Big Music for Little People: A Concert for Every Season

The girls have been lucky to attend some fabulous large-scale concerts over the last year. We love our small and intimate venues with their brilliant children's programming (see here for a selection of some wonderful regular ones) but there is something utterly awe-inspiring in the huge concerts with their booming organs or Wagnerian choruses, or the giant cinematic experiences with favoured films brought alive by an orchestra. As I've written before, there's nothing quite like seeing your daughters falling in love with music; magnificent, passionate music that paints pictures and pins a 4 year old to their seat, gripped and inspired, and leaves them reminiscing, singing and dancing for weeks. For me it was racing to safety behind a sofa as the stone door to the Hall of the Mountain King swung shut, beating an imagined hammer to the Anvil Chorus and dashing through the snow on a horse drawn sledge with Lt Kije to Prokoviev's Troika. For Culturebaby it has also been The Nutcracker and now the swift-winged Valkyries. I've been immensely grateful for the BBC's fabulous series Melody, which animates a piece of music for children in each episode, and Disney's Fantasia.
With the school year coming round swiftly again, keep an eye out for these utterly inspiring family experiences.

Autumn

Autumn brings the Albert Hall's Great Orchestral Adventure, which ran again this half term. Due to an unmovable work meeting we had to miss it and so I was delighted to see that there will be another running in the Spring, this time with a space theme. Last year's performance was interactive, educational and engaging. Around 8000 young people and their families descended on the venue to help conductor Tim find his magic conducting baton. Using 11 classical masterpieces, the orchestra took us on an atmospheric journey through forests, mountains and to kingdoms under the sea. We even travelled into space to the Sanskrit echoes of Star Wars' Duel of the Fates. We encountered perils such as tricky mermaids, and the ferocious troll living in the Hall of the Mountain King (I still recall racing to safety behind a sofa as a child before the stone door to the Hall swung shut). The finale of the performance featured a full narrated performance of Michael Rosen classic We're Going on a Bear Hunt. The intention of these entertaining productions is to introduce even the youngest children to the orchestra and the idea of a concert, and they achieve this so effectively. We met the conductor and explored the various parts of the orchestra. To the audience's delight, we were invited to vote on the way our adventure might proceed: which way to go? Vote red or green. One particularly lucky young lady was invited to come and take the place of the conductor as he nipped away. We were given a glimpse of quite how tricky the experience of controlling an orchestra can be but what a glorious experience when it all comes together. The audience danced and sang and remained utterly enthralled. The accompanying activity book and programme was also very well designed, introducing the concept of how music can conjure up a plethora of emotions from happiness to fear and sadness; how a piece can conjure adventure or drag us from peril to calm safety in a matter of moments.

McKenzie Life’s a Happy Song
Rossini William Tell Overture
Grieg Asa’s Death, from Peer Gynt
Tchaikovsky Swan Lake
Grieg Hall of the Mountain King, from Peer Gynt
Mozart Dies Irae
Wagner Ride of the Valkyries
Williams Duel of the Fates
Stephen We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
Williams Flight to Neverland
Mahler Symphony no. 4

Winter

Then as the nights roll in and the carols begin, nothing says nearly Christmas like The Snowman. Over the last few years we have particularly loved the Amadeus Orchestra and Mozart Symphony Orchestra's family concerts at both Cadogan Hall and King's Place. I've written about these in more depth here and here (complete with follow on activity ideas). This winning formula featuring a double-bill of two of our most loved orchestral works in one sitting never fails to enchant.

Prokofiev's Peter and The Wolf is, without a doubt, the best classical piece I've found to demonstrate the power of musical storytelling without the aid of film. Written in 1936 by Prokofiev for the Moscow Theatre for Children, the work was intended to be, and was commissioned as, a guide to the instruments of the orchestra. 

Following the interval, the concert hall was transformed into a cinema and we were presented with the full film of the Snowman in cinematic scale, but with a live orchestra and a choirboy performing the classic Walking in the Air in the place of the soundtrack. As I wrote recently, a Christmas viewing of the Snowman is like a rite of passage, a ritual through which the joy of childhood is kept alive. Fully versed and note-perfect, surrounded by family and strangers alike, we re-enter annually this intimate tale of belief, living life to the full and dealing with loss. As far as cinematic experiences for children go, this is hard to beat. This fantastic series of Christmas concerts varies each year a little but retains many of its most magical components. They've since added an out of London concert in Cheltenham too.

