All posts by jlin

Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Kid Friendly Restaurants

Baby Got Bach: February 18 performance

Baby Got Bach is back for another entertaining and free performance in St. Louis on February 18, 2012 at 10:30 am, Centene Plaza, 7700 Forsyth Road. Baby Got Bach is an engaging classical music interactive event for 3 to 6 year olds founded by internationally known pianist Orli Shaham. During the nearly two hour program, kids can explore real instruments, meet musicians from the St. Louis Symphony, sing familiar songs, play rhythm sticks and castanets, and hear a chamber music concert featuring works by Saint-Saens, Rimsky-Korsakov, Schubert, Bartok, and more.

Tickets

The community performance is free of charge thanks to the generosity of The Centene Charitable Foundation. Currently, the organization is accepting reservations from people who signed up for their mailing list last Fall. Online reservations will be open to the general public starting on February 6, 2012. All the spots for the November 2011 performance were filled within two days last Fall, so be sure to make advance reservations on the Baby Got Bach web site. There is a limit of approximately 80 children for the event and there will be a wait list available. Walk-ins without reservations may be admitted, space permitting.

Tips

* Parking is available for $2 per hour at the Centene Plaza garage. Street parking is free on Saturdays.
* The St. Louis Symphony, The Centene Charitable Foundation, and many individuals donate their time and funds to the nonprofit, Baby Got Bach. If you are able, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Baby Got Bach.
* The program may be a bit long for some 3 and 4 year olds, but the format is casual, so feel free to take your child out to the lobby for a break or snack if she/he needs it.
* There will be short intermission before the chamber music concert portion of the event.
* Make a morning/day of your outing and eat at the nearby, delicious, and family friendly restaurant, Half and Half. Be sure to try the veggie hash and fresh donuts! Half and Half is open 8 am to 2 pm on Saturdays.
* Questions? Contact Baby Got Bach through their web site.

About Orli Shaham, Artistic Director, Host, and Pianist

Orli Shaham got an early start in her music career. She began playing piano at age four, and got her first music scholarship when she was five. Just a couple years later, she began her studies at The Juilliard School with Herbert Stessin. That was the beginning of a flood of prestigious performances and awards, launching her international career. Ms. Shaham has performed with many of the world’s great orchestras and has been lauded for her recitals at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, and Lincoln Center, as well as many other renowned concert halls around the globe. Ms. Shaham has preschool twins Nathan and Alex and college-age stepsons Peter and Jonathan. She lives in St. Louis and New York with her husband, St. Louis Symphony music director David Robertson.

Photo: Ali Winberry
Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Community

Free vocal recital featuring local high school students

23 students from 16 St. Louis high schools in Opera Theatre of St. Louis’s Monsanto Artists-in-Training program will perform opera arias this Sunday, January 29 at 3 pm, Graham Chapel on the campus of Washington University. The event is free and open to the public. Highly regarded mezzo-soprano Pamela Dillard, who has been coaching the students during a recent artist residency, will also perform at the concert. This is a wonderful opportunity to share classical music with your family and for your school aged kids to see high school students really excel at something that they love.

Currently in its 23rd year, Opera Theatre of St. Louis’s Monsanto Artists-in-Training Program has consistently identified, coached, and encouraged talented singers in St. Louis urban and suburban high schools. Students receive individual weekly coaching and voice lessons by Opera Theatre of St. Louis’s professional staff; two artist residencies conducted by visiting guest artists; numerous chances to attend performing arts events; and a three-day college retreat where they learn about college life and academics. Each spring, the students perform in a free public recital at the Sheldon Concert Hall. To date, more than 170 students have completed the program and Opera Theatre of St. Louis has awarded these graduates more than $335,000 in scholarships to support their college educations. Many graduates have continued to pursue academic degrees and professional careers in music. Artists-in-Training is generously supported by the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, who has been the principal underwriter since the program’s inception.

Photo: Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Community

“Grow St. Louis” Grants

Agricultural giant Monsanto is an amazing supporter of nonprofits throughout the world and especially here in St. Louis where the company is based. As part of Monsanto’s public relations campaign, “Grow St. Louis,” the company created a contest to challenge local nonprofits to improve our region. The three winning organizations who receive the most votes from the general public will receive grants of $15,000, $10,000, or $5,000. There is a long list of worthy projects, but here are a few arts related recommendations.

CAM (Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis)
St. Louis Symphony
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Arts and Education Council
Circus Harmony

Voting ends January 29 and you can vote once each day. The first time you vote, you will be asked to validate your email address. This validation request is emailed to you and may end up in your junk folder, so be sure to check or your vote won’t count.

