Classical and kids, a combo that is really hard to beat
Paul Pement is the executive and artistic director of Classical Kids Music Education, a non-profit organization that is producing the performance Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery at the National Arts Centre. Pement talks to PETER ROBB about his organization and
What is Classical Kids?
It started in Toronto, where Susan Hammond created a classical music audio series for kids. She was actually reading a story to her children, with classical music on the radio in the background. She noticed how her girls were able to focus more, and in fact had a different, more captivating, experience with the music on. She started by writing Mr. Bach comes to Call, as a way to pull a child listener into the world of the composer. They’re being exposed to classical music when they envision themselves in the story; then they are educated by the material — almost as a secondary result. I started an organization about 11 years ago that takes those audio stories and adapts them to the stage.
How would you describe this performance?
There are two actors — one is a child character, which is the point of entry for the children in the audience — and the other actor plays the adult roles; he is the educator. The story is told like a play that takes place on the apron of the stage. There are theatrical elements; costumes and lighting, and some set props, and then there is the full NAC Orchestra on the stage. I like to think of the orchestra as the main character.
The story and the music are really one thing: all of the dialogue weaves into the music. When the music is exciting, the dialogue is exciting; so emotionally, it’s almost the same as singing words to a song but they’re speaking language to music. It’s a really interesting timing balance. The magic thing here is that it really focuses the kids. There’s something really powerful when you put text to music.
Is there a specific age range?
The age that this is geared for specifically — if we’re going to pinpoint a grade — is Grade 3 and 4 — roughly ages 8-10, or even as old as age 12. All kids are drawn to the music and to the character of Vivaldi; they’re interested in the light and the action and the physicality. Around age eight their intellectual development begins to apply an understanding of historical context, so the story gets richer. Parts of the story are written for adults, but the show can be enjoyed by everyone; we play at a lot of different levels.
What music of his will the audience be exposed to?
They’ll get Vivaldi’s best: Four Seasons — Spring, Autumn, Winter, Concerto con molti, Flute theme from Il Gardellino, and many more pieces.
What about you?
I have a degree in acting and was a professional actor in Chicago for 15 years doing a lot of musical theatre and I also toured with productions. When Susan Hammond asked if I might be interested in adapting her series for stage, I did some research and I realized that I should have been pursuing her. We started with the four composers that made the most sense, and I hope to grow into a larger organization so that we can produce more.
Why is it important for children to be exposed to classical music?
Music is such an important thing for kids to experience and study. So many arts are being cut in the schools that a lot of the time our programming becomes the education. We play a lot of schools that are underserved by government. And we hope — as we hope for every child who sees the productions — that they’ll be inspired by this music, and that it leads to a love of music, and inspires them to personal excellence.
What kind of audience are they?
Children are the best audience — the most honest audience. For our productions, I like to include the child character in the story, because it’s really important that the child in the audience sees him or herself onstage, in order to enter the story. They latch on to that character and say ‘Hey, that’s me’. The adult character provides more of the educational component, and more of the humour. But the child perspective is ultimately the most important — to be able to see and experience music with innocence, wonder, and honesty.