This year Cadogan Hall and the Mozart Symphony Orchestra are running a two day series with:

Wednesday 20 December 2017, 1.30pm and 4.30pm - The Snowman and Carnival of the Animals

with the Mozart Symphony Orchestra

Thursday 21 December 2017, 1.30pm and 4.30pm -Father Christmas and Peter and the Wolf

King's Place is running The Snowman and Carnival of the Animals
on Tuesday, 19 December 2017 at 1.30 and 4.30pm with the Amadeus Orchestra.

Spring

Every year spring sees the fantastic Imagine Children's Festival at the Southbank Centre. This brilliant two week festival for kids, run by kids offers everything from immersive theatre to storytelling, dancing, art and experimentation with instruments. I'm going to write about this event in more depth shortly in the run up to this Spring's event, but a huge highlight from last year's programme was a cinematic showing of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom with full orchestral accompaniment. Frankly cinema will never be the same again. We particularly loved how the audience was taught about the detail of what they would be hearing in advance. We met the instruments that would create some of the signature noises of certain characters, and we were helped to look out for sounds and ways of creating them that we see in the films. The Southbank Centre also runs interactive Funharmonics concerts throughout the year. Recently we had the huge excitement of watching The Gruffalo's Child with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Keep an eye on their events here. As we mentioned above, there will also be the next installation of the Great Orchestra Adventure at the Royal Albert Hall (see here).

Summer 

Summer brings the BBC Proms, and as we have experienced, you can never be too young to feel involved in them. In Summer 2016 Culturebaby and I attended the amazing Ten Pieces II Prom; a fantastic celebration of a set of iconic classical pieces performed for and with school children. Building on 2015's huge 10 Pieces success, this year's Ten Pieces II was aimed at early secondary school children, combining dance, animation and a plethora of musical offerings.  However it was pitched, it suited the pre-schooler just as well and Culturebaby was completely bowled over from the moment the huge organ began with Bach's (slightly unnerving) Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. She watched open mouthed the organ thundering out its Fugue, and the enormous choir of children performing the epic Day of Judgement from Verdi's Requiem. However, since the concert it is the Ride of the Valkyries that has been requested over and over again, even a year on, by both children. (You can read my full review here).

Combined with the thunderously joyful CBeebies Prom towards the end of the summer, we couldn't have hoped for a better introduction to the Proms for the girls. Hugely accessible, and perhaps appealling to a much wider demographic than the Proms might traditionally expect, the CBeebies Prom was hosted by and featured a gaggle of presenters and characters from the BBC channel. Drummers moved through the audience and Clangers took a turn at conducting.

 Along with Andy Day, Mr Bloom, Swashbuckling Pirates and other familiar household names for children everywhere, the young audience was taken on an adventure through space and time, weaving storytelling through a selection of classical favourites. We encountered (of course) dinosaurs and met Will Shakespeare. Short and hugely accessible the whole experience was an excellent idea - we were even treated to the bagpipes. It was, however, the Proms Extra in the nearby Imprerial College Union that provided the icing on this theatrical cake and turned the whole event into an immersive family day out. The children had the opportunity to meet Clangers and Muppets, create home-made musical instruments, do craft activities and best of all, take part in a dance class for all the family. If this perfomance features again in this year's Proms programme I'd thoroughly recommend it to even the youngest of toddlers.

In no way do I exaggerate when I call these concert experiences life changing. They exist for long periods in little memories and conversations and provide no end of play ideas, and although we have already glimpsed their creative legacy, I have no doubt that their ultimate impact will be enduring.

Disclamer: We received tickets to each of the performances for the purposes of review. The photographs for the Great Orchestral adventure were courtesy of the Albert Hall and the CBeebies Proms photographs were courtesy of the BBC and Guy Levy (copyright).

It doesn't happen every day, that a Tiger comes around to play...

It doesn't happen every day that a Tiger comes around to play...

