By Sarah MacDonald
It’s 10:30 a.m. on a Sunday, and a long line is already forming for the 11 a.m. Kinderconcert at the National Arts Centre. Parents and grandparents wait patiently as young children race around the lush red carpet, spending some energy before they settle down to listen to a trombone quintet.
The concert, held on April 1, is part of the NAC’s Kinderconcert series for children. This is the fourth season of the Kinderconcerts and it’s more popular than ever, says Geneviève Cimon, the acting director of education for the NAC.
There has been a waiting list for tickets every year, and this season, a second English performance of each show has been added. There are also plans to add a second French show in the next couple of years, says Cimon.
“What we want to celebrate here is music-making,” she says.
Ottawa families are taking advantage of the opportunity to expose their children to live music.
Bruce Linton stood in line with his two sons to see the show. He says it’s important to introduce children to a venue like the NAC so it doesn’t feel strange coming here when they’re older.
“They love it. Some of the acts are really oriented towards kids so they get them up and dancing. That’s what they want,” Linton says.
He says he doesn’t listen to classical music at all, so he also learns something from these concerts.
“I have to admit it’s probably good exposure for me, too. I’m getting more culture with the kids than I ever did before,” Linton says.
Wendy Old, a grandmother of four-year-old twins, says she and her husband are both musicians and they want their grandchildren to share their love of music. They gave the twins season tickets to the Kinderconcerts for their birthday, and plan on buying them again next year.
“We feel it’s really important for them to be exposed to music at an early age,” Old says.
The Kinderconcerts are aimed at children aged three to eight years old, and feature small ensembles of musicians.
This concert features performances from a B.C.-based group, I Tromboni.
Dressed in red Team Canada hockey jerseys, the five trombonists take the floor to play a mix of tunes. Their repertoire includes classical, jazz and tango pieces, and themes songs to Simpsons, Star Wars and Hockey Night in Canada.
Musicians also take turns talking to the 230 people in the audience. The children learn that the trombonists are relegated to the back row in an orchestra.
They are also taught how mutes are put in the ends of the trombones to make them quieter and what alto, tenor and bass trombones have higher and lower tones.
I Tromboni has been together for seven years and they do between 100 and 150 children’s shows each year, says Neal Bennett, who plays alto and tenor trombones.
“We get to have extra fun because we’re working with the kids,” he says.
“They’re just so alive and you can’t fool children. You have to be funny and they know if it’s funny or not funny and they know if they like or if they don’t.”
The concerts also help kids learn how much fun music can be, Bennett said after the show.
“That is the main goal – that music is fun,” he says. “And if a little bit of the serious stuff – the educational stuff – creeps in, then that’s excellent, too.”
The musicians are encouraged to interact with the children. Many of the concerts involve sing-alongs, clapping, dancing, and story-telling, Cimon said.
“I think it’s intimate and parents and children love that opportunity to be up close in a relaxed environment,” she says.
The Kinderconcerts are just a part of the NAC’s family programming. The NAC also organizes Young People’s Concerts that introduce children to the orchestra.
Children get to listen to the NAC orchestra, and they have a chance to try out instruments before the concerts and learn about rhythm and other elements of music.
The Kinderconcerts are designed as an introduction to the Young People’s Concerts, which have also proven to be very popular with families, Cimon says.
She adds that the children are encouraged to listen to all types of music and that the children’s programming includes music from all genres and cultures.
“I think [music] is a wonderful enrichment. It sounds very ephemeral, but I think it really touches your core and your soul, and there is a lot of joy that comes from listening to beautiful music,” Cimon says.