Category: Music

Taking Kids to Concerts

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I have posted a lot about taking kids to classical music performances, but wanted to write about taking kids to pop/rock music concerts and how enjoyable they can be. I know several friends who take their kids to the annual Red Butte Gardens Concert Series where they can enjoy the outdoor amphitheatre and join their parents for the evening.

We took Theo to his first concert when he was 4. We were encouraged to go by our friends who also had young children and said that it would be fun. It helped that we are fans of The Dave Matthews Band, and that the concert was going to be held outdoors at USANA Amphitheatre. It was a great success!

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As with a lot of activities I recommend, we bought the cheapest seats so we didn’t feel like we had to invest a lot in the event in case it backfired. These happen to be the general lawn seating at USANA and is perfect for kids!

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Theo and his buddies had so much fun running up and down the lawn, having a picnic dinner and occasionally hanging out with their parents to listen to the music. The adults got to enjoy a band they loved, while keeping an eye on their kids and enjoying a nice summer evening. It was great.

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Recently, Taylor Swift came to town for her 1989 World Tour and I organized a group of girlfriends to go (just adults). We are all big fans and thought it would be a fun girls night out. It definitely was a lot of fun, but we were all struck by how the event would have been enhanced by taking some of their daughters or younger girls with us. Not so that we could “fit in” to the demographic, but because the entire show seemed geared towards a younger female audience (with Taylor’s proclamations of girl power and the importance of being yourself). I had a friend afterwards tell me that she was hesitant to bring her daughter, but I would wholeheartedly recommend the show for any moms out there who want to bring their girls (and boys!). And if you don’t want to bring them, I’m happy to be a chaperone for any pop concert you don’t want to go to. 🙂

Hatch’s Magic and Music

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Theo has been interested in doing magic tricks since he was really young. He loves learning tricks and practicing how to perform them. He has perfected his “Abracadabra!” and “Ta Da!” We always try to catch the shows that magicians perform at the library and other community events. Three years ago, we had the opportunity to see the Hatch Academy of Music and Magic perform at the Ring Around the Rose children’s series at Rose Wagner Theater.  We’ve seen a lot of different shows on different topics through this series. Tickets are relatively inexpensive at $5/person and they are a kid-friendly environment.

It was such a fun show! Richard and Rosemary Hatch perform classical music (piano and violin) with magic tricks and have some stunning combinations integrating both. I was so excited to see that they are doing another show this year, and will be performing on May 9. You can find out more about the show and buy tickets here.

I was looking around the Hatch Academy website and saw that they teach different courses on magic. The class “How to be an Amazing Grandparent!” caught my eye and I was tickled to think about grandparents learning fun tricks to share with their grandkids and friends. I think it is so great that the Hatch family used their varied talents to put together a show that presents both magic and music and it is really a unique opportunity to experience both.

Fun Events for Kids of all Abilities

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I love that we have such an inclusive community here that offers great programming and activities for all children. There are two events I want to highlight that are especially geared towards kids with special needs and they sound great!

The first is the Utah Opera and Utah Symphony’s concert on Thursday, January 22 at the Capitol Theatre. You can register at the link above and here is their description of the event:

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera offers an annual concert for children with special needs and their families. We present this concert because we know that many families cannot attend cultural events together because their special needs child acts in distracting ways. We feature our Opera Resident Artists with the Utah Symphony on the Capitol Theater Stage in a special concert where everyone understands the difficulty of keeping these children quiet in their seats. This concert is FREE but registration is required. 

I also recently learned about a monthly sensory-sensitive movie screening that is sponsored by AMC Theatres. The local theatre that participates is the Layton Hills 9 theatre and you can find a list of dates and movies at the link above.

As always, I believe in exposing kids to as much art and theatre and film as possible and to have these venues encourage this for all families is so refreshing and wonderful.

Holiday Kids List – 2014

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Santa’s Arrival at City Creek Mall
Enjoy the Annual Holiday Kids Activity list for 2014!
Theo and I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Let it Snow: A Holiday Music Journey

The Light Before Christmas

Date/Time: Ongoing, various times
Location/Sponsor: Clark Planetarium (110 South 400 West)
Cost: Adults $9, Children & Matinees before 5:00pm $7
Date/Time: Saturday, November 29, 1:00pm and 6:00pm; Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 1 & 2, 6:00pm
Location: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center (138 West Broadway)
Cost: $20
Sponsor: The Children’s Ballet Theatre

Home for the Holidays Open House & Service Project
Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 2 from 3:00 to 7:00pm
Location: YWCA (322 East 300 South)
Cost: Free
Sponsor: YWCA Utah