Sometimes it is the longeivity of a memory, months and months on, that points to the success of a childhood experience. As we ambled past the poster outside Richmond Theatre for the 2017 tour, the girls started to sing the theme and to talk about their memories of visiting Cadogan Hall last summer to watch the performance - requesting to book again this year.

We have seen so much wonderful theatre over the last few years, but there is little better than seeing much loved characters come alive on stage. Judith Kerr's 50 year old classic seems to hold an enduring fascination for children, with a formula and illustrative style so successful, that I can imagine few children would fail to recount the tale.

Its genesis is equally interesting. Judith used to enjoy trips to the library with her young daughter Tacy, but reported her ongoing disppointment that there was very little for children between "here is a horse" and long and dull stories with unfamiliar words (happily due to the legacy of these intrepid early picture book pioneers this problem no longer exists). Kerr noted that it seemed extraordinary that there were so few books with proper stories in simple words that a two year old could understand.

Keeping themselves occupied with trips to the zoo whilst her husband was away filming, and meanwhile hoping for visitors and "that something would happen", between mother and daughter the story of a Tiger who came calling at the house was born. It was Tacy's favourite and soon it was retold by heart. Later her son also loved the story, but it wasn't until both children were at school and work was able to resume in earnest that Judith finally started to turn it into a picture book.

On the advice of a friend from Central St Martins (art school) she experimented with inks to give a layering and richness, and she observed and sketched tigers live at the Zoo. She based the book on her own kitchen and on Tom (her husband), Tacy and herself. Following some re-working with the editor (and Tacy being re-christened Sophie) - though it seems Judith won the battle on the Tiger (improbably) drinking all the water in the tap (her son's favourite) - it was published to encouraging reviews in 1968. Little could she have known its consequent impact.

I was perhaps surprised that such a simple tale could be turned into a 55 minute musical but Olivier Award Winner David Wood OBE, a leading writer and director of plays and musicals for children, has done so successfully. With genuinely memorable tunes and humour, the stage show also retains much of the magic of the classic book with its '60s decoration, clothes and routine - and crucially the original story.

In the gorgeous book "Creatures", Kerr's autobiography, she describes the approach from producer Nick Brooke, who wanted to turn the three minute book into a one hour play... "At first I just thought it was ridiculous, but then I thought, why not, and made an appointment to go and see him. He was clearly very professional, and totally serious...." After a further tea and discussion with David Wood, she agreed to give it a go. At a visit to an early rehearsal Kerr notes that she was "brought up short by the set, which looked exactly like the drawing in the book. There were two young actresses playing Sophie and her mother, and a very good young actor called Alan Atkins playing the tiger, the father and three other characters, and the whole thing just felt effortlessly right." It opened to immediate success at the Bloomsbury in 2011 and was later nominated for an Olivier Award.

As Kerr herself observes

"It is oddly moving to see a theatre full of three year olds spellbound by this singing and dancing version of a bedtime story I once told my little daughter so many years ago." 

In the words of The Times "It's the Cat's Miaow", as is Kerr, who with her family fleed the rising Nazi party in Germany due to her writer father's liberal, anti-Hitler work. Whilst Tiger is no work of political criticism (though some have argued it is), it has demonstrably endowed many a young mind with a love for the arts and literature. As writer Ann Patchett notes: “Reading fiction not only develops our imagination and creativity, it gives us the skills to be alone. It gives us the ability to feel empathy for people we've never met, living lives we couldn't possibly experience for ourselves, because the book puts us inside the character's skin.” With training such as this for all of our children, 80 years on from Kerr's experience, the forces of bigotry and intolerence would have a far tougher fight ahead.

This year's tour details can be found here:

Dislaimer: We received tickets to the performance in exchange for an honest review. We are very grateful to Cadogan Hall for the opportunity. You can view their fantastic programme of family events here.

Classical Babies - Six of the Best Regular Concerts for Little People

Back from yet another brilliantly accessible and engaging concert for the youngest of children, I wanted to round up some of the very best of the concert series we have encountered to date with the girls. Some of these are monthly, some annual and many have locations outside of London. From fancy dress and Christmas enchantment to opera for babies and an orchestra led by a Gruffalo there is something for everyone. What they all have in common is that they respect the child as able to appreciate the most mature music, use excellent musicians, engage and explain, are often immensely fun, and are just as uplifting for the accompanying adult as the child.

