Thank you for joining us for Once Upon a Symphony!  Below you will find a variety of tools and activities to help you and your child(ren) prepare for the concert.

LEARN THE STORY

Introduce your child to the story of The Bremen Town Musicians. We suggest some of these beautifully illustrated books, which can be found at your local library or bookseller or online at Amazon.com:

Please note that the Once Upon a Symphony adaptation of this story differs slightly from other versions.  The focus of our story emphasizes the importance of working together and finding the courage to join your voice with others.  Please draw attention to the following characteristics of the story:

  • The Bremen Town Musicians find the courage to leave their homes and join their voices together to make delightful new music.
  • By finding their courage to come together, the musicians are able to show the beauty of playing as an ensemble.

If you’d like to preview our version of the story, you can read it by clicking this link.

LISTEN before the concert, using our Spotify playlist. Access the playlist below or at this link. You can listen to the tracks freely, or you can explore how the music portrays the activities or images suggested, which are central parts of the Once Upon a Symphony performance:

  • Symphony No. 6, Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven: This music paints the opening scene for the town of Bremen.
  • The Old Castle from “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Modest Mussorgsky: This music demonstrates the sorrow felt by the animals, as each has been “put out to pasture.”
  • Concerto in E♭for Horn: Rondo, 417 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: This music illustrates the joy of joining your voice with others to merrily make music.
  • Symphony No. 41, Menuetto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: This music celebrates how individual practice, along with working as an ensemble, leads to fine music making.