Christkindlmarkt SLC
Date/Time: Thursday Dec. 4 through Saturday, Dec. 6 from 11:00am to 8:00pm
Location: This is the Place (2601 E. Sunnyside Avenue)
Cost: Free
Sponsor: This is the Place Heritage Park

The Night Before Christmas
Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:00pm; Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1:00pm and 7:00pm

Location: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center (138 West Broadway)
Cost: $12
Sponsor: Ballet Jeunesse & Salt Lake Dance Center
Date/Time: December 5-20, various times
Location/Sponsor: Pioneer Memorial Theatre (300 South 1400 East)
Cost: $54-$59
(Note: Recommended for ages 10+)
Date/Time: December 5-27, various times
Location/Sponsor: Salt Lake Acting Company (168 West 500 North)
Cost: Adults $25, Kids $15
Date/Time: December 5-31, various times
Location: Capitol Theatre (50 West 200 South)
Cost: $29-$84
Sponsor: Ballet West
Sugar Plum Party (following 2:00pm matinee performances of The Nutcracker)
Cost: $10
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 6 at 11:00am
Location: The City Library (210 East 400 South)
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Utah Film Center

“Frozen” Sing Along Fun
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2:30pm
Location: The City Library (210 East 400 South)

Cost: Free
Sponsor: Salt Lake City Public Library
Date/Time: December 6-24, various times
Location/Sponsor: Hale Center Theater (3333 South Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City)
Cost: Adults $29-$32, Children (5-11) $16
(Note: Ages 5+)
Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 12 at 7:30pm
Location: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center (138 West Broadway)
Cost: $15
Sponsor: Octappella Entertainment
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 13 at 10:00am
Location: Broadway Theatre (111 East 300 South)
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Salt Lake Film Society

Here Comes Santa Claus!
Date/Time: Saturday, December 13; 11:00am and 12:30pm
Location: Abravanel Hall (123 West South Temple)
Cost: $6-$18
Sponsor: Utah Symphony

Christmas Carole Sing-Along
Date/Time: Monday, Dec. 15 at 7:00pm
Location: Energy Solutions Arena (301 W. South Temple)
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Larry H. Miller Family and Robert C. Bowden

 
Winter Solstice
Date/Time: Saturday, December 20; 10:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Children’s Garden, Red Butte Gardens
Cost: 

Free for Members

Non-members get half-price Admission in Dec, Jan and Feb
Adults (ages 18-64): $5
Seniors (ages 65+): $4
Military w/ID: $4
Children (ages 3-17): $3
Children (under 3): Free
U of U Faculty/Staff: $4
Sponsor: Red Butte Gardens
Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 21 at 7:30pm
Location: LDS Chapel (951 East 100 South)
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The Salt Lake Children’s Choir
Date/Time: Dec. 24 and 25, Time TBA – Check link for updates
Location: Tower Theatre (876 East 900 South)
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Salt Lake Film Society
 

Pupcracker – A Canine Nutcracker
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 27 at 7:30pm; Sunday, Dec. 28 at 2:30pm
Location: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center (138 West Broadway)
Cost: $20
Sponsor: Intermountain Therapy Animals

Date/Time: Monday-Wednesday, Dec. 29-31, various times
Location: Various downtown locations
Cost: 3-Day Pass: Adults (10+) $20, Children (3-9) $15
Sponsor: Downtown Alliance

November on TV – Voting and The Children’s Center

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Tomorrow is Election Day! Remember to vote and bring your kids along! Here is my post about  Election Day with more info on registering and finding your polling place.

Also, check out this great lecture series being offered by The Children’s Center this month and throughout the next few months.

Get in the holiday spirit by taking your family to the Santa Claus and Friends Holiday Special concert on November 15, 2014. There are two shows (one matinee and one evening) with different prices and different activities included. This show is sponsored by The Children’s Center as well.

Click to watch the video here.

Halloween 2014 – by Aimee

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My amazing friend Aimee always puts together a wonderful list of Halloween activities every year. I asked her if she would mind if I borrowed her expertise for a “guest blog post” and she has supplied a great and comprehensive list! Here are Aimee’s Halloween Adventures:

Red Butte Garden – Garden After Dark, Once Upon a Fairytale
Oct 16, 17, 18 & 23, 24, 25; 6-9pm 
The Garden has been overrun with your favorite fairytales! From wicked brambles to magic pumpkins, plants are surprisingly prevalent in these famous tales. Enjoy an enchanted evening exploring these connections and hunting for signs of fairytale villains hidden throughout the Garden.
With crafts, activities, light displays and more, this is an event you definitely don’t want to miss! This is an indoor/outdoor, costume, and kid-friendly experience in the Garden to celebrate Halloween.
 