One of the fabulous things about living near London, is the kaleidoscopic array of cultural opportunities for children, and within this, there are some really exciting initiatives within the Tot's music scene. Happily, Classical Babies, has now rolled out to venues in Manchester and Surrey, and Bach to Baby visits venues in Essex, Kent, Surrey and the Thames Valley. In these welcoming, and often very beautiful, environments the child is king - feeding is accepted, crying is expected and toddlers can happily dance and have the opportunity to examine live instruments. Parents can meanwhile sip coffee and listen to excellent live music that may otherwise be out of their reach at this time in their lives.

1. First the critically-acclaimed Bach to Baby. The girls are regulars at these wonderful concerts, and we often see familiar faces. Founder Miaomiao talks about the many children growing up with them. We particularly love that there are now weekend specials locally in Teddington. Culturebaby has started school so she can join us at these weekend concerts and she still loves them. A few months ago we even witnessed a trumpeter create an instrument from a garden hose (held by a multitude of toddlers) and a funnel. Our first ever session, and one of my favourites, was in Highbury where Oliver Weston, professional saxophonist and Jazz educator, and Jonathan Taylor, professional pianist and jazz teacher, took us on a great journey through the history of Jazz from the 1920s to modern day. They talked us through each piece and I felt like I too learned something and had an enriching experience for myself - so important back when the children were tiny and I spent all day in toddler classes or playing with pre-lingual tots. Since then we've seen a host of other instruments. The children are able to wander freely in these concerts, dance and look forward to a selection of nursery rhymes at the end of the session. There's now a Bach to Baby CD available called Miniatures. It features Miaomiao playing high quality and memorable piano pieces chosen for children.

2. Award-winning Classical Babies, also happily featured in Teddington venues amongst others, is another brilliant concert programme. On entering the beautiful venues, children find mats, cushions and soft toys to relax with. Our first concert was a Christmas one complete with a basket of instruments for everyone to play along with, we've seen string concerts, contemporary composition, and most recently we went along to the stunning Grade 2* listed Normansfield Theatre to see the cast of Don Pasquale perform scenes from the opera in full costume! Opera for children might seem to the onlooker rather a stretch but the children were gripped. Babies crawled forward to listen, the children laughed at the comedic gestures and expressions of the actors and we watched as one toddler stood utterly enthrawled unmoving for a significant period of time. The actors were exceptionally good with their miniature audience, engaging them, lying beside them, serenading soft toys, and they even (to the children's delight) roped in a few parents for cameo, if silent, roles. What an entirely wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.



3. With a rather different format, Wigmore Hall's Chamber Tots are the most interactive and immersive of the concerts we have attended. The small group of children begin their musical journey in a room below the theatre. We started with a percussion warm-up, led by a drummer the children were encouraged to follow the rhythms and beat along. Instruments were freely distibuted. Then, with the support of a narrator and a pair of professional violinists, the children were invited to compose and suggest the next steps in a completely kinetic experience. Using their bodies to suggest the next move, to which violins responded, they built up a piece of their own invention, acting and respnding as they went. The theme of this particular event was At the Seaside, and the audience (or really participants) were taken on a journey of music and movement with periods of excitement and activity and moments of dark, starlight and relaxation. Finally, everyone moved upstairs to the theatre to sit for a number of pieces in a more formal concert setting. The whole design of the sessions was exceptionally effective and I'm just rather sad we can't get in to these more often as they are to be highly recommended. They book out quickly so do look ahead if you want to get to one of these.

Photograph from the RAH website

4. We have only recently discovered the Royal Albert Hall's superb children's musical programming. This summer we were lucky enough to get to two children's Proms and over half term we spent two days at the venue experiencing a diverse range of music. I have covered one of the Proms here and the other major events will be covered in a dedicated post, but thanks to a musical friend we found that there are regular smaller events too. Our first was the recent, and utterly brilliant, Jazz for Kids - and introduction to New Orleans Jazz with resident Albert's Band- which can only be described as an amazing party. The children were taught about the rhythms that give Jazz its distinctive sound, heard the history of a movement rooted in the opportunity presented by the wholesale abandonment of military instruments, met a sousaphone (a curly tuba for marching) and had the opportunity to dance and sing with abandon to the music. We parents enjoyed ourselves just as much. The children emerged utterly delighted and exhausted...





