I have to admit, I love summer. One of the things I love the most is combining two of my favorite activities: listening to music and being outdoors. In the small towns around us, nearly every town has a few free concerts in the park during the summer. We love to go and listen, enjoying both the music and the spectating. After all, at how many concerts in symphony hall would you see this?
Do you see those little darlings behind my two? Even though the crowd at these outdoor concerts is not as quiet or interested as the audience at symphony hall, aren’t you glad they are outdoors enjoying the beautiful music?
This concert included real cannon fire during the 1812 Overture, and actors dressed up as storm troopers and other Star Wars characters during the Star Wars theme. Besides enjoying themselves very much, the kids were able to observe the reactions of others to the music that was being played.
One thing that our family gains from these concerts is the idea that someday, perhaps they will be part of an orchestra like this one. In one of the books I read recently, the author defined amateur by its meaning of “lover of . . .” something. He said that the amateur could be proficient at something and do it to bring joy to his life, not just “for pay” which is what being a professional really means. I hope that my children will be amateurs in that sense of the word, and as such might be able to enjoy their music performing in various local settings. Few musicians have the skill or the luck to be one of the very few professional concert musicians in this country. But they can look for ways to give joy to others and themselves performing in other settings.
Have you searched for these type of concerts near you? Do you use these as part of your summer learning? Please leave me a comment below.
anothergranolamom 