Vote for your favorite project here and help support the arts in St. Louis.

Photo: CAM
Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers

Mozart’s The Magic Flute for Families

The St. Louis Symphony performs a 45 minute condensed version of Mozart’s final opera, The Magic Flute, on Sunday, January 15 at 3 pm, Powell Hall (718 North Grand Boulevard), with Ward Stare conducting. Filled with imaginative settings, a bird seller, a captured princess, an evil queen of the night, colorful costumes, an eight foot long stuffed dragon, and of course beautiful and unforgettable music, this abbreviated version of The Magic Flute is a great introduction to opera for mature preschoolers and up (even adults who are not fond of sitting through 3 hours of a full length opera).

The performance features baritone Ian Greenlaw, several artists from the prestigious Opera Theatre of St. Louis Young Artists program, and local singers. The opera is presented in English with projected titles. Tickets start at an incredibly reasonable $7 each and are available online or by calling 314.534.1700.

Additional tips:

* There is no intermission so be sure to make a restroom stop before the show.
* Kids hungry before the performance? Family friendly treats such as candy, Billy Goat potato chips, cookies, beverages, and more are available for sale in the lobby.
* Current best seating availability is in the rear top balcony section and the rear main level areas. You may want to bring binoculars for your children if you sit in these areas so that they can see more costume or facial details of the performers. In terms of sound, I would recommend the balcony seating area over the rear main floor area.
* Metered street parking is free on Sundays, so if you want to secure one of these spots, try to arrive a little early to the performance. Otherwise, there are paid parking lots adjacent to Powell Hall.
* At various stations throughout the lobby areas prior to the performance, kids can try out a flute, a violin, and other instruments. Any instruments with mouth pieces are cleaned of course before each use!
* The Arizona Opera produced a nice study guide about The Magic Flute geared towards school age children and adults who are new to the opera.
* Visit the blog “Playing by the Book” for wonderful children’s books about The Magic Flute.

A taste of the music from the Metropolitan Opera’s famous 2006 Julie Taymor production:

Photo: Ken Howard, Metropolitan Opera
Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers

Merry Tuba Christmas

Squirmy, chatty, energetic, and dancing kids are welcome to a Merry Tuba Christmas concert on Saturday, December 10 from 2 to 3 pm in Macy’s Court at the St. Louis Galleria. Hear more than 120 tuba, sousaphone, baritone horn, and euphonium musicians in festive attire perform holiday songs.

This signature event of the St. Louis Galleria has been presented for the last ten years and is a great way to celebrate the Christmas season. The concert will feature professional and amateur artists, ranging in age from 8 to 84 years old.

The St. Louis holiday tuba concert is part of a worldwide celebration of the tuba coordinated by the “Tuba Christmas” organization (who is part of the nonprofit Harvey Phillips Foundation). Tuba Christmas was conceived in 1974 as a tribute to the late artist/teacher William J. Bell, born on Christmas Day, 1902. The first Tuba Christmas concert was conducted by the late Paul Lavalle in New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink on Sunday, December 22, 1974.

More information about other Tuba Christmas events throughout the world and how to participate.

Photo: Michael Forster Rothbart
Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers

Baby Got Bach: interactive music event for kids

Sponsored by the Centene Corporation, Baby Got Bach in St. Louis is an interactive concert series for kids age 3 to 6. Experience this free, entertaining program praised by the Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, and hundreds of parents, on Saturday, November 26 at 10:30 am, Centene Plaza, 7700 Forsyth Boulevard. Orli Shaham, a local musician, internationally known pianist, and busy Mom of twins is the founder and artistic director of Baby Got Bach. She will be joined by a quintet of wind players from the St. Louis Symphony.

Although free tickets for this event have already all been distributed as of Sunday, November 20, you may add your name to the Baby Got Bach mailing list to receive information about other upcoming St. Louis concerts on February 18 and April 21, 2012 at 11 am (note the April date is tentative), also at Centene Plaza in Clayton. If your kids are flexible, you can still go to the Saturday, November 26 event without a confirmed reservation and possibly be admitted as space becomes available. I’m sure that not all the people who have confirmed reservations will actually show up (the initial maximum capacity on the event was approximately 200 people). Such is the nature of last minute life with kids, holidays, and of course when tickets are free.

Parking is available for $2 per hour at the Centene Plaza garage. Street parking is another option and is free on Saturdays.