5. We wrote about Cadogan Hall's great selection of childrens events before, and their Christmas concerts (such as Peter and the Wolf and the Snowman and Paddington's First Concert - see here) are counted amongst some of our most magical moments. Their regular and well established Crash Bang Wallop! concerts are both an opportunity for creativity and hands on experiences with instruments and great musical entertainment. For an hour before, the children are invited to take part in arts and crafts, meet the musicians, handle a selection of instruments, and try their hands at percussion. The session we attended was an interactive hour of music along the theme of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, led by a combat-trouser-clad Puck and a Sinfonia decked with flowers and foliage.

Featuring distinctive pieces such as Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz and Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, and woven through with the broad theme of spells which just don't seem to go right, the event was a triumph for, at that stage, just three year old Culturebaby. Initially she watched in awe as Puck introduced the sounds of each section of the orchestra and captured them in containers - later to be released, swirled around and mixed together at will. She hid when mispaced spells culminated in the attachment of various instruments to the heads of unsuspecting orchestra members (I suspect genuinely fearing she may end up with a permanent flute for hair), and she adored the slapstick moment when Puck slept and a wolf arrived on stage to investigate the instruments. We were treated to a great selection of music (many featuring animal sounds), joined in with actions, and laughed at the fairy mischief. Several members of the audience also became percussionists by tapping a large frog instrument. At the time, as Culturebaby ducked to avoid the spells and bounced in delight at other pieces, I wasn't sure how this experience would affect her, but as the days passed and she talked and talked about it - scanning my camera for pictures of the event and listening to our story book of the Sorcerer's Apprentice - I can see that the concert (one of her first) affected her rather profoundly.

6. Finally it is really worth mentioning the St Albans Symphony Orchestra's annual Little Monsters' concert, which two years ago was a simply wonderful introduction for both the Culturebabies to their first full orchestra. Conducted by The Gruffalo and performed by a host of monsters, princesses, bugs and even a stormtrooper, an audience of children in fancy dress perched right at the feet of the musicians, a hair's breadth away from the strings. Peppered with poems and featuring both popular classics and music from movies such as Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Ark, the children were taken on a magical journey through a selection of thoroughly spellbinding pieces of music. Unable to control my tearducts as I watched the youngest of children captivated as the orchestra reached emotive crescendos I felt completely elated. The atmosphere was thoroughly unpretentious, welcoming and joyful. Babies toddled around, children danced. A miniature spiderman, the winner of the costume competition, was invited to conduct the orchestra as they performed The Flintstones.

Perhaps best of all, and with a great trust and generosity, at the interval every child was invited to meet the members of the orchestra, handle any and as many instruments they wished, and have a turn at playing them. The musicians were so good with the children, gently showing them how to create sounds from their instrument of choice. I've rarely been to such an uplifting event and it was a real bargain at £1 per child and £5 per adult.

The appealing and uniting thing about all of these concerts is that they showcase excellent composition, introduce improvisation- so important to the development of creativity- and through their intelligent choices of music they show a fundamental respect for the child. Children can enjoy and concentrate on complex or classical melodies or rhythms. They can be introduced to the glorious nature of a live concert in an inspiring venue. I love what Miaomiao says about the inspiration behind her idea: "My idea is to provide top quality classical music to entertain adults, while giving children the chance to hear and explore live instruments up close during the crucial early years. Children have an innate ability to understand complexity almost through osmosis. It is my firm belief that the music our children listen to doesn't have to be dumbed down". I absolutely agree.

Disclaimer: We received tickets to one Bach to Baby and one Classical Babies Concert (we have attended very many since), and the tickets for Cadogan Hall, Wigmore Hall and The Royal Albert Hall events were given in exchange for an honest review. All others we bought ourselves and to many we return again and again! Thanks to Wigmore Hall for their photographs. Just a note to say I don't presume to give an exhaustive list here. We have heard concerts at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Southbank Centre and Barbican are also fabulous. We just haven't made it to some of these yet...

