Beat time
Just imagine I300 kids, aged two—fourteen, in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, listening to the Orchestra of the Scottish Opera. Hard to believe. but for one whole hour, no one moved a muscle. Such was the reaction to the first in a series of five lunchtime concerts, organised by the Children‘s Music Foundation in Scotland.
Launched just four months ago. the Foundation aims to present classical music ’in an appmpriate setting' to as many children and families as possible. A publicity campaign which included writing to every single school in Strathclyde and Central region. and stopping complete strangers in the street, resulted in a sell-out ten days before the first concert last month.
Atarah Ben-Tovrin presented the first concert by introducing the various sections of the orchestra musically: so the violins would walk on and play a little Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; followed by the brass section who would play America from West Side Story. In the second concert, on Sun 13 Nov, Wayne Marshall presents a programme of dance music, ranging from Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. to Copland’s
Wayne Marshall’s alternative to rave
Hoe-Down and the Thunder and
Lightning Polka. The series will go on to explore
: classics in the charts. in advertising.
and the ultimate in audience
‘ participation — the chance to bring any
= portable instrument and join the ranks
| of the Royal Scottish National
Orchestra. Should funding become available, the Foundation hopes to
produce similar concerts in Edinburgh
and Aberdeen. If the age of present
1 classic audiences are anything to go by, 3 just such methods are desperately
needed to ensure a future for Scottish
orchestras. (Gabe Stewart)
Beat 'I'ime. Glosgorr' Royal Concert
Hull, Sun 13 Nov.
PLANTON ANTQNlOU
_ Island in the
sun
{W
You’re more likely to find an unbiased OJ. Simpson iuror than you are an Edinburgher who hasn’t heard of Robert Louis Stevenson’s centenary this year. Centenary of what? I hear you ask; that of his death, aged 44, on his own treasure island Samoa. The exhibition at the National Museum concentrates on Stevenson’s islands, both real and fantastic. Reconstructing his childhood bedroom, the deck of the imaginary
g ‘Hispaniola’, a tropical sea shore and
a Samoan hut, the exhibition gives the impression that Stevenson fulfilled his 7 childhood fantasies of island
i adventure.
Drawing on its rich collection of
Pacific artefacts, usually stuck on the , top floor, the museum’s use of lighting and sound creates a peaceful
atmdsphere, through which to explore : his life, right up to his mountain
l l i
summit burial place. Lounging on a mock seashore, with the sounds of waves breaking on the sand, you can
‘ browse through a selection of
g Stevenson’s books, including John
E Scally’s coffee table The Illustrated
i Robert Louis Stevenson and the
% obligatory A Child’s Garden of Verses. At 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays,
l Friends of the Museum read
l Stevenson’s works in this idyllic
; haven. Treasure Hunt competitions
5 help encourage children to go through i the exhibits with care.
l The prevailing atmosphere of calm E helps convey an image of Stevenson as a free, creative spirit who, when abroad, appeared surprisingly lacking in assumptions of white superiority or arrogance. Despite its voluptuous atmosphere, this exhibition, like Stevenson’s own life, seems tragically short. (Gabe Stewart)
Treasure Islands, Royal Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Until
) January 1995.
Rain or shine, our at-a-glance guide will see you through. Events are listed under outdoors or indoors columns, and then divided by city. Kids listings compiled by Gabe Stewart.
Dutdodrs
Activities and Fun
I Secret Mission Strathclyde Country Park, Country Rangers 0698 266155. Sat 5 Nov. lOam—noon. Free. Eight—twelve years are invited to the Secret Agents’ Club’s new season of secret missions, starting off with a seasonal bonfire.
I Bonfire Bonanza Seedhill Playing Fields, Renfrew District Council, 840 3603. Sat 5 Nov. Gates open 6.30pm. Fireworks start at 7.15pm. 50p. Hot snacks available.
I Feeding birds in winter Mugdock Country Park, Craigend Visitors Centre, 956 6100. Sun 13 Nov. 2—3.30pm. £l. Learn how to make bird feeders and bird tables. Advance booking required.
Activities and Fun
I Birdwatching Musselburgh Lagoons (meet at the mouth of the River Esk, North Bank, end of Goosegreen Crescent), 447 0539. Sat 12 Nov. 2—4pm. Free. Thousands of birds stop here to refuel before continuing their migration south.
I Survival of the Fattest Guided Walk round Corstorphine Hill, meet in Cairmnuir Road Car Park. Sun 6 Nov. 2—4pm. Free. Find out about the law of the jungle.
