Picks Of The Week: May 1-4

"Dear Albert Einstein" at Making Books Sing. Photo by Carol Rosegg. — “Dear Albert Einstein” at Making Books Sing. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Music lovers have a few great concert options this weekend, including “Pixar in Concert” with the New York Philharmonic and Randy Kaplan at the Jewish Museum. For a taste of live performances, “Dear Albert Einstein” promises to be a heartwarming production, while “Listen To Your Mother” celebrates moms in honor of Mother’s Day! If the kids are getting restless, burn some energy at The Big Swim, a great fundraiser (and totally cool swim meet) at Asphalt Green.

Thursday, May 1-Saturday, May 3

Pixar in Concert: New York Philharmonic
Avery Fisher Hall
7:30pm & 8pm
The New York Philharmonic is celebrating Pixar, a company that has granted us some of the most beloved children’s movies of all time. The concert will feature musical scores from all thirteen Pixar films, from heartfelt songs in the “Toy Story” trilogy to lively tunes in “Brave.” Clips from the movies will accompany each rendition, ensuring an emotional and beautiful performance for the whole family. From $40

Starting Saturday, May 3

Dear Albert Einstein
Making Books Sing: Theater 3
Various times
Making Books Sing is putting on a heartwarming show called “Dear Albert Einstein.” Set in 1954, the production follows a middle school math student with a creative mind and an imaginary Einstein to help navigate the social struggles of junior high. Filled with rock ‘n’ roll, swing, and classical music, this performance is a lovely journey of self-acceptance! $25

Saturday, May 3

The Big Swim
Asphalt Green
10:45am
A wonderful event for a wonderful cause, The Big Swim at Asphalt Green is a children’s meet open to the public with over 1,000 expected participants. Any kid (ages 6 to 12) can sign up for the friendly competition in the Olympic-sized pool, featuring eight lanes and diving blocks! The event and its benefit are raising money for Waterproofing, a public New York City program bringing free swimming and water safety instruction to children. This is a free event.

Sunday, May 4

Family Concert: Randy Kaplan
The Jewish Museum
2pm-3pm
The award-winning Randy Kaplan creates a mix of American roots, Delta blues, and ragtime into a one-of-a-kind concert that both kids and parents will love! This May, the talented music man will take his act to the Jewish Museum, where he’ll perform his clever and funny hits like “Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie” and “The Kids Are All Id.” Children $13, Adults $18

Listen To Your Mother: NYC 2014
Peter Jay Sharp Theater
5pm
In honor of Mother’s Day, “Listen To Your Mother” is special series showcasing live staged readings in 32 cities.The New York City edition will highlight work from prominent local writers and performers including Nadine Baker, Amy Carr, Logan Fisher, and more. Covering many thoughts about motherhood, the readings promise to be funny, touching, and just the thing to celebrate moms! $25

Manhattan Mandarin

Manhattan Mandarin runs the Mandarin after-school programs at over 40 schools nationwide, including St. Bernard's, Chapin, Allen-Stevenson, and Buckley. Whether in schools, students' homes, in the office, online, or on our beloved China trips, our teachers and tutors have helped hundreds of students of all ages master the Mandarin language on their own unique paths to fluency. Our philosophy has always been to make private lessons and classes perfectly tailored for each individual student. We look forward to working with you. - Jamie Keyte, Founder

Speakitaly NYC

SPEAKITALY NYC offers stimulating and entertaining lessons for children 0 to 16 years through a wide combination of activities based on the communicative approach anchored in the Common European Framework of Reference: active learning (group work, role plays, etc.) and practice exercises aimed to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Kids will start speaking and using Italian in a very natural way.&nbsp; Small classes capped at 6 students to make sure each one gets the needed attention and facilitate learners' progress.&nbsp; Our method is driven by a didactic method that is the result of constant updates, professional certifications and more than 10 years of experience in working with non-native speakers from different native languages and levels of knowledge. Our aim is to develop a range of Italian language skills while improving accuracy that will enable the students and participants to interact without stress or feeling rushed. We want to help those in the community really embrace not only the true culture in Italy but the Italian culture within New York City&hellip; Who doesn&rsquo;t love what Italy represents in the kitchen, in history &amp; in the arts? Speakitaly wants to support multilingual families who want to learn a new language or pass along their ancestor&rsquo;s heritage and culture. Raffaella, the founder said: "We see language awareness and intercultural sensitivity as the milestones for an inclusive society. Italian, like all other languages, is an enrichment and a growth in every way. Vi aspettiamo!"

Chickenshed NYC

Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that began in the UK in 1974. Chickenshed NYC is a young organization bringing that same ethos and unique methodology to the USA. Chickenshed&rsquo;s mission is to create entertaining and outstanding theatre that celebrates diversity and inspires positive change. Chickenshed's model of Inclusive Theatre is based in the belief that everyone can flourish when everyone is included. At Chickenshed everyone is welcome, everyone is valued, and together we produce remarkable theatre. We want to break down barriers between people to create a world without labels and where differences no longer divide. At Chickenshed, support is given to those who need it, and given by those who can . We believe that creative activities, self-expression and performance should be available to anyone who has the desire, no matter their background or circumstances. We know that when everyone has the opportunity to shine, amazing things happen. Chickenshed NYC provides programming for little ones, children and youth through semester-long activities and performances.