Never Poles Apart: Popper, Penguins and the Persistence of Friendship...

The last few months were rather more Penguin themed than one might normally expect for a British summer, with Culture Uncle travelling half a world away to the Falkland Islands where, other than a whale skeleton and swathes of sand and snow, the majority of his pictures included a plethora of penguins in a variety of picturesque poses. Apparently they are also rather smelly, a fact that in no way seems to have deterred Mr Popper and his long suffering wife in a delightful new musical we were invited to sample at London's Cadogan Hall.

Mr Popper is singleminded in his Polar obsessions. He reads everything he can get his hands on, delights in learning facts and corresponding with current pioneers of arctic exploration. Then one day his cosy home in an English backwater is turned upside down by the arrival of a new pet, a gift from one of his explorer contacts; a genuine penguin. He christens his new lodger Captain Cook, and proceeds to introduce his (semi) lead trained pet to the neighbourhood.

Picture Courtesy of Cadogan Hall

This heartwarming story has a number of emotional twists and turns as his penguin gets sick - it transpires out of loneliness for his own kind... A mate and eight other miniature penguins follow and the Poppers find themselves letting the outside in to keep their brood as happy and at home as they can. Ultimately, the penguins must be occupied and find fame as a talented and spectacular attraction, before, as is always the case, the call of the wild finally beckons them home. But what will Mr Popper do without his friends? 

The danger of a show aimed at younger children is that it either becomes pantomimesque (I'm afraid I'm not a fan) or overly simplistic. Happily Mr Popper's Penguins lapsed into neither of these. The story was engaging and fast moving yet intelligent (with real facts about the arctic), the songs were both fun and had good parts and harmonies, the penguins were brought to life by clever puppetry. There were sadder moments in the story when I could see the audience was visibly moved. It was sweet, heartwarming and the children really enjoyed it (as did we). 

Culturebaby continued to sing the theme days after and talked about the show, so when I set up their seasonal Christmas play tray we included a family of penguins to play in the snow. These scenes are so simple to create and effective for imaginative play. I include a small Christmas tree for them to dress with miniature decorations; wooden and felt snowflakes, stars, reindeer, bells, and other items to collect, count and sort; themed clips for fine motor practice and various characters and models to bring to life.

 

We've also been re-acquainting ourselves with some of the loveliest Penguin themed literature in our collection. It appears that the titans of children's writing and illustration have also decided that the penguin shall be typecast as loyal and unusual companion and we have been reading a trio of heartstring-tugging tales of belonging and friendship.

First - Polly Dunbar's Penguin, a simple yet profound tale about the importance of patience and effort in the labours of love. Ben receives a present of an unusual pet penguin and his efforts to engage and entertain seem to go entirely unrewarded; Penguin remains silent... that is until Ben lands in trouble and his companion finds a voice. Every effort was worthwhile, and none of it was forgotten. For parents, this adorable tale also speaks to the patience of waiting for a toddler to find their true voice, and the unparalleled joy of that first "I love you Mummy".

Next, the classic Lost and Found from Oliver Jeffers. This time a boy finds a Penguin at his door, who looks sad and begins to follow him around. Unsure what else to do, the boy decides that the best solution is to return the little chap to his native South Pole. Together they voyage across land and sea; the boy tells stories and the penguin listens. Finally as they reach their destination and the boy deposits his charge, both realise that the true goal was the journey and their bond. Companionship was the solution all along and they return home united.

Finally, one of our favourite author and illustrators, Petr Horacek, has produced a new and stunningly beautiful book Blue Penguin about the sadness, challenge and joy of finding a place to belong and the journey towards being both accepted and comfortable in ones own skin. Penguin feels like a penguin and acts like a penguin but he is blue. " "...you're not like us" said the other penguins and they wandered away." Poor blue penguin was lonely and sad and he dreamt at night that a beautiful white whale would come and rescue him. He sang and sang, and slowly another penguin heard and came closer and closer. She begged blue penguin to teach her this beautiful song, which was so magical that it captivated the other penguins too. Finally when the whale arrived to answer the call, Penguin finally realised that he was valued and accepted and no longer needed to be rescued. He was loved for who he was. Petr's Penguins are so extremely cute and his signature use of colour is luminescent and beautifully bold. Culturebaby wanted this book again and again. It is definitely my favourite of his (many fabulous) works to date and carries a crucial message for our little people about tolerance and the value of authenticity.

