Young musicians perform family-friendly concerts

By Lynn Trimble | September 27, 2012

Phoenix Children's Chorus, which performed during June at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Photo courtesy of Phoenix Children's Chorus.

Classical or choral music sometimes gets a bad rap from those who believe it’s boring. But often those who insist they don’t care for it simply haven’t spent enough time listening to it, or never had the benefit of being exposed to a wide range of orchestral or choral music when they were young. Parents eager to assure that their children have positive early music experiences have plenty of options this season for introducing their children to music made by other youth, including the following:

The Phoenix Boys Choir kicks off its Thursday Concert Series at Indian School Park Memorial Hall on Thursday, Sept. 27. Upcoming concerts this season feature yuletide tunes, opera music, Broadway songs and a preview of their touring performance. boyschoir.org.

The Phoenix Youth Symphony presents its Fall Concert at Tempe Center for the Arts on Sunday, Oct. 28. This season they’ll also be performing holiday, schools, teacher appreciation and other concerts — including the annual Side by Side Concert with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. phoenixyouthsymphony.org.

The Metropolitan Youth Symphony presents its Fall Concert at Mesa Center for the Arts on Thursday, Nov. 1. The Fall Member and Alumni Recital takes place at MAC on Sunday, Nov. 4. azmys.org.

The Phoenix Children’s Chorus performs its Holiday Concert Series at Higley Center for the Arts on Friday, Dec. 7 and at First United Methodist Church (on Central Ave.) in Phoenix on Sunday, Dec. 9. The season also includes a Spring Concert Series. pcchorus.com.

The Phoenix Girls Chorus performs its Holiday Pops Concert at Central High School in Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 15. Upcoming concerts this season include Songs of Childhood (a teacher appreciation concert), Heart of America and more. girlschorus.org.

Phoenix Girls Chorus, Gold Diploma Youth Division winner at a June international choir festival in Vienna. Photo courtesy of PGC.

Even if classical music was never your thing, try giving these young singers and musicians a chance to change your perspective. Many of the world’s most talented musicians report that their love for music began during childhood, and you’ll never know whether your child may have an affinity or talent for music if they’re never exposed to live music performance.

Attending concerts is an affordable way to enjoy family time, foster your own child’s love for music and support the youth in our community who spend countless hours studying, practicing and rehearsing music. Youth who participate in choral or orchestral groups learn to increase personal mastery while working cooperatively with others toward a common goal — and develop the discipline, problem-solving abilities and creativity so crucial to success in school, career, family and community settings.

Find more instrumental and vocal concert information in the September 2012 issue of RAISING ARIZONA KIDS, which features a 2012-13 Performing Arts Preview covering theater, music and dance.