While music can greatly enhance a plain ‘ol day at home, plenty of community music events happen away from the home worth venturing out for. They are often affordable, if not free!
Here are a few ideas to stimulate our thinking about finding music events outside-the-home in our communities.
Kindermusik classes are outstanding once-a-week classes that provide your child with a musical experience with “home-work” (really, “home-play”) and resources (CD’s, musical instruments, books and activity guides) to keep music a focus of your child’s life all week long.
Libraries usually provides a few concerts for kids throughout the year. In addition, the library has the information about what other concerts and music events are happening in the area. Asking questions will get us plugged into the resources for our music quest.
Public schools perform throughout the year. The high school concerts can be good enough quality and the musical selections are most often classics. Another benefit is that kids get to see kids performing, giving them a vision for their own musical involvement.
Community colleges also have concerts open to the public that are free or low cost, usually with an increase in quality as the students are older.
Churches have been a harbinger of great music for centuries. Today many churches are still active music venues. Not only do they often have their own semi-professional choirs or bands, but they often invite other performers in for special concerts. Around the holidays, churches are the best place to find free musical events to attend or to be involved in. Special Christmas choirs welcome children. Some churches offer free or low cost musical lessons. The internet can help us search for these opportunities locally.
Local symphonies commonly offer student ticket rates or special children’s events. These folks know that their survival depends on the next generation falling in love with classical music. As a community organization, their goal is to get their music out to the public, not be exclusive. So ask for a discount or scholarship if needed!
Bookstores like Third Place Books and Barnes and Nobles offer free musical events all year long. During long winter days, these concerts can save the day. Their schedules are often posted or printed for busy parents to take along, or available on the internet.
Summer concert series are just about done for the season. In most communities, we can find a free outdoor concert at least one day of the week, if not more. My friend’s community combined their concerts with the farmers markets. Any place people gather in the summer, people are likely to include music.
With a little planning, our kids can have a rich musical experience. Such a variety is available whether we’re investing big money, or living on a shoestring in a down economy. Our children’s lives can be enriched as we dish up a good serving of music daily, whether at home or outside.
-posted by Donna Detweiler, who is encouraged that a child’s musical diet doesn’t need to be skimpy even in lean economic times!
On January 12, 2009, during a busy workday morning commute, a fascinating sociological experiment in music appreciation took place at the L’Enfant Plaza subway station, near the capital in Washington, DC.
PHEW! I have spent the last several days plugging away at the script for the upcoming Symphony Serenade Concert at the Seattle Symphony. Actually, I started processing this concert in my head right after the last show, “Sing Me A Story” in December. Seriously, before we had even cleared the loading dock door I was planning and processing out loud to Michael, poor man. I’m a noisy kind of wife for an introverted man.
It is with great excitement that, I (Miss Stacey) announce that I will soon be in an Opera production!
All of you farm hands are invited to a fun-filled, free family concert this weekend with the fabulous Farmer Jason! If you aren’t familiar with his music, check out his 
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