Indoors-
Activities and Fun
I Arts and Crafts classes Maryhill Community Centre Hall, 304 Maryhill Road, 339 6546. Tuesdays. 3.30—4.30pm. £2.10 per hour. 3—7 years. Recycle discarded rubbish into art.
I Saturday Puppet Club Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8—10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale. 339 6185. Saturdays. lOam-noon. £2.50 per session. 8—11 years. Learn how to write and perform your own material with the professionals.
Exhibitions
I A Flying Visit to Africa Scotland Street School Museum, 225 Scotland Street (opposite Shields Road Underground Station), 429 1202. Sat 12 Nov—Sun 11 Dec. Daily 10am-5pm, Sun 2—5pm. See child-sized African huts and scenes of West African village life. Make your own bird pictures to add to the birds on show before they fly off to West Africa for the winter. Elsewhere in the museum you can go back in time in reconstructed classrooms ranging from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, to the 60s: write with a real nib pen and ink or wear the dunce’s cap.
I Samplers: Patterns of Childhood Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch, 775 1185.
Sat 5 Nov—Sat 3 Dec. Tue—Fri (not Thurs) 10am—noon, 2—5pm; Thurs 10am—5pm; Sat 10am—1pm, 2—5pm. Free. Over 40 framed samplers depicting childhood from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Theatre and Music
I Beat Time Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 227 5511. Sun 13 Nov. 2pm. £6.50 (£3.50); family £17 (two adults and two children). Second in a ,series of children’s classic concerts. See paneL
I Scottish Mask and Puppet Theatre 8—10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. Sat 5 Nov. 2pm. £2.50 (£1.50). .lack O’Lantem Puppet Company presents Morag and the Water Horse, a folk tale from the Scottish Highlands recommending broad-mindedness, and Anansi, an African legend about a brave and brilliant spider.
I Sleeping Beauty Mon 14 Nov—Fri 13 Jan 1995. Hopscotch Theatre take a decidedly Scottish treatment of the old favourite on a tour of primary schools, Pl—7.
Activities and Fun
I Chemistry Week Royal Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 071 437 8656. Wed 9—Wed 16 Nov. Mon—Sat lOam—Spm; Sun noon—5pm. Two workshops are featured as part of this exhibition highlighting the importance of chemistry in everyday life. Workshops are for over 8s, and there must be one adult for every two children under 12. Tickets £2. Numbers limited.
Colour Up and Dye Sat 12 Nov. lOam—noon and 2—4pm. Meet in Education Centre. Use and make dyes, and find out how museum chemists analyse ancient dyes.
Secrets of the Stones Sat 12 Nov. 10am, 11.15am, 2pm, 3.15pm (45 minutes long approximately). Meet at enquiries desk in main hall. Learn how to use simple tests to identify minerals.
I All the Fun of the Fair Reid Memorial Church, West Saville Terrace, Blackford Avenue, 667 8555. Sat 5 Nov. 10.30am-3.30pm. 50p (20p); family £1. Magic Bob is the main attraction (11am, £2 kids, adults free) with Aileen Patterson (author of the Maisie books), an all-
' weather bouncy castle, and the usual
baking, jams, and Christmas stalls thrown in for good measure.
I The Design Works Experience City Art Centre. 2 Market Street, 529 3541. Sat 8 Oct—Sat 7 Jan 1995. Mon-Sat lOam—5pm. Free. Unique opportunities for children to observe, make, design and experiment in this exhibition. A special area gives under-fives the chance to muck in at their own level. Sounds like serious fun.
I Working with Willow Exhibition Hall. Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Demonstrations Sat 12 and Sun 13 Nov. 1—3pm. Free. Workshop Sun 13 Nov. 1 1am-3pm. £4 (£2).
I Saturday Drama Classes Stepping Stones Theatre, Grassmarket, 112 West Bow, 225 3247. Sat 5 Nov—Sat 17 Dec. 10.30—11.30am. £52.50 for seven weeks (£42.50), or £7.50 per session. 7—15 years. Jonathan Rickard’s drama course incorporates theatre games, improvisation, script work, voice and speech training.
Cinema
I Filmhouse Matinees Lothian Road, 228 2688. £2.20 (£1.50). Films start at 2.30pm. Sat 5 Nov Roald Dahl’s 850 (U); Sat 12 Nov ET(PG).
Theatre
I Tales from the Wildwood Caledonian Hall, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Fri 4 Nov, 2pm; Sat 5 Nov, 11.30am and 1.30pm. £4 (£2). Family entertainment, with stories and songs from The Beasties.
The List 4—17 November 1994 7E