Gardner Village – Witchfest
Now – Oct 31
Lots of events: Witches Brew Ha Ha 5K run/walk; Breakfast with a Witch; Wee Witches Playground. The village is decorated up for the season, and there’s a fun scavenger hunt that will get you peeking around every corner to find the hidden witches.  
 
Sugarhouse Park – Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta
Oct 18; Carving Noon – 1pm, Race: 1pm – 3pm
The 4th Annual Mountain Valley Seed Co. Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta will take place Saturday October 18th from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Sugarhouse Park. Pumpkin carving from 12:00 to 1:00 and race from 1:00 to 3:00. Come watch these heroic growers race their 1,000 lb. plus pumpkins for love, honor and bragging rights.
Cinderella in her Giant Pumpkin carriage


CLAS Ropes Course in Provo – Halloween River Cruise
Oct 1-31; 6:30 until 9:00pm on weekdays, and 10pm on Fri and Sat
A fun 20-minute boat ride along the decorated stretch of Provo River. Not too scary, but pretty and fun to be outdoors during a beautiful fall season. Be sure to print a coupon from the website. 
 
Utah Symphony – Halloween Hi-Jinx
Oct 28; 7 pm
A HUGE costume contest and the best-quality spooky classical music – you can’t go wrong! Tickets start at $8 and little kids three years old and younger can sit on a lap. Check out the program line up, and borrow some of the music from your library or buy it for your iPod and you’ll be a musical expert.
 
Hogle Zoo – Boo at the Zoo
Oct 25; 9am-3pm
Every October, the Zoo puts out a casting call for all princesses, cowboys, superheroes and wild things! Kids 12 and under can come in costume to trick-or-treat at booths set up throughout the zoo grounds. There will be lots of candy and lots to see and do.  Trick-or-Treating activity is free with regular Zoo admission or membership.
 
Wheeler Historic Farm – Pumpkin Days and Haybale Maze
Sept 26-Oct 31; 11am until 8pm weekdays and 9 pm weekends; 10am-3pm Sundays
Hay maze, wagon ride, and a pumpkin to take home. The farm is also hosting a doggie Halloween costume contest and a festival of scarecrows.
 
Thanksgiving Point – Halloween Central “A Nod to Oz”
Oct 3 – Nov 1
Cornbelly’s Corn Maze and Emerald City at Farm Country include lots of fun kids’ stuff. You can add on the Insanity Point haunted attractions if you’re really brave.
 
Heber Valley Railroad – Pumpkin Festival
Lots of outings from Oct 9 – Oct 30
You and your kids will enjoy the annual Pumpkin Festival trains. Your ticket includes a short 40 minute train ride where you will be entertained on board by costumed entertainers! You’ll also get to sample a pumpkin cookie.  At the depot you can take a trip through the fairly spooky haunted car, and then get a Halloween sticker or temporary tattoo.  And of course you also get to select a pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch and take it home with you! Additional food and snacks will be available for purchase at the depot and in the concession car.
 
Tracy Aviary – Halloween Hoot
In previous years, a few days during October offered discounted tickets for costumed kids. Nothing scheduled yet, but keep checking with them.
 
Retirement / Assisted Living Home Costume Parade

We love to dress up in our costumes, make some fudge, and hand it out to people living at “old folks’ homes.” Call a facility in your neighborhood and ask if you can schedule a little visit. We like to go during social hour when the residents usually gather in the dining room or lounge. We stay for about 30 minutes and hand out our treats, discuss all things Halloween, and make some new friends.

Park City Escape

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A few weeks ago we went on a short 24-hour getaway to Park City with some friends, and it was a great little escape. We went up for the Deer Valley Music Festival’s Disney concert and arrived early on a Friday evening. We stayed at a great condo in Deer Valley and were able to eat dinner and settle in before the concert.

The kids loved the concert! They wanted to stay until they could hear the songs from “Frozen” which meant that we stayed until the very end, which was around 10pm. We still had to navigate the packed parking lot, but were happy to only drive a few minutes until we got to the condo. The kids went to bed immediately and we were all ready to relax and rest.

The next day, we woke and ate a casual breakfast at the condo and then headed out to Park City’s Main Street for the Kimball Arts Festival. The traffic going into Park City the day before had been really terrible since they blocked off lanes for the exclusive use of shuttle buses. We took advantage of these (free!) buses on Saturday and were able to get in and out of Main Street easily without having to worry about parking.

There was a special kids area with activities and we watched a pottery demonstration. The adults enjoyed looking at all the various artists’ work while the kids focused on things like snow cones. We had a nice lunch at a restaurant on Main Street and then headed back to the condo. The kids took a quick dip in the hot tub while the adults finished packing up and then we said goodbye to Park City!

It was a great little respite from the heat of the Salt Lake valley and felt like we were really away from the daily grind. So glad that we live near someplace that can feel like we’re so far away!