About the event
The first 30 minutes of Baby Got Bach gives kids an opportunity to visit four musical activity stations where they can meet musicians, play with instruments, conduct, and explore music concepts. This portion is followed by a ten minute “jam session” in which the musicians perform songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle” and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” while audience members have a percussion instrument to play. Musical terms such as forte and piano will be taught (if your child watches the Disney Jr. show, “Little Einstein’s,” or is a Kindermusik student, she/he will be in the know!). Baby Got Bach concludes with the main stage concert program featuring the following brief pieces:

Bach: Invention in C Major
Berio: Opus Number Zoo (first movement)
Beethoven: Variations on “La ci darem” (selections)
Schumann: Fantasy Pieces (no. 3) for clarinet and piano
Mozart: Quintet for piano and winds (third movement)
Ligeti: Bagatelles No. 1 & 3 for wind quintet and piano
Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee (transcription for wind quintet and piano)

Baby Got Bach brings much joy, fun, and a quality musical experience for the preschool set and their caregivers. If you are able, feel free to make a tax-deductible donation of any amount to this worthwhile nonprofit organization.

About Orli Shaham, Artistic Director, Host, and Pianist
Orli Shaham got an early start in her music career. She began playing piano at age four, and got her first music scholarship when she was five. Just a couple years later, she began her studies at The Juilliard School with Herbert Stessin. That was the beginning of a flood of prestigious performances and awards, launching her international career. Ms. Shaham has performed with many of the world’s great orchestras and has been lauded for her recitals at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, and Lincoln Center, as well as many other renowned concert halls around the globe. Ms. Shaham has preschool twins Nathan and Alex and college-age stepsons Peter and Jonathan. She lives in St. Louis and New York with her husband, St. Louis Symphony conductor David Robertson.

Photo: Ali Winberry
Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Dance

COCA’s Friday morning performances

The Center of Creative Arts (COCA) presents an entertaining and well-priced family theater series each year. In addition to the regular evening and afternoon performances this season, COCA welcomes individuals or groups (preschool classes, book clubs, or school groups) to purchase tickets for their special Friday morning performances.

On Friday, November 18 at 10:30 am, the Dallas Children’s Theater performs Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. When a great African king desires a wife, only the most perfect maidens in the land are invited to meet him. Combining authentic African drumming, powerful and majestic choreography, and thrilling original music, the splendor of Zimbabwe will burst onto stage in this Caldecott Award winning Cinderella tale. Tickets are $8 per person. The show lasts approximately one hour.

On Friday, December 9 at 10:30 am, COCA’s Ballet Eclectica presents The Little Dancer: Exploring the Color Palette, a story ballet filled with dazzling costumes, a wide range of choreographic styles, and projections of artwork from the St. Louis Art Museum. The Little Dancer is a heartwarming tale of the girl depicted in artist Degas’s statuette who comes to life and dances through beautiful works of art. The production is directed by Amy Scheers with guest choreographers. Tickets are $8 per person. The show lasts approximately one hour.

Call Box Office Specialist Shelley Salinas at 314.725.6555, ext. 124 to reserve your tickets or visit COCA’s front desk (524 Trinity Avenue) in person for this special offer.

While you’re at COCA, check out their classes, workshops, and camps for the whole family. We are lucky to have such a incredible arts facility in St. Louis!

What to Read

Books to soothe your anxious preschooler

Okay, I’ll admit it. My preschooler is a little anxious. She’s smart, incredibly perceptive, and funny, but she’s also a bit of a worrier. Sometimes, I think that she’s a little too observant of the world around her. The other day she said, “I’m going to miss you when I go to college.”

As she begins to encounter new experiences in environments such as preschool, the dentist, the doctor, play dates, and with babysitters, we’ve calmed some of her worries with two great authors. My four year old often asks for books in which the little kids are scared and then learn to feel better.

Author and illustrator Kevin Henkes and Vera Rosenberry have created entertaining, cleverly thought out, and sensitive books about anxious moments young children go through. Kevin Henkes beautifully captures his characters’ expressions in detailed illustrations, has a delightful cadence to his narrative, and often injects some subtle adult humor that your child might not notice. I love Vera Rosenberry’s illustrations of somewhat awkward looking kids and her tender way (but not overly sweet) of dealing with some difficult situations that both kids and adults encounter. Here are some of my favorite Kevin Henkes and Vera Rosenberry books. Be sure to check your local library for any of these titles. Also, your child’s school Scholastic sale probably includes the Kevin Henkes books.

