Remember recently I told you we were going to see Peter and the Wolf at the TSO? Well, as it turns out, it was so fantastic I felt I needed to come back and gush about it. We were given tickets to the show (thank you, TSO!), and I was so looking forward to seeing it live because I loved the Peter Ustinov narrated version I listened to as a child.

This production, though. . . this was so much more magical than I even thought possible.

Before heading to the production, I showed them a little bit of a video on YouTube to get them used to the idea of it. They were excited, but come on, it’s no Minecraft. It feels hard to get kids interested in this kind of thing these days.

When it began, I could see my kids looking around wondering when the action would start. Sure, there was a mime, and that was kinda fun, but what was with all those instruments, anyhow? Before the storytelling began, we talked about how cool it is that people can play those instruments, and pondered how we’d be able to tell characters apart just by listening to the instruments.

This was our kids’ first experience at the symphony, and oh, what a way to introduce it!

The concert was such a perfect introduction to the symphony. From the introduction of the mime, to the animal “characters” (different musicians), it was easy to get absorbed. The addition of the Magic Circle Mime company was perfect — and if you’ve got a thing against mimes (like, um, me), don’t worry, they’re so perfect! They add just the right amount of animation to the story to keep kids’ attention. And funny! Both our kids were laughing out loud.

It was by far, one of the most special experiences we’ve had with the kids. Now, this show’s run is over, but you can find out about other family-friendly TSO concerts on their website. (Like how fun is THIS? Or THIS one?)

The symphony is such a wonderful way to spend some unplugged, but very much connected time with your family. We’re all very excited to go again.