Mr Popper's Penguins is currently on tour (at the Lowry in Salford until January and then on to Kingston) - dates can be found here.

Disclaimer: We were invited along to Cadogan Hall to review the new musical Mr Popper's Penguins. We were also given a copy of Peter Horacek's Blue Penguin by the fabulous Walker Books for review purposes. This new book was published in November. All other materials are our own.

Walking in the Air and Capturing the Wolf: A Musical Christmas

There is little in life to surpass the child-like anticipation of Christmas, a feeling I hope I will never lose; but this year with a three year old truly immersed in the wonder of it all, I deliberately minimised time spent shopping and majored on the music, the magic and the mystery. We carolled, read stories, made decorations, learned about the history of advent and indulged in a lot of festive play. And whilst Christmases come and go and the ribbon-clad material remains have long outlived their useful purpose, I believe and hope that it is the experiences, the feeling of awe and joy, that will stay with my little ones as they did for me.

There were periods when I was a child when my parents couldn't afford to take me to the ballet, and I will never forget nor cease to be grateful for the generosity of friends of theirs who, realising the enduring value of such things took me to see both the Kirov and the Bolshoi. I can still remember our position, the seats, the atmosphere, can almost see the tutus swirling in my mind's eye. These kind people gave me enduring gifts that are still coming to fruition and it is a legacy I take seriously for my babies too. Likewise, my parents sought out and brought to life an inspiring selection of classical music that has stayed with me ever since. They chose pieces that painted pictures with sounds, compositions aimed at children, ones that told stories or could be acted out and taught me about the orchestra. Favourites included Peter and the Wolf, John and the Magic Music Man, The Snowman, The Anvil Chorus, Troika, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Hall of the Mountain King and The Nutcracker.

Christmas for me, more than any other season, is the time for memories, for dreaming and re-gaining the wonder in life and I was delighted to have the opportunity this advent to take Culturebaby to see her first ballet, The Snowman, and then to go as a whole family to see a festive concert at Cadogan Hall with a programme so perfect that it could have been designed for her.

Culturebaby like many her age, adores Raymond Briggs' inspired classic The Snowman. It formed the soundtrack to last Christmas and it has a score by Howard Blake so beautifully composed and enduringly memorable that she can narrate the story from the music alone. Pieces like this matter, they train a child's ear, stretch the imagination and instil a life-long love of music.

With this in mind I cannot think of a more perfect performance to introduce a three year old to the theatre than Sadlers Wells' annual ballet production of the classic The Snowman from Birmingham Repertory Theatre. This is the 17th season of this perennial favourite.

 I was a little nervous about taking such a young child to a proper theatrical production but I needn't have worried. The theatre was full of young children gripped in wonder as they remained pinned to their seats, barely able to breathe, let alone misbehave. Propped up by her special Snowman booster seat (very considerate of the Peacock Theatre) Culturebaby transformed into a mini-adult, appeciating a much loved classic for the beautiful, creative masterpiece that it is. It is a testament to the production that the children adored it, but such scenarios are also an act of trust in our little mischief-makers. Culturebaby, no stranger to energetic episodes, seems to sense what it expected of her in such an environment and she never fails to impress me. I think that in general the children sensed the utter magic of the whole event and the only moment they ran from their seats was to dance in the snow falling from the ceiling at the end, with its optimistic implication that our eponymous hero could return.

The production was beautiful, peppered with humour (and dancing fruit) with stunning set, great choreography, instruments on stage and, to Culturebaby's delight, a 'real ballerina' complete with tutu. There were a number of moments of audible delight for my little lady, and no less when the Snowman and James took to the air on strings, but I think one of the wonderful elements of this performance is that it contains a small boy only a few years older than herself. I can see that she senses, when she sees older children take part in productions such as this, that these things are also within her grasp. What wonderful inspiration for my tiny ballerina. As well as talking about the experience, and with a new found fascination for the rather unnerving Jack Frost, I've regularly found Culturebaby pawing through the programme over the Christmas period and looking at the pictures. She was rather sad that we couldn't go back and watch it again. Next year for certain...



