for
you. It’s more of an interactive, noisy,
diaper wearing, symphony audience.
We took Grandma Carol along for the fun.
The conductor introduced the instrument families and the
musicians provided demonstrations of the various instruments. The symphony played one song, then it was
time for the main feature—Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham.
Interestingly, the conductor connected the theme of the
story—unwillingness to try something new—to our current political climate.
The portion of the story when she will “not eat them on a
train” is the boy’s favorite part. He
even anticipates that it’s coming. Check
it out:
After the main performance, it was time to rehearse chiming
along with the music.
Then, the audience robustly chimed along with a Sousa March
as the finale of the performance.
The concert lasted about 45 minutes.
Children deposited their instruments in boxes on the way
out, as the musicians packed up their instruments and headed East for their
next performance.
While we have missed Kidsymphony the last two years—it coincided
with the week-end we were at Walt Disney World in November—we were happy to be
back. It’s a great way to introduce kids
to the symphony and the various instruments and catch some parents who might be
interested, too.
Bravo for a great performance!
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