Ultimate Guide to Keeping Children Engaged at Concerts
One of the joys of being around children is seeing them experience the world around them for the first time. The wonder of new sights and sounds can be seen on their face, which can reawaken even the most jaded adult’s perspective. Given my background as a music teacher, it should be no surprise I love exposing my students to live performances by attending our local symphony orchestra together and sharing other opportunities with my studio families. But getting some youngsters to the orchestra can prove to be daunting to parents who are afraid of taking their kids to a large theater with a potentially long program, even if they want to expose them to these concerts!
Today I wanted to take away some of the intimidation and give families some tactical advice on engaging students with music in this way. Just like anything in life, this may take a couple tries to find an exact recipe that works with your child. But I believe with a bit of patience, preparation and understanding we can help the young people in our lives have good experiences that will hopefully keep them coming back for more!
How to Prepare
· If your young one is struggling to sit quietly through the concert, it is a good idea to practice at home. Some ideas for this would be:
o Listening to music together at home. Or better yet, watch a performance from Youtube! Pick smaller pieces to start with and gradually build up the length of the pieces you are listening to.
o Have a little performance at home with your student performing the songs from their lessons! Demonstrate the behavior you expect from them at a concert and try to enforce the same with any siblings.
o Practice obedience through the week. Simple and consistent expectations like sitting still when eating a meal or being quiet when an adult is on the phone are similar skills that can provide structure to attending a concert.
· Attend local music events geared towards smaller children. In my particular area, our symphony orchestra helps facilitate performances called Kinder Konzerts featuring spotlights on instrument families, shorter programs and more. Another community orchestra of my area works with their public library to host an hour with a member of the orchestra and reading of popular children’s books. Whatever the event, continue to demonstrate your expectations at these shortened events.
· Right before a concert, make sure everyone has gone to the restroom and gotten a drink or snack. Giving a little pep talk to remind them of your expectations can do wonders!
Where to Sit
Depending on your child’s age and needs, this can vary. Below are some thoughts to consider when choosing where to sit for different areas of the audience.
· Up front.
o While this might seem like the last place you want to sit, it can be a good option for students like to be involved in the action. Particularly good for students who are string players, this gets us up close and personal, able to watch the professional’s bow strokes, shifts, vibrato and more! All good things for young musicians to observe.
· In the back by a door or aisle.
o This could be a good option if you anticipate your child needing extra bathroom trips or asking more questions – Hopefully from excitement and not from asking if the concert is over yet!
· The balcony.
o This combines the best of both worlds, I believe. Getting a bird’s eye view of the ensemble can help students feel more engaged with the music, where they will still get a good view of the musicians as they breathe together, watch the conductor and more. But should you need to leave, you can be less of a distraction to other attendees.
With all of these considerations, it is important to point out the specific venue for the concert you hope to attend can factor into your best decision, too. Often times theaters and venues can show you more information about their seating which can help inform you as you make your choice.
What to Bring
Try to keep your materials needed for a concert to a minimum, because we do want to keep the focus on the performance and continue to bring your child’s attention back to the orchestra. But sitting still at any age can be a struggle for some, so here are a couple ideas on how to help keep everyone engaged in what is happening.
· Something for the hands.
o Simple is best. Sometimes things you can find in your purse or car are best. A hair tie, piece of paper and pencil, a ribbon, stickers… Something small and quiet can help keep hands busy and redirect fidgety energy.
o Think quiet. Notice all the ideas above are small and silent activities.
· Something to educate.
o Tracing words related to the concert you are attending. Think instrument names, composers, style of composition.
o Circle pictures of instruments they see or hear on stage.
o Ask your child questions as the concert goes along and think past yes or no questions. Some might be “What was your favorite part?”, “How did that last piece make you feel?”, “What did you dislike about the last song?” and so on.
I’ve created a couple of worksheets for concert attendance, with a variety of ages in mind. It is available for free download here! Recently I’ve noticed many ensembles include some activities for kids in their programs as well, from crossword puzzles to short biographies of the musicians or composers featured in a concert. Check out your program for any ideas you might be able to make use of!
What and Why to Train
This is a good time to revisit why coming to concerts with our children is important, because it can lead us to the things we want to train through this experience. Everyone’s list of reasons may look a bit different, but for me and the people I work with, here are some things I hope will come across to my students.
· Product of Hard Work.
o I often see my students and their families get bogged down in the everyday of learning an instrument and we forget what that leads to! What we are accomplishing is nothing short of amazing from week to week and this is a great time to show the children in our lives what the end result can be. While I don’t expect my students to become professionals, I do hope they learn the life skill of hard work.
· Respect to Those Who Share Their Art
o Getting to the level of a professional musician takes many hours and years of steady work! This can help demonstrate a way to recognize both hard work in others and practice respect to those who are willing to expose and share their art with others.
· What Professional Musicians Can Look Like
o Give your children a view into what could be capable if they continue to work on their music. Not all students will become professional musicians, but music can continue to be a source of community and joy for all ages, whether amateur or professional.
What to Expect
· Preschool Age
o Clapping between pieces of music with the audience.
o Filling out a coloring page or tracing words.
o Minimal guidance from parent or guardian towards the stage with questions like “What instruments do you see?” or “How are they playing the violin? How are they playing the flute?”.
o One bathroom break during performance time.
· Elementary Age
o Clapping between pieces with the audience
o Reading the program for the concert
o Paper to draw or write notes on.
I hope you’ve found these tips have given you a sense of courage and capability when it comes to taking your children to live music events. Time and again I’ve been amazed at the ability demonstrated by the students I work with in private lessons, simply because I made the expectations a little higher than I thought was possible AND THEN they rose to the occasion. I hope this post encourages those who question their children’s ability – I truly believe if you provide consistent expectations and encouragement, they will surprise you in wonderful ways!
Let me know if any of these ideas have been successful with your own children and feel free to share any ideas of your own that has worked. If you’re looking for a little activity sheet to use with the young musicians in your life, don’t forget to check out the free download I’ve created as well!
I’d love to hear what other teachers and parents have found to bring success.