 A few days later we were very lucky to continue our Snowman themed advent with a perfectly pitched annual family concert performed by The Mozart Symphony Orchestra at Cadogan Hall. Culturebaby had been anticipating this festive treat for a good while as it conveniently comprised not one, but her two most loved orchestral works in one sitting. Firstly we were treated to a live performance of the essential children's classic: Prokofiev's Peter and The Wolf, narrated by Jack Dee and featuring musicians dressed as their corresponding character. This piece is, without a doubt, the best classical piece I've found to introduce to young children without the aid of film. It is brilliant for car journeys and Culturebaby never seems to tire of the simple tale. At present the girls listen to the Maestro Classics version daily, as we follow the story in our simple Ladybird book.

Rather inconveniently, one of Culturebaby's only Christmas requests was a Peter and the Wolf play set. Despite my scouring the internet, it transpires that toy manufacturers have largely failed us in this regard, and I set to work pulling together a DIY version with felt, playmobil and a selection of other models. Happily it has been a roaring success and Culturebaby doesn't seem to mind that the duck, cat and wolf belong in Brobdingnag. I was relieved that she immediately clocked the theme on opening and both girls have been playing with it daily. Today we did a spot of instrument-matching with our Safari models and, despite the current lack of an oboe and bassoon, I was surprised that when my leaky mummy brain failed me, Culturebaby was able, unprompted, to identify our stand-in pencil beside Grandad as a bassoon. This set was easy to pull together and gives a great opportunity for both imaginative play and visual illustration of the story and the instruments. I'd highly recommend the effort of making one.

 

 

 

Back to the concert... As expected, Culturebaby was enthrawled throughout, snuggled in excited horror as as the french horns heralded the arrival of the wolf, and both girls bounced away to the catchy string theme of our cheeky main character Peter. Then following the celebratory interval ice cream, and with a finally sleepy Culturetot, we were treated to a rare opportunity. Not only was this Culturebaby's first cinematic experience as a toddler, but she sat enthralled as we watched the full film of the Snowman accompanied by a live orchestra and, a beautiful surprise, the 11 year old Choirboy Jack Topping performing Walking in the Air.

This magical pairing of musical experiences made our advent such a memorable one that it would be hard to beat. Happily both concert and ballet will be returning next year. And like so; fresh Christmas traditions are born...


Bookings for the Snowman at the Peacock Theatre for next year will be available here.

You can find information on performances at Cadogan Hall here. Next year promises a repeat of this year's brilliantly festive concert and you can already book here. They also promise an exciting concert featuring Paddington Bear's First Concert and Roald Dahl's take on the classic Jack and The Beanstalk here. If you can't wait that long. Try one of their brilliant Crash Bang Wallop Family concerts that we reviewed here.

If you fancy some inspiration for Snowman Themed Play see here and here for some ideas and see Deb Chitwood's goldmine of a site for some further ideas for Peter and the Wolf Play.

Our essential kit, in addition to our easy to make Peter and the Wolf Playset, has been this simple and easy to follow version from Ladybird of Peter and the Wolf and The Maestro Classics version of Peter and the Wolf.

For the Snowman we have a selection of Snowman and The Snowman and The Snowdog books (we love the original Raymond Briggs picture book as well as a Ladybird version which follows the (different) film storyline and our latest hand puppet book of the Snowman and the Snowdog. We also own copies of both the beautiful films and soundtracks. The old-school amongst us may be delighted to hear that the Soundtrack of the Snowman and The Snowdog has just been released on a special white vinyl.

Disclaimer: we received tickets to each of the performances for the purposes of review. We also received over recent months a few items of Snowman and Snowdog merchandise for review. We owned most of the books, DVDs and soundtracks ourselves already. All views are, as always, entirely our own. All but two of the images of the theatrical performance of The Snowman were supplied courtesy of Sadler's Wells.