Mozart meets Muddy Puddles!
Peppa Pig: My First Concert is described as a fun and interactive introduction to a live orchestra for children. Flautist and children’s concert specialist Jane Mitchell reveals how it takes them on a magical musical journey
What’s Peppa Pig: My First Concert all about?
It’s a simple idea. Peppa and her family – brother George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig – go to an orchestral concert. The audience gets to live it with them. Peppa is enjoying the experience as an audience member, but then her parents are invited to get involved. There’s all sorts of brilliant Peppa fun and lots of participation.
How do the kids get involved?
We do a lot of things with children that match music and movement. The idea is that if you move to music you are learning about it, so there’s marching and tapping and copying a leader. There’s often a movement you can do, so you’re really experiencing the music with your body rather than being told to just sit still and listen. For example, I put in a bit of Beethoven’s 6th, which describes a storm and the sun coming out. The children make raindrop sounds and lightning gestures.
What else can the kids do?
We’ve tried to really make sure that every instrument is showcased during the concert. We have moments when players play from memory, step out and interact with Peppa’s family, so it’s not a lot of people hiding behind music stands not really showing who they are. It’s quite a small orchestra but a big range of instruments, so the children see individual people rather than a big, intimidating mass. One of the first things the musicians do is chat to the audience as they come in, showing them their instruments. There’s a real emphasis on them being real people.
How did you get involved with the show?
I work with orchestras all the time, particularly children’s concerts. There is obviously a history of Peppa Pig Live shows and there’s always been this thought of bringing in an orchestra. That’s the point I got a phone call. They needed someone with expert music knowledge to start having in-depth conversations.
How much have you shaped the show?
I love the fact I’ve been really involved. The whole team was so open to having someone really come and talk about music with them. One of the first things I did was suggest bringing on board an arranger called Iain Farrington. He can interweave a Peppa Pig song into something by Beethoven, which is surprisingly effective.
How much did you know about Peppa before joining the production?
I know a lot about Peppa. I have young children, so it’s on a lot in my household. I think the team were surprised that someone who came from a classical music background was very clued up on the world of Peppa Pig. As soon as they realised that we understood what Peppa was about, there was a real openness that was fantastic.
Classical music is sometimes seen as elitist. Is it important to combat that misconception?
Orchestras are sometimes seen as having a few barriers or being inaccessible. Anything that can be done to break that down, especially for a younger audience... I think most musicians are behind that. And having Muddy Puddles alongside Mozart is a great way to do that. My overwhelming feeling when I was asked to come on board with Peppa Pig, and when I realised this was going to be a show that features core classical music and is very open-minded, was that this was an amazing opportunity, because the potential reach is so big. It is completely vital, for live music itself, to have young people introduced to instruments. It’s not always that easy, as a young person, to find these things. It’s something that often gets cut from school curriculums. The Peppa Pig audience is mostly under five, so that ‘Wow’ experience is really important. And if you can reach them through a character they know and love, well, it feels like a golden opportunity for me.
Peppa Pig: My First Concert is at Town Hall, Birmingham, on February 15 and 16.