A perfect introduction to the orchestra! Symphony For Kids is in its 5th year and returns to Canberra Theatre bringing the joy of the orchestra to the ears of children across Canberra and its regions. Set in a relaxed and interactive environment, this engaging musical concert introduces pre-school and primary school audiences to a dynamic range of music arranged for the orchestra. The orchestra experiments with plucking, bowing, hitting and strumming to create a wondrous array of musical chords and harmony. During the show, musical director and conductor, Ian Maclean explains the sounds and purpose of each instrument, from the violin and viola to the cello and double bass. Symphony For Kids provides entertaining, interactive and contemporary educational opportunities that seek to encourage young people's enjoyment of live performance and engage them in a broader dialogue with the world in which they live. "Without a doubt performing Symphony For Kids is a highlight of the year. There is an expectant atmosphere in the auditorium and when the orchestra begins the squeals of delight and the gasps of awe punctuate the performance. Who knows - we may inspire these kids to take up an instrument and build the foundations of the orchestras of tomorrow" - Ian Maclean “SYMPHONY FOR KIDS”- 2008
Looney Tunes Overture Bill Holcombe A fun little overture which utilizes a number of comic music effects. The tunes (The Merry Go Round Broke Down, Merrily We Roll Along and This Is It) were all used in Warner Brothers cartoons so are quite instantly recognizable by children. Playful Pizzicato from Simple Symphony Benjamin Britten Introducing and featuring – The String Section The second movement from The Simple Symphony written by British composer Benjamin Britten when he was aged somewhere between nine and twelve. It is for the strings of the orchestra only and is particularly interesting for children as the strings play pizzicato, ie they pluck their strings with fingers rather than use the bow. We will demonstrate the difference in sound between the bow sound and the plucked sound. Bosun’s Fancy Jenny Craig Introducing the Wind Section and featuring – The Piccolo A jaunty little medley which features the piccolo in tunes one might expect to hear on a Navy ship. One particular tune, Portsmith, was actually a number one pop chart hit some years ago. The piccolo part is very florid so children will be able to observe how quickly fingers move on the little piccolo and how the finger movement coincides with breathing. Swinging Slides Carol Butts Introducing the Brass Section and featuring – The Trombones A trombone feature with three trombone players performing downstage right in front of the audience. It is visually as well as aurally interesting with slides going everywhere. I will explain how the sound varies with each movement of the slide. Duel for Drummers Sidney Torch Introducing and featuring – The Percussion Section Another visual as well as aural piece with two snare drums set up downstage. The players answer each other with their drumming calls and the orchestra joins in to answer in their own way. Written for orchestra by one of the leaders in light orchestral music writing, Sidney Torch. Munster Busters (A Ghost Medley) Lucy Bermingham A fun piece which will feature well known tunes about ghosts etc. Included are the themes to The Addams Family, The Munsters and Ghostbusters. The orchestra members will sing where appropriate. Dance of the Clowns from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Mendelssohn A piece selected to demonstrate imagery in music. We will use this classical ballet work to allow the children to use imagination to picture clowns dancing. Light Cavalry Overture Von Suppe Again imagery but of a different sort. It is easy to access a recording of this work which is wonderful in portraying a number of images. Mainly it is of galloping horses which are really obvious. The overture also demonstrates trumpets in their fanfare mode and has lovely sections from clarinet. “SYMPHONY FOR KIDS”- 2008 | 