Homestead Resort Summer Concerts

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To celebrate the Summer Solstice, we looked for a fun activity where we could spend the evening outdoors enjoying the longest day of the year (which was of course way past Theo’s bedtime). We met some friends in Midway, Utah to go to the Summer Concert series at Homestead Resort.

It was perfect outdoor concert weather and a very mellow, relaxed atmosphere. Much like many other outdoor concerts, it is BYOB and bring-your-own-blankets/chairs. We found a shady spot and the kids ran off to explore the area while we chatted, listened to music and had some wine and dessert.

The boys also went to explore the crater and I enjoyed having the Homestead hotel lobby nearby (with clean indoor bathrooms). They have a package where you can order a picnic dinner and even spend the night, but we opted out of this and brought our own food. At the end of the night, we changed Theo into his pajamas for the ride home (which took about 1 hour) and marveled at the sky still being illuminated by the sun at close to 10pm. He fell asleep on the way and transferred into his bed at home without a peep.

The Summer Concert series runs throughout the summer on Saturday evenings and is free, so head this way if you need a relaxing summer escape!

Music for Kids

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Happy Theo at the Utah Symphony

We went to the “Magic of Harry Potter” concert this week and had a great time. There was certainly magic in the air as Theo was able to sit through nearly 2 hours of classical music past his bedtime. It was a sold-out show, and I got a kick out of seeing so many kids (mostly older kids) there, some wearing their Gryffindor scarves and holding their wands. Hopefully they had a good time too, and will consider going to the Symphony again in the future!

“What’s the next song, mommy?”
One of my favorite parts of the evening was watching Theo subconsciously/inadvertently moving his hands around to the rhythm of the music. In his music class at school, they have been learning about tempo and I could tell he was internalizing the concepts. At one point the trombone had a big solo and he moved his arms back and forth mimicking the musician playing the instrument.
I love this book that helps kids (and adults!) better understand classical music and the different parts of the orchestra. We checked it out of the library on a whim when we were going on a long car trip and enjoyed reading and following along with the accompanying CD which was a great audio aid. It introduces readers/listeners to general musical concepts, composers, genres, and each of the different families of instruments.
Now that you’re in the mood to demonstrate your knowledge of classical music and see it live in action, the next concert in the Lollipops family concert series is called Tyrannosaurus Sue: A Cretaceous Concerto and will feature two works, one of which is the titular piece:
The other piece that will be performed is based on the book “The Story of Babar,” in an orchestral piece composed by Francis Poulenc, L’ Histoire de Babar.
My friend Aimee has done a lot of the prep work in finding books and albums from the library or iTunes to help her children get ready for the concert, and I love that kind of effort to help kids better understand the performances beforehand. I think it will make a big difference in their overall enjoyment of the experience!
Since I’m on the topic of music for kids, I also wanted to share a couple of our favorite non-classical book/music albums. Theo has the great fortune of being a child of parents who spent their adolescence during the 1990s. (If you know the song “Stay” by Lisa Loeb and can sing it in its entirety from memory, you too may be a child of the ’90s.) Luckily, Lisa Loeb grew up and had kids too and wanted to write music for them! This is our favorite one of them all which features original music as well as old-timey classics:
The songs are short, catchy, and clever enough for parents to enjoy (sample lyric to The Disappointing Pancake, about a wandering pancake’s misadventures, including to a baseball game: “The crowd yelled, ‘Batter, batter!’ He felt right at home…”). A bonus is that Steve Martin (yes, THAT Steve Martin) also plays the banjo on the songs which I just love b/c I am in love with Steve Martin and everything he does.
The other album that we really enjoyed when Theo was younger was this one based off of the books by Sandra Boynton:

My friend Maggie introduced us to this, luring me with the promise of hearing celebrities singing (Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep, among others). The lyrics are taken right from the pages of Boynton’s books and are also short, catchy and cute, but not so cute that you want to claw your ears off.

There is tons of music geared towards kids, with varying degrees of annoyingness (see: “What Does the Fox Say?”) but when you can find something that you can both enjoy, it’s a huge win. Of course, introducing kids to “regular” non-kid music is also important, and I’m grateful for my husband for giving Theo a thorough education in The Beatles, among other bands. There’s nothing better than sharing things with your children and having them form an appreciation of something you love.

February on TV

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I was lucky to have the chance to go on the air and talk about some of my latest posts.
Click to watch the video here.
The topics discussed were the upcoming Olympics and fun Music&Movies mashups.
It is always a fun time and I am looking forward to going back on the show next month!

[UPDATE 2/8/14: I heard back from the Utah Symphony PR people that there will not be screens set up during the Harry Potter show, but the music from the movies will be performed. Just wanted to clarify!]