Looking for a unique summer experience for your 2 to 6 year old? Have they dabbled in steel drum yet?

City Music and Education Center in Crestwood presents a fun Caribbean music class for children age 2 to 6 years old on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am to noon in June. Musician Christopher Braig introduces kids to the basics of Caribbean music, hands-on playing of steel drums and other percussion instruments, singing, dancing, and a bit about Caribbean life.

Caregivers are welcome to stay during the class or may relax in the waiting area where they can watch the class on video monitors. Each one hour class costs $20 and you may register your child for just one class or several. Space is limited, so pre-registration is recommended by calling Brian Vaccaro at 314.961.8700 or brian@citymusicstl.com.

Christopher Braig has been a professional musician for over 20 years working for Bahama Breeze, Carnival Cruise Lines, Walt Disney World, and the Shoji Tabuchi show. He plays the tenor saxophone, steel pans, flute, and bansuri. Mr. Braig is an adjunct professor of jazz studies at Webster University where he directs the “mini” Big Band. He performs with Webster University faculty members including Carolbeth True, Willem von Holmbracht, Tom Byrne, and Carol Schmidt. Mr. Braig also has much experience teaching elementary and preschool students.

City Music and Education Center offers additional group classes throughout the year including songwriting and ukulele for kids. And if you are interested in private lessons, the Center has many excellent and encouraging instructors.

Art Fair at Laumeier Sculpture Park celebrates its 25th anniversary this May 11, 12, and 13, 2012. Stroll, shop, eat, and play at this nationally acclaimed fine art and craft fair. Enjoy browsing a variety of original ceramics, fiber/textiles, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography/digital, printmaking/drawing, sculpture, and wood pieces. In addition to seeing the Art Fair booths, your kids can enjoy hands on art activities at the Creation Location, concessions, live performances, and of course the extensive outdoor sculptures located throughout the park.

Friday, May 11  |  6 to 10 pm
Saturday, May 12  |  10 am to 8 pm
Sunday, May 13  |  10 am to 5 pm
12580 Rott Road, St. Louis, MO 63127

Admission
$8 for ages 12 and up
$5 for ages 6 to 11
Laumeier Sculpture Park members are free

Creation Location
The Creation Location area of the Art Fair offers art projects for kids on Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13. This year’s fun projects include “Scenic Shades,” “Striking Structures,” and “Wind Spinners.” On Saturday at 3 pm, be sure to see the entertaining Joe the Juggler and on Sunday at 1 pm, experience the world percussion ensemble, Joia. Both performances take place at the Creation Location.

Concessions
Kid friendly food for sale includes Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, tacos, egg rolls, hamburgers, nachos, funnel cakes, soft pretzels, kettle corn, shaved ice, pizza, and more.

Tips
* If you want to avoid the lines, try to attend on Saturday. Parking is easier and there are fewer children at the Creation Location area.
* Become a member of Laumeier Sculpture Park to help support this worthy nonprofit and to receive complimentary Art Fair admission. Be sure to check if your employer offers a matching gift program to increase your donation.
* Concession lines can get long, especially on Sunday (Mother’s Day), so plan in advance before your kids or spouse has a hunger meltdown.
* The park is large. Remember to bring your cell phones or designate a meeting point before you start exploring the grounds.
* Pets and outside food or drink are not allowed during the Art Fair.
* Encourage your children to find art at the Fair that they like. At many of the booths, the artist is present and ready for questions. Encourage your child to ask about the art making process or what the art means to the artist. Painter Chris Vance from Iowa (booth 10) looks like he may have some conversation starting pieces appealing to youth.
* As tempting as it might be, please do not climb on the sculptures at the park.
* Strollers are a little challenging to navigate on the grass throughout the park, so consider bringing your infant or toddler in a baby sling.
* 2012 Artist List
* 2012 Art Fair brochure (includes Art Fair grounds layout)
* Site map of Laumeier Sculpture Park

Questions? Contact artfair@laumeier.org or call 314.615.5278.

Read my related article, “How to play at Laumeier Sculpture Park,“ on St. Louis Sprout & About’s site.

There is an abundance of excellent summer camp offerings in the St. Louis region for kids of all ages. Looking for something special for your little arts enthusiast? Here are some suggestions. Classes are filling up quickly, so be sure to register soon. Note, some nonprofit organizations offer discounts for members.

Doesn’t this list make you want to have summer vacation again?

COCA (Center of Creative Arts)
COCA has numerous summer camps located in University City and Creve Coeur that focus on dance, music, visual art, story telling, theater, cooking, clowning, acrobatics, stage combat, comic books, film, legos, photography, pottery, and pretty much anything and everything art related. For ages 3 to 18. Summer camp brochure.

Laumeier Sculpture Park
4 to 6 year olds get to create artwork with composer-in-residence, Eric Hall! Expect fun experiences at these week long outdoor summer camps that explore the Laumeier Sculpture Park’s incredible collection. The average staff to camper ratio is 1:7. For kids ages 4 to 15. The park is located in the Sunset Hills area. Summer camp brochure.

