I didn't know where best to put this topic. This afternoon I was at a Chopin masterclass given by Peter Donohoe at the Royal Festival Hall and desperately felt sorry for the children behind me and in front of me, particularly the three in front. They were aged about 4, 7 and 8. From the moment they arrived, it was evident it would be difficult for them. It was absolute torture for them, even the beginning when the pianists played for 45 minutes. They wriggled, twisted and turned and were not in the faintest bit interested, particularly when Peter Donohoe gave his analysis of the pianist's playing (not surprisingly). It started at 3.00 and ended about 5.30 with a hurried ten minute break after 45 minutes. It reminded me of when I was a child and would be taken to the Royal Albert Hall and absolutely hated it so much that I did not even initially go there as an adult. I just wondered if anyone had this experience as a child, being forced to go to concerts and it nearly putting you off music.

I was lucky enough that my mother picked very carefully what she thought we would really enjoy, and as far as I can remember, she rarely got it wrong. In addition to that, as a backup, she always carried a pencil and paper so that we could draw things if and when we got to the fidgeting stage - we could do it perfectly quietly, and could still enjoy listening to the music

Not only children!

I eagerly attended a concert by Joanna MacGregor where her programme consisted of just one work, Messiaen's Vingt-Regards. A considerable number of people were sitting there following the scores that they had brought with them. Within minutes it was easy to tell who, of the couples, were the interested parties and who had just tagged along. You could see on their faces the disbelief that there was another hour and a half to go of the same 'plinky-plonk'! Not quite the same as a concert of Chopin!

By the way, before you slate me, I did say that I attended eagerly. I fully enjoyed the whole concert and it had been well worth preparing by reserving a copy of the score at my local library and, aided by a CD recording, 'doing my homework' beforehand.

I also think with big works you need to be in the right frame of mind, if you've had a difficult day and it's a piece that needs concentrating on it can be hard going for even the most musically inclined of us.

As for taking the kids, I would happily take them along to a concert where there was a good mix of relatively short (ie max 8 mins) pieces and maybe one longer work like a sonata (excluding really long ones like the Listz B Minor ) , mine are 11 and 13 and are used to listening to music. However, I went to see a performance of the Bach Goldberg last week, and whilst they are good kids and I know they would have sat through it - they would't have enjoyed it and it would have put them off future concerts for a long time. The second half though, they would have loved.

This reminds me of a time when my grandmother insisted I go to see Mozart being performed. (Moart as I called it in my unknowledgable youth).

All I remember is that I was glad when my parents put her on the train home!

For young children there are Childrens concerts that are put on for younger people in our society, in fact I performed in 2 childrens concerts this season.

I also pick what I take my children to. Mind you, it does depend on the child. My youngest (7) has sat through quite long, serious concerts happily, and loved listening to her teacher's string quartet play a Shostakovich quartet. I used to take her to the free lunch time concerts in the Festival Hall foyer when she was a toddler, which were great as she could eat and listen, or even dance around in the space around the edge without disturbing anyone. (smiley face placed here at her insistance!) My son (12) on the other hand says 'I will come if I have to, but i don't really enjoy it' and tends to be a bit wiggly, although he tries very hard to sit still. Sometimes he comes with us if both myself and my husband want to hear something.

It's hard to find concerts that we can take my daughter to as anything in the evening is too late for her, and she gets cross at other children making a noise in the 'children's' concerts! We have just discovered the Sunday afternoon concerts at the Festival hall and went to one a couple of weeks ago, but despite buying the second most expensive tickets she still couldn't see, and when i sat her on my lap the 'gentleman' behind complained he couldn't see, so I put her back on her chair and she cried! In the end we bundled up our coats and sat her on those. I think next time i will take a car booster seat with me - maybe concert halls should get the booster seats you quite often get in cinemas. (Bit off topic now - sorry!)

Hmm, this sounds like one of those lateral thinking exercises.

How about putting your daughter on the coats, then moving back one row and putting the 'gentleman' on your lap?



Problem solved!

Steve

My 2 youngest were brought up going to see the eldest perform in choral concerts. Although they always sat nicely, as older teenagers the one would never been seen dead at a classical or choral concert and the other has classical concerts as her main form of entertainment. You can never tell.

I think older siblings' concerts are the thing to go for. Of course this doesn't work with your oldest child! Mine have always gone along to the older ones' concerts. Now I have a nine year old keen barbershopper but he is at least very accustomed to going to concerts and he always asks to go so he must enjoy them. The pieces are usually fairly short and approachable. I have to say I much prefer them to professional concerts.

We took our youngest to her first professional full orchestra concert when she was 12 and she was showing a lot of interest in orchestral playing by this stage. It was lovely to see how gobsmacked she was by it all. Me too, as I had never seen a full orchestra before.

We used to take 11/12 yr olds to the Sunday matinee concerts that the Philharmonia put on at the Royal Festival Hall in the '80s. Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra was a bonus for them but on our first visit we had seats the other side of the orchestra i.e. stage-side; we felt that we could have turned the pages for them, we were so close!

Furthermore, afternoon performances ensured that the children weren't as tired as they might have been in the evening. Alas, funding put paid (!) to the concert series.

Nevertheless, I'm sure these experiences were treasured.

I took my 2 year old to a concert (it was free and I didn't have a babysitter!) prepared to take him out if he complained. He sat transfixed for the whole time and the lady next to me asked if we had drugged him!

It wasn't Scriabin's Poeme de l'extase by any chance?!

Other half took Emsoboe to a Ballet when she was about 4 (big sister wanted to go). She could tell me far more about it than he could

LSO St. Luke's in London does some family concerts on Sunday afternoons aimed at 7-12 year olds.
They are about an hour long and they also offer a free creche for families with younger siblings.
It's near Old Street/Barbican. They are not very often - there's one in a couple of weeks time and the next one is in June.

http://212.241.164.69/detailedeventinfo&am...p;detailID=4841

For anyone in Birmingham, the CBSO does monthly (ish) family concerts at Symphony Hall. They are weekend afternoons, lasting around an hour.
http://www.cbso.co.uk/?page=community/educ...ren.html#family

I grew up going to some of them and loved them - each one has a theme (e.g. space, the sea) and has a mixture of accessible classical and more popular (e.g. film) music. Plus, they sometime let you 'meet the players' afterwards. I remember going aged around 7, having just started the cello, and meeting a cellist in the CBSO (and playing their instrument! ). The programs are also really good, with lots of simple information and 'activities' to help enjoy the music.
I graduated to regular CBSO and classical concerts aged around 12, and have enjoyed them since, because I was used to them from a young age.
I get irritated by annoying kids who don't want to be there, too - if the parents had put the effort in from a younger age, the kids might know how to behave and enjoy it.
Sorry about the long reply!

My two have been brought up going to concerts as their grandpa would insist on them coming to see any concert he was conducting. I have to confess to breastfeeding the youngest one at one of grandpa's charity concerts in the Bridgewaterhall when he was about 6 weeks old.

When they were little we put them to bed with radio 3 in the background for them to go to sleep to. This almost backfired on us when the elder one was taken to a RLPO concert when he was 7 as he almost fell aseep.

So both of them have grown up as concert goers and even if they don't like everything at least know how to sit without disturbing anyone else unlike some adults at a concert we went to last summer.The younger one takes a book and although he may look as if he's not paying attention will take it all in while he reads.