A Visit To The Symphony

Our track record with field trips last year was not so good. We had a few great trips, but overall, Murphy's Law reigned over the majority of our outings. When our school initially booked a trip to see the Symphony Orchestra Augusta, I was hopeful. As the date grew near, I became very apprehensive. We'd had a few problems on our first trip and the thought of 20 little 4 year olds sitting attentively for an extended period listening to symphony music began to make me uneasy. We decided to try it and I am so glad we went.

Maestro Shizuo Z Kuwahara, or "Maestro Z" as he is called, did a FABULOUS job getting the kids attention and bringing music education down to their level in a fun and very energetic way.  The kids were introduced to a variety of instruments and music terminology. Before I knew it, my friends were patting their legs, keeping time with the music. "Maestro Z" had such charisma, and engaged the kids from the first moment. He even tried to tell a few jokes that I'm sure some of the elementary students got, but went right over our friends' head, but they laughed anyway. After the concert, we had a little picnic before heading back to school for dismissal.

Later, the friends enjoyed talking about the instruments and how "Maestro Z" used his "magic wand" (baton) to lead the instruments to all work together. I know that this may have been the only exposure that some may ever have to the symphony, so I'm really glad we had this opportunity. And I promise (or promise to try) to keep an open mind about exposing my kids to a wide variety of experiences.