Yucandu Art Studio
Located in Webster Groves, this unique hands on art studio offers small visual art camps for grades K-12. Projects include painting, decoupage, collage, mosaics, and more. For those of you who head scout troops or have a million cousins in the area, Yucandu also offers a special friends and family summer camp designed for 8 to 16 kids.

The College School
Also located in Webster Groves, the Reggio-Emilia geared College School offers all day camps for ages 4 to 15. Arts themed camps include Funtastic Fantasy, Make Your Mark, Junior Circus Skills, Science, Art, and Cooking, and Art by Nature. Summer camp brochure.

Camp Curtain Call at The Magic House
Children ages 8-11 can experience the magic of live theater during a weeklong drama camp at The Magic House. Through activities and games, campers learn about putting on a theatrical production including basic theater terms, line readings, projection, stage directions, rehearsing, props, scenery, and dress rehearsal. Participants present their theatrical production to a live audience and then give a special performance for their families on the last day of camp.

Community Music School of Webster University
Summer opportunities for infants through high school students include a family “zoo train” session for children and their caregivers, band camp, flute camp, low brass week, chamber music camp, strings camp, composing camp, and individual instruction.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Youth entering grades fourth through eighth spend a week singing, dancing, writing words and music, making instruments, and learning about costumes and makeup, lighting, and set design. They tour backstage, work with Opera Theatre of St. Louis professionals and leading music educators, and see a performance of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland. Located in Webster Groves. Summer camp brochure.

Piwacket Theatre for Children
Located in Maplewood, this delightful children’s theater offers week long camps for children ages 6 to 15. Participants create an original show through games, music, dance, theater, and play.

Craft Alliance
These summer camps are packed with creative art experiences for 4 to 18 year olds. Activities may include working with clay, glass, graphics, metal arts, wearable art, fiber materials, and more. Camps are held at the Delmar studios or the Grand Center studios. Summer camp brochure.

Dave Simon’s Rock School
Band rehearsals, recording studio, private lessons, music appreciation, rock history, song writing, and/or improvisation is offered for students ages 9 to 18. Youth should have at least one month of instrument instruction prior to the beginning of a camp session. Beginners and advanced students are welcome. Located in Olivette.

ArtsINTERsection at New City School
Metro Theater Company’s ArtsINTERsection summer camp is for children ages 4 to 11. The camp offers kids a great place to experience art, music, movement, and drama in a safe and warm environment. Classes are taught by experienced, professional artists and are located near Forest Park.

Do you have a drawer or folder filled with membership cards to art museums, history museums, children’s museums, zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens? If your workplace offers at matching gift program, have you had your donations matched and subsequently you have been bumped up to the next donor level with increased donor benefits?

If yes, you are sitting on a budget friendly way to visit museums and other cultural destinations throughout North America for free or at a discounted price. Many cultural institutions offer patrons who give at a certain level access to reciprocal admission programs of the North American Reciprocal Museums, the Association of Children’s Museums, and more.

Here’s how to discover your discounts:

1. Check your current membership of your local museum, zoo, aquarium, or botanical garden. At your donor level, are you eligible for any reciprocal benefits? This information can usually be found on your local cultural institution’s donor benefits web page.

2. If yes, visit one of these web sites to view the reciprocal admissions participants list and what kind of discounts are offered. Typically, organizations offer admission, gift shop, parking, audio guide, or tram tour discounts. Be sure to note any restrictions, especially for number of admissions, special exhibitions, and distance from your hometown.

* Association of Children’s Museums
* North American Reciprocal Museums
* Association of Science and Technology Centers (i.e. science related museums)
* Time Travelers Program: Reciprocal Benefits at History Museums
* American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admissions Program
* Association of Zoos and Aquariums

3. Contact the cultural organization you plan on visiting to confirm reciprocal benefits.

4. Remember to bring your membership card with you on your trip.

5. Have fun exploring with your family!

6. Although you may have gotten in for free with your reciprocal benefit, consider making a small contribution, eat in the museum’s cafe, or spend a little in the gift shop. Many of these nonprofits run a very tight ship administratively, so every penny counts in helping them thrive. Be sure to talk about the whys of donating with your kids.

See the beautiful and funny Gruffalo film, Pocoyo, and the Wiggles on the big screen. All tickets are $3 and kids under the age of 3 are free. The screening is 72 minutes.

Gruffalo trailer from BBC:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq1ddK-Rlng

March 16-18, 2012  |  COCA (Center of Creative Arts) |  Treasured Stories by Eric Carle

Part of the COCA Family Theatre Series, this production of music, puppets, and visual effects brings to life the well known Eric Carle stories: The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See; and Papa, Please Get the Moon For Me. A Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia production. Tickets $14 to $20.

Sunday, April 1, 2012, 1 to 3 pm  |  COCA (Center of Creative Arts) |  Visual Arts Open Studio

In collaboration with Artmart, the COCA Visual Arts Open Studio offers children an opportunity to work on their own or under the guidance of a visual arts instructor on projects including collage, book making, watercolor painting, paper mache, and more. $8.

