list.co.uk/kids Previews | KIDS
MUSIC BBC SCOTTISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS TEN PIECES LIVE City Halls, Glasgow, Sun 7 Feb
As all fans of Blue Peter know, if there’s one thing Barney Harwood isn’t short of, it’s enthusiasm. So it’s no surprise to i nd the CBBC presenter is equally animated about his upcoming role with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Aimed at families with children aged eight and over, the Ten Pieces concert
will feature Harwood introducing excerpts from some of the most famous pieces of music ever written. ‘It’s an exhilarating journey into the world of classical music,’ says Harwood, ‘and a great opportunity to see and hear a live orchestra. I hope we can instil a love of classical music in a whole new generation.’
With Holst’s The Planets (Mars), Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King, Bizet’s Carmen Suite and Bernstein’s Mambo from West Side Story on the menu, along with six other classical crackers, Ten Pieces is out to prove just how exciting, and loud, classical music can be. ‘Nothing compares to hearing a live orchestra for the i rst time,’ says BBC
SSO producer Douglas Templeton, ‘and this concert is the perfect introduction to classical music. It’s a chance to hear a professional orchestra up close and experience it with your whole family.’ (Kelly Apter)
THEATRE LOST AT SEA Summerhall, Edinburgh, Tue 5–Thu 7 Apr
They were destined for toddlers’ bathtubs in the USA, but instead 28,000 toys accidentally dropped into the Pacii c Ocean during a stormy voyage. That was just the start of their adventure, with plastic ducks washing up on beaches around the world for many years after – providing scientists with fascinating information about ocean currents. Their tale was captured in the 2011 book Moby-Duck, and has now been made into a new play for ages 8–12 by Catherine Wheels theatre company. Presented as part of this year’s Edinburgh International Science Festival, the show follows two children from different parts of the world, who happen upon the ducks on their local beach and are instantly curious about where they’ve come from. Which is exactly how director Gill Robertson hopes audiences will feel.
‘Kids don’t know a lot about oceanography, and adults don’t either – so everyone’s learning,’ she says. ‘But the science has to exist within a really good story and be told in an interesting way. The Science Festival has been incredibly supportive and told us the show doesn’t have to have loads of science in it, we just need to raise people’s interest – and if they’re curious about it, they’ll go and i nd things out for themselves.’ (Kelly Apter)
EXHIBITION BUILD IT! ADVENTURES WITH LEGO BRICKS National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, until Sun 17 Apr
There can be few more satisfying job titles than ‘LEGO brick artist’ which is why it’s not possible to interview Warren Elsmore without feeling just a little envious. He and his team have created the Build It! exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, a new show which demonstrates the toy’s potential for building impressively large versions of real-life artefacts. There will be 40 pre-built models on display, including a red London phone box and a mini version of one of the properties on Edinburgh’s Broughton Street. On Wednesdays and Fridays, families can watch a large-scale model of the museum itself being built.
‘LEGO is much more than just a toy,’ says Elsmore. ‘It can inspire architects, designers, sculptors and storytellers, and is a fun and fascinating way to create things. I think we all love the large-scale models we make because they show the incredible potential of something as small and versatile as this toy we used to play with as children.’
The show is part of Scotland’s Festival of Architecture 2016 and a part of the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design celebrations, emphasising just how much it’s aimed at older visitors as well as families. There will also be interactive elements, like a search for
museum-inspired models hidden around the galleries and a ‘play and display’ section where people can create their own models. ‘Each model is different for us,’ says Elsmore of his and his
team’s own creative process. ‘Sometimes we simply start with a big collection of bricks and use trial and error to see what works, but with the larger models we create plans using specialist LEGO Computer-Aided Design software. The model of the Empire State Building that’s part of the exhibition was designed this way, because it uses over 10,000 small pieces alone.’
So it’s not just all play and no work, then? (David Pollock)
4 Feb–7 Apr 2016 THE LIST 67