Musical Circus Lets Kids Sound Off

The tooting horns, banging drums and strumming strings might sound like downtown traffic at rush hour, but to some parents, it’s music to the ears.

Eight times a season, children 4 to 10 are invited to test-drive musical instruments in the Musical Circus, a free, “three-ring” program presented by the Pasadena Symphony. On Saturday, the lobby of the Pasadena Center will resemble a circus of sorts when more than 100 kids will muster some sort of sound out of instruments ranging from violins to cellos and trumpets.

“Most are not there to do anything but try to get a sound,” said Jerri Price, education director of the Pasadena Symphony. “The purpose is to expose children to classical music in a fun and friendly way.”

After the kids get a feel for the instruments, with the help of volunteer high school musicians, they get to hear a professional group perform. On Saturday, it’s the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus.

“It’s easier for kids to learn from their peers,” said Brandon Lange, at 12 already a five-year veteran of the chorus. “Adults don’t have as much patience as kids.”

On Saturday, the patience of Brandon and about half of the 180-member Children’s Chorus will be tested with a performance in the Gold Room at Pasadena Civic, followed by a meet-and-mingle session with the kids.

“Sometimes the kids will have questions,” Brandon said. “Other kids think it’s lame.”

Justin Luthey, 10, thought the chorus was cool when he first heard it. Now he belongs to the intermediate chorus.

“I saw the group I sing in now when I was little,” said Justin, who also participated in the Musical Circus at age 5. “I liked the music they did; I kind of wanted to do that too.”

No child is too young to learn about music, believes Vena Luthey, Justin’s mom and a choir director for two San Gabriel Valley churches.

“I think adults sometimes underestimate children’s ability to grasp,” said Luthey. “The Musical Circus is absolutely wonderful--what an exposure for kids.”

Luthey, a former singer with Orange County’s William Hall Chorale, has been taking Justin to concerts for years. One of his first was the Moses Hogan Chorale at the Dorothy Chandler, which was “a real eye-opener for him,” she said.

“At each age, they grab onto something different. It’s a process or a path,” Luthey said. “Parents should just keep playing music or take the kids to concerts. When Justin was little, he used to go with me to choir practice in his little infant seat, so he grew up hearing all this music. He could sing on pitch at 3.”

In the third “ring” of the Musical Circus, everyone is invited to sit in on the final dress rehearsal for the Pasadena Symphony, directed by Jorge Mester, in preparation for the Saturday-night performance.

Parents enthusiastically bring their children time and again to the Musical Circus, said Price--some from as far away as Newport--for the good clean fun of it for some, in the hopes of detecting a glimmer of greatness in their mini-musician for others.

The program was developed seven years ago as a way to introduce children--some of whom might not otherwise get the exposure--to classical music. If a child is so inclined, he or she could land with the L.A. Children’s Chorus, which performs with the L.A. Opera and travels around the world to perform.

“You have to be able to sing at least a little,” added Brandon Lange. “But you have to have the commitment and take it seriously.”

BE THERE

Musical Circus, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Saturday, 8:30 to 10 a.m. Dress rehearsal, 10 a.m. to noon. Ages 4 to 10. Free. The L.A. Children’s Chorus will also perform its annual Spring Concert on May 7. (626) 793-7172.