Kevin Henkes (Caldecott and Newberry winner)

Chrysanthemum is a book about a little mouse who gets teased at school about her name: Chrysanthemum.With the help from a kind teacher, she eventually realizes that she isn’t that different after all and that sometimes being unique can feel absolutely special.

Owen addresses a young mouse who has to give up his prized blanket. The blanket is his closest friend, confidant, and comforter during “nail clippings and haircuts and trips to the dentist.” But when Owen heads off to school, his Mom figures out a way for Owen to still have a piece of his loving blanket with him. A great story about separation and developing independence.

“At home, Wemberly worried about the tree in the front yard, and the crack in the living room wall, and the noise the radiators made.” Wemberly Worried features a little mouse who worries all day and all night and of course, about starting school. Wemberly learns to make friends with another anxious mouse at school and how to worry a little less.

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse is a humorous book about a free-spirited young mouse named Lilly who adores her hipster teacher. Until one day, he takes away her distracting new purple purse, sunglasses, and shiny quarters and Lilly is outraged. The book addresses ways kids can deal with frustration and anger and also how they can apologize and move on.

Vera Rosenberry

We’ve read a lot of dentist books–it took my daughter four visits to the dentist before she successfully got her teeth cleaned. Vera Goes to the Dentist is probably one of the best dentist anxiety books for preschoolers. (Note: it’s also important to read the nonfiction ones that show the dental tools, x-rays, and such.) The best, rather outlandish, part of this book is when Vera jumps down from the dentist chair and starts to run around the block with the dentist, hygienist, Mom, and sisters running after her. Now when I take my daughter to the dentist, we laughingly say, “Now, let’s not pull a Vera.”

Vera Runs Away portrays a typical busy family, one that doesn’t react as happily to Vera’s glowing report card as she had anticipated. In her mind, she thinks that everyone should stop what they are doing and celebrate her good grades. Frustrated, she runs away. They eventually find her, and Vera’s Mom says, “We’re so sorry we didn’t pay enough attention to your wonderful report card. But when you do well, you are doing well for yourself.” Pizza and togetherness ends this thoughtful story.

In Vera Rides a Bike, Vera sadly loses her tricycle at the park. After a few months, her parents give her a refurbished bicycle and Vera begins to learn how to ride it. One evening when everyone is too busy to help her practice riding, Vera ventures out on her own. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know how to break yet, and ends up falling off of her bike, but makes it safely home. This is another great story about the complex path of independence, courage, and reassurance that little kids travel each day.

Vera’s First Day of School starts off with Vera being very excited for her first day but then turns sour when Vera is a little overwhelmed by the big school. When she becomes preoccupied with a fuzzy caterpillar on the playground she misses the school bell and is late for school. Not knowing what to do, Vera goes home and hides. A little crying, Mom hugs, a welcoming teacher, and painting at her new desk, smooths things over and Vera “was where she was supposed to be–a big girl in school. She was not afraid anymore.”

Arts & Culture Events for Preschoolers, Holidays

Five must see October events

There is an abundance of family friendly arts, culture, and Fall fun going on in St. Louis this month. Here are five events you won’t want to miss.

1. 20th Anniversary Celebration of Powder Valley Nature Center, Saturday, October 22, 10 am to 3 pm. FREE. Visitors can enjoy a photo scavenger hunt, a discovery table with live reptiles and amphibians, crafts for kids, live music, and more.

2. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and pianist Olga Kern perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Friday, October 21 at 10:30 am and Sunday, October 23 at 3 pm. This concert is a better fit for a musically engaged child 10 years old and up, but if you have a particularly focused kid or a prodigy of sorts, a 7 to 9 year old would most likely be fine. $25 to $110. This concert also features Elgar’s sublime Enigma Variations. Note: there is an additional concert on Saturday, October 22 at 8 pm but it is more expensive and later at night of course.

3. St. Louis Symphony Orchestra performs Nathaniel Stookey and Lemony Snicket’s The Composer is Dead, Sunday, October 30 at 3 pm. Kids tickets start at $7! A great Halloween event and wonderful opportunity for children who are beginning to learn about the sounds and textures of the orchestra. Watch a YouTube video about the production.

4. The Missouri Botanical Garden, Children’s Garden, is open through October 31 and then closed for the season. Climbing, pretend play galore, tree houses, a slide, ropes, caves, musical instruments, sand, no automatic flush bathrooms, and more! FREE to $5.

5. Halloween Free Family Day at CAM (Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis), Saturday October 29, 1 to 4 pm. FREE. Enjoy the museum’s exhibitions, art projects, face painting, storytelling, and more. Children are encouraged to dress in their Halloween costume.

Photo: Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis