Disclaimer:: Cincinnati Moms Blog received free tickets in exchange for this post, however all opinions are our own and 100% genuine!
Let me just start off by saying the Music Hall is one of my favorite buildings in Cincinnati, just taking your children to see the grand architecture and history is worth the visit. Particularly now with the makeover of Washington Park and the revitalized OTR district. Though I have enjoyed the symphony in the past, this was our first experience at a Lollipops Family Concert, shows geared to intrigue the youngest of viewers. (However, I found it quite entertaining as an adult as well). Turkeys, Tunes, and Tomfoolery, a celebration of all things Thanksgiving, is the first of a 3 show series performed this concert season.
First things first, as a mama going downtown for a show, parking is the first thing often on the mind. With easy access to the parking garage under Washington Park which is directly across the street from Music Hall there was no trotting down blocks of city streets to get to the venue. Once in Music Hall, navigating around was easy and was set up in a family friendly, welcoming environment. Conveniences of coat check, a yummy snack stand and lots of friendly staff were a great start to our experience.
I was most impressed with the pre-show activities to be honest. An hour before the show the ballroom opens up to a large area of fun and interaction. There was music being performed by a local children’s orchestra. It was great for children to see other children playing instruments. There was an area that kids could touch and even play instruments like the violin, drums, trombone, and more (with the assistance of adult musicians). There were craft activities set up and tables full coloring pages all manned by volunteers to help lead the project. At this particular pre-show event The Snow Queen AKA “Elsa” was present from the Cincinnati Children’s Theater and was posing for pictures with the kids. I am fairly sure I could have left at this point with one happy daughter and counted the whole show a complete success.
The show began promptly at 10:30 am and lasted about an hour, an appropriate amount of time for even the most wiggly of toddlers but is rewarding enough for the older school age child. True to all shows by the Cincinnati Pops, this performance was full of energy, bright lights, and spunk. Not only are children exposed to wonderful symphony style music, but also much broader scope of the arts. The Cincinnati Boychoir accompanied the orchestra including a playful version of “Old McDonald Had a Farm” and young dancers from Cincinnati Studio for Dance also graced the stage for several sets. There was a historical telling of the Thanksgiving story, read by Channel 9’s Katherine Nero, with a musical background. It is truly evident that there is passion to enlighten the next generation and expose them to all the facets of the fine arts. The show flowed seamlessly and my four year old stayed engaged throughout.
As we walked out after the performance we were greeted with baskets of lollipops, a great last detail to perfect morning activity. The entire function from start to finish was full of these small details, making it a family friendly activity that I fully recommend. No matter what the age your children are, exposing them to the creativity of music is a great way to stretch their minds and capture their imagination.
I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, the patterns in music and all the arts are the key to learn – Plato
The Lollipops Family Concert Series are targeted towards kids 2-10 years of age. While, I was pretty confident that my four year old would enjoy the experience, contributor, Beth also took her just turned two year old son to this performance and confirmed that it was a great experience for the younger ones as well. Here is what Beth had to say about their experience:
“I was a little apprehensive about if he’d truly be old enough for the experience (since I really had no idea what to expect), but I was pleasantly surprised. The kid zone area, while crowded, did have activities that even little ones would enjoy. Ian really liked the coloring station and doing the turkey beak craft. He was able to do all the gluing and drawing himself, which of course made him extremely happy and proud enough to exclaim, “I did it!!” He also had a great time during the show, and especially liked the dancing that accompanied many of the songs (an unexpected, but welcome, surprise). Even though we grabbed a booster cushion (which is genius, by the way), he ended up watching the majority of the show from the comfort of my lap. The concert was the perfect length for him. Right as he was starting to fidget and indicate he was done, it was over. We even topped off the experience with chocolate goodies from the candy kiosk in the lobby. Ian chose chocolate-covered marshmallows on a stick, and I had a chocolate-covered Oreo. They were tasty and a well-deserved treat for a normally squirmy, active little toddler. I can definitely see us going back for another concert. It was an overall wonderful experience!”
There are two more shows in the Lollipop Family Concert series: Carnival of the Animals and Cincy Kids: In Concert. Check out the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra website for more information.
