Parents and children who came to WonderLab saw a classic Indian dance performance by dancer Shirin Ansari. BSO was invited to participate in the event and taught kids how to play string instruments.
This is a traditional event for WonderLab, said Staci Radford-Vincent, WonderLab’s program and outreach manager.
She said the museum has coordinated this activity for at least 12 years.
“I hope that they can get a new appreciation for music and another culture,” Museum Assistant Liza Huffman said.
Out of the many different art forms, Huffman and Radford-Vincent said they chose to focus on music as it is so closely related to science.
“There’s lot of science behind those instruments because it’s sound, and all sound is created by vibration, and how we manipulate those vibrations is how we get different sounds,” Radford-Vincent said.
The BSO musicians hoped kids would start to become interested in music after event.
BSO violinist Ariel La said they gave kids a brief introduction and encouraged them to learn instruments.
“We hope to introduce them to liking music and maybe playing music and being a lifelong musician or a listener,” La said.
Even though this event is called Meet the Instruments, Radford-Vincent said they decided to add a cultural element, in this case the Indian dance, a few years ago.
“In that way, we can teach kids about music, but then we’re also teaching them something new about world and about culture,” Radford-Vincent said.
Ansari performed for a half hour and said she felt her portion was fun and interactive.
“I enjoyed the questions the audience had, and the kids were really interested,” Ansari said. “I’m hoping that they go away from this with their minds open to a new style of art, a new form of dance, a new sound of music in which they find some beauty and intrigue.”
For some parents and children, this was not their first time taking part in ?the event.
“We’ve been here once before,” said David Daleke, a father who came with his daughter, Nina. “Nina plays the piano, and I hoped that she (would gain) some interest in maybe playing another instrument, too.”
Some kids, such as Nina, said they enjoyed learning and playing a musical instrument at the event.
“I just came here to check out different instruments and play them and see how I like them,” she said.
Meet the Instruments is an event parents can feel good about bringing their kids to, David said.
“It’s a great opportunity for kids to try different instruments and learn about how they work and explore whether they might be interested in playing,” he said.
