As a young musician starts to mature, it is important to learn to appreciate musical performances. Attending musical performances is crucial to musical development, as it exposes a student to exemplary musicianship and can form aspirational goals. Furthermore, attending concerts and appreciating music as a listener can be a lifelong enjoyment in itself.

 

However, not every child (or adult!) is ready to start attending full-length concerts, especially classical music. There is a certain attention span required to sit through and enjoy a full concert program, and there is a certain etiquette that must be observed at classical concerts with the most important rule being to remain silent during the music. In this article I would like to propose a few solutions to bridge the gap between novice-level concertgoers and routine visitors to the symphony.

Relaxed Venue or Environment

 

My first recommendation is to try to find a concert that is held in an outdoor venue, or a concert that is specifically targeting an audience of children.

 

There are two main benefits of a concert in an outdoor venue. The first benefit is that it will most likely be free to attend, and secondly that you feel more freedom to come and go as you please. That means that if you feel like you or your family has the ability to comfortably sit through only half of the concert or less, you don’t feel awkward about leaving early or that you’ve wasted money.

Another key benefit of an outdoor performance or an indoor performance advertised as being for children is that you can expect a more relaxed concert atmosphere where talking in the middle of a piece or similar interruptions might not feel like you are committing a faux pas.

Miller Outdoor Theatre is a great venue to attend these sorts of performances, and they publish their robust performance schedule online.

 

Accessible Concert Program 

Another idea for an accessible concert experience is to attend a concert where the music is based on a popular film score. For example, the Houston Symphony puts on concerts where they actually show a movie like Jurassic Park or Harry Potter, and the orchestra performs the music live during the film.

 

It’s Okay to Leave Early

Lastly, as you start to consider more traditional classical performances, don’t be afraid of attending only the first half of a concert - or even less if needed. Listening to music for an hour or longer requires a hefty attention span, and it may be hard to reach that point without first working your way up. It might feel bad to pay for a concert and not stay for the whole performance, but try to have realistic goals for a successful and enjoyable experience.

Attending classical concerts can be a relaxing, rewarding, and inspiring experience. But, part of what makes them rewarding – the ability to listen attentively and contemplate long, complex musical ideas – can also make the experience of attending a concert feel inaccessible to younger or inexperienced audience members.

 

Rather than diving headfirst into a challenging experience with a high chance of frustration, seek out options that can set you up for enjoyment and success as you work up to being able to attend full concerts of classical masterworks.