If you fancy giving your Christmas jumper an airing in early December, I can think of no better place to go than a Notelets Christmas concert. This morning, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Centre, just off Broad Street, was full of children, parents and grandparents wearing a host of Christmas jumpers ready to enjoy some festive music.
There was a real buzz of excitement amongst the families who arrived early to enjoy free craft activities in the foyer before the show. Children were busy making Christmas decorations with plenty of jingle bells attached to shake along in the concert. Alongside the craft, there was an area with various musical instruments for the children to explore. A willing member of the orchestra sat surrounded by children with shakers and tambourines taking requests for Christmas songs on his euphonium.
The concert itself was very relaxed and lots of fun. Notelets concerts are designed for under fives so wriggling bottoms and excited shouting out is absolutely fine. Children and adults can decide whether to sit on chairs or on the floor and there is lots to keep children engaged. Today the strings ensemble from the CBSO were dressed as elves and leapt into the room to begin the show with lots of excitement and those all important jingly bells.
The songs in the concert were well know to children and adults with festive favourites such as 'When Santa got Stuck up the Chimney’ and ‘Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.’ The orchestra members were accompanied by a choir and singing along was welcomed. Because we all know that pre school children don’t like sitting still for long, Jane Wright, who presented the show, keep the children busy! They were spotting things, dancing along, listening to a story, marching around or shaking their pre prepared jingle bell decorations. The show, which lasted around an hour, seemed to pass very quickly.
After the performance, children were invited to join members of the CBSO and explore their instruments. Little hands held bows and tried out violins or waited patiently to try out the piano. The interactive elements of the show really did bring music alive for the children. Any Notelets concert would definitely make a great trip for a nursery class.
My family really enjoyed this performance and it made us feel very festive. A word of warning, lots of families are big fans of Notelets concerts and they often sell out. You have to book early particularly if you want the weekend times. We went to our first Notelets concert a few years ago after they were recommended by a friend. Then we went along, enjoyed the show and recommended them to another friend. They really are a badly kept secret amongst families of Birmingham! Tickets for their next concert in March are available now. They are priced at £9 each or £32 for 4.
Special thanks to CBSO for inviting us along to review the show.
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