How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Have kids! This year’s final Fall Family Weekend at Carnegie Hall was not just complimentary, but also comprehensive. From instrument making to bassoon gazing to violin playing, Sunday’s events were jam-packed with musical inspiration and education for tots and the adults in tow.
As if the activities and information sessions weren’t enough, each family’s reservation for the day’s activities also included access to one of three performances peppered throughout the day. Despite it being smack-dab in the middle of our youngest’s nap time, we chose soul group Shine and the Moonbeams because we’d heard great things about them. Are we ever glad we did! NYC educator Shawana “Shine” Kemp and her fantastic band were incredible, and the positive, beautifully-performed, child-oriented music put a spring in my and my children’s step–literally! The layout and lighting of the beautiful Weill Music Room made it the perfect place for little ones to boogie down and sing along with Shine, and the acoustics were perfect; not too loud for little ears, but balanced enough so that inevitable toddler meltdowns (not mine this time, thankfully) didn’t take away from the artists’ work.
The only problem we encountered was that my kids didn’t want to leave when it was over! Here’s hoping for Winter Family Weekends in the near future.
To learn more about upcoming family events at Carnegie Hall, visit carnegiehall.org/For_Families/!
Nancy Redd is a New York Times bestselling author, mom of two, and one of the founding hosts of HuffPost Live.
