By Terri Messing
I have twobrdistinct childhood memories of attending the symphony orchestra. Both are stillbrpretty vivid many years later. Combined, they made a big impression on me. Thisbrwas the start of my life long involvement in and appreciation of classicalbrmusic.
I was youngbrfor the first, maybe five years old. The conductor asked children to come tobrthe stage and sit by an instrument they might like to play. Older kids walkedbrto the stage but finally the conductor asked the smaller kids in the group tobrjoin in. I was shy and nervous at first but my parents encouraged me to walk onbrstage. I sat next to the woodwind section and one of musicians patted my head.brI thought musicians were nice and fun.
A few yearsbrlater, my aunt took me to a New York Philharmonic Young Person's Concert underbrthe direction of Leonard Bernstein. We sat close to the stage and I could hearbrthe famous Maestro singing along. I recall thinking he must really like thebrmusic. He was having a really good time! I don't remember much about the musicbrbut I do remember the famous conductor and I'm forever grateful for thebrexperience of meeting him in person.
Unbeknownstbrto me at the time, the introduction to classical music geared towards my youngbrmind was a gift. The very same gift I tried to give my own children when theybrwere really little. I started theirbrintroduction to the orchestra by taking them to open rehearsals and allowingbrthem color along to the music.
My childrenbrare older and as the current chairman of Apex Art League I am thrilled to bringbrthe gift of music to yet another generation of young children. To this end, Ibroften think about how to best bring valuable and unique music experiences tobrthe children of our community. Specifically, programs focused toward introducingbrthe people, the instruments and the music directly to the ever-expanding mindsbrof our youth.
Amy Adkins,brthe president of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and I met last spring to discussbrworking together and the idea of a children's concert came up and I thought itbrwould be the perfect fit for all involved.
Thebrinaugural Apex Presents Fort Worth Symphony Family concert in Southlake willbrtake place Thursday January 17, at the impressive White's Chapel UnitedbrMethodist Church. The event will startbrwith a first of its kind instrument “petting zoo” for children. The petting zoobrwill provide children and their parents the unique opportunity to get up closebrand personal with orchestral instruments and the wonderful people who playbrthem. Children will actually get to hold and play several instruments of theirbrchoice while interacting with various FWSO personnel and volunteers. Then atbr7:00 they will be able to watch and listen as these instruments combine inbrperfect harmony. Best of all, the zoo will be open to all with a concert ticketbrat no extra charge.
According tobrHolly Kindt, Education and Community Outreach Manager for the FWSO, “The goal for this program is tobrspark interest in classical music in a fun and engaging way.” The concert is appropriatebrfor preschoolers who can sit quietly as well as children of all ages.
Programmingbrfor the concert is geared toward families. FWSO Conductor Andres Franco will offerbrdescriptive program information from the podium, introducing the music by relating to thingsbrthat a young audience will understand… stories, family, events. The selectionsbrperformed will be “great music” that is high energy and shorter in length-brperfect for children.
If a night of incredible music isn't enough please consider that scientificbrstudies show an overwhelmingly positive effect of great music upon the humanbrintellect and spirit. Higher test scores and better discipline seem to resultbrfrom contact with great art. And direct involvement and engagement withbrdifferent forms and styles of music can also help children focus better andbrdevelop better problem solving skills.
I rememberbrenjoying both of the concerts I mentioned at the start of this article becausebrthey were designed with me in mind. I am thankful to have had the opportunitybrto experience orchestral music at a young age and pleased to be able to sharebrthis gift with the community. Through it all, my simple hope is forbrarea parents to take advantage of this fabulous opportunity and plant a seed inbrtheir own children for a life-long love of music.
Terri Messing is the Chairman ofbrthe Apex Arts League. Tickets for the January 17 FWSO event are $40 GoldenbrCircle (reserved seating), $20 Adults, $15 Students, Seniors and Apex membersbr(general admission). Tickets can be purchased in advance at Apex Arts League or at thebrdoor.
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