Ready, Set, GO!

In the frenetic and on-demand age of DVDs, DVRs and the Wii, children today are used to talking over the TV in their living rooms and pushing the pause button when they want a snack. However, live concerts and theater don’t quite work like that. And while you might think that getting a child ready to attend the theater or a concert is easier said than done, here are a few tips that will help a child become thoroughly engaged in the exciting and entirely essential experience of live performance.

1) Include the child in the decision about what to see. But make sure to choose something that you are interested in as well, because your enthusiasm will be infectious.

2) Go to the organization’s website with the child in advance; it will help get them prepared and excited for the performance.

3) If possible, pick one piece on the concert program or a part of the play and listen to it on a CD or read the story with the child before you attend.

4) Ask the child to invite a friend along.

5) Make sure the child — and you — are dressed appropriately for the occasion.

6) Give yourself plenty of time to arrive and settle into your seats.

7) Be sure that everyone is well-rested and well-fed before you go into the concert hall or theater (even if the theater allows you to bring food inside the hall).

8) Explain the “don’t touch, don’t run, and be quiet during the performance” rules. It will help everyone in the audience enjoy the performance more. (And make sure to turn off all cell phones and other electronic devices!)

9) Don’t be afraid to have the child applaud or shout “bravo” at the appropriate moment — performers love to know that the audience has enjoyed their work.

10) Above all, make it a fun outing and make sure there’s a chance to talk about the performance with the child. There is nothing more wonderful than hearing a child say “remember when we went together to see…!”

Dino Anagnost and Joanne Bernstein-Cohen are, respectively, Music Director and Executive Director of The Little Orchestra Society.

Here are recommendations of some worthwhile books, CDs and DVDs you can use to prepare a child for a live performance.

Meet the Orchestra by Ann Hayes; Karmen Thompson, illustrator

The Philharmonic Gets Dressed by Karla Kuskin; Marc Simont, illustrator

Pamela’s First Musical by Wendy Wasserstein, Andrew Jackness, illustrator

How Does The Show Go On?: An Introduction to the Theater by Thomas Schumacher and Jeff Kurtti

Jake the Philharmonic Dog by Karen LeFrak; Marcin Baranski, illustrator

The Remarkable Farkle McBride by John Lithgow; C.F. Payne, illustrator

The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket; Carson Ellis, illustrator; Nathaniel Stookey, composer San Francisco Symphony

Peter and the Wolf, Gerald McBoing Boing, & A Zoo Called Earth by The Little Orchestra Society, Dino Anagnost, conductor

Bernstein Favorites: Children’s Classics by The New York Philharmonic. Leonard Bernstein, conductor

World’s Very Best Opera for Kids…in English! by The Budapest Concert Orchestra, Támás Gál, conductor

The Orchestra – A Happy Family by The Little Orchestra Society, Dino Anagnost, conductor