Monday, April 2, 2012 at 6 pm  |  Author Mo Willems

Do Piggie and Gerald, Pigeon, and Knuffle Bunny mean something to you? Hear author Mo Willems speak at the St. Louis Country Library Foundation presentation, Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School on April 2 at 6 pm. Free tickets are required and are available at St. Louis County Library Headquarters or the Daniel Boone library branch. Doors open at 5 pm.

Being a St. Louis transplant, I am consistently amazed at the cultural and artistic resources we have in the region considering the size of this city. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is one of those incredible gems. Their Friday evening performance with the contemporary dance company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, was an enthralling experience overall and offered audiences the rare chance to enjoy contemporary dance with live music, something most dance companies cannot afford without co-producers. The connectivity between the orchestra and the dancers (even on a limited rehearsal schedule) was clear and confident.

The performance begins with Mozart’s lively Le nozze di Figaro Overture, a comforting and familiar piece that the symphony played with great enthusiasm. The orchestra did a wonderful job of presenting those naked, glorious, and untainted Mozart lines where there is absolutely no wiggle room for intonation or ensemble issues.

The Hubbard Street Dance Chicago dancers joined the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for Arcangelo with music by Corelli and Scarlatti. Concertmaster David Halen’s exquisite playing really sang in this work. The choreography by Nacho Duato and the dancers visually brought to life all of the luscious stretching, pushing, pulling, and quick changes between staccato and legato that are written in the score. Countertenor, David Stephens, gave a historically accurate performance, filled with the clean, round sounds, which we heard in the Mozart.

The Brandenburg Concerto left us breathless. I had to restrain myself from dancing in the aisle. After seeing the dancers in the Corelli and Scarlatti pieces, it was a nice opportunity to listen to the orchestra alone playing this famous Baroque work. The symphony’s attacks, dynamics, and textures took on a new feel in the Brandenburg after seeing them visually embodied by the dancers earlier.

The Anna Clyne piece was my favorite. Organic, rather unearthly music is joined by choreography that is subtle, filled with breath, challenging, and unique yet somehow familiar. The shadowed lighting design, white costumes, and poignant playing by the orchestra was memorable. I was amazed by the dancers’ gorgeous use of their feet–their roll down and languid slow walks across the stage were stunning.

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Music Director and Conductor David Robertson, smartly gives us a little humor and playfulness and of course connections to the Baroque music we heard earlier in the concert, by programming Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks concerto. We get to hear the symphony’s stellar woodwind and brass sections in this piece and solid piano playing by Peter Henderson.

The most exhausting and full of more obvious dance “tricks” were found in the visually arresting, “As few as 3000,” with choreography by Alejandro Cerrudo and music by Martinu. There are some moving moments between two dancers undulating their torsos and heads to meet foreheads in this work, bringing us full circle to the curvatures we heard and experienced from the music and choreography in the first half of the program.

In general, it is rather challenging to program a concert featuring contemporary dance and a relatively traditional symphony orchestra in a large hall because typically the audiences of each do not crossover significantly. The cost of the concert tickets will most likely limit the usual contemporary dance audiences from being able to attend this performance, but I think that the event evolved into a fruitful collaboration that may excite current classical music patrons into exploring the realm of contemporary dance a little more.

There is one final performance Sunday, February 19 at 3 pm.

There are some great events coming up at COCA (Center of Creative Arts) and CAM (Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis)

COCA’s Visual Arts Open Studio  |  Sunday, February 5, 1 to 3 pm  |  $8
In partnership with Artmart, COCA’s Visual Arts Open Studio participants may work on their own or with the guidance of a visual arts instructor on projects including collage, book making, watercolor painting, paper mache, and more.

CAM Stroller Tour  |  Tuesday, February 7, 9 to 10 am  |  FREE
Best for infants to 24 month old children, CAM’s Stroller Tours offer a complimentary light breakfast and an informal tour exploring the current exhibitions.

CAM Tuesday Morning Play Date  |  Tuesday, February 7, 10 to 11 am  |  FREE
Best for ages 2 to 5 years old, these engaging play dates include refreshments, an art project, story time, and movement activities.

CAM Valentine’s Family Day  |  Saturday, February 11, 1 to 4 pm  |  FREE
This event is open to all ages, but the art projects are best for 5 to 12 year olds (younger if your child isn’t easily frustrated or has amazing fine motor skills!). Enjoy the museum’s exhibitions and family activities ranging from artist-led workshops to face painting, storytelling, and more. All visitors wearing red will be entered in a drawing to win a special prize.

Read more about CAM’s family activities in my St. Louis Sprout & About article.

Baby Got Bach is back for another entertaining and free performance in St. Louis on February 18, 2012 at 10:30 am, Centene Plaza, 7700 Forsyth Road. Baby Got Bach is an engaging classical music interactive event for 3 to 6 year olds founded by internationally known pianist Orli Shaham. During the nearly two hour program, kids can explore real instruments, meet musicians from the St. Louis Symphony, sing familiar songs, play rhythm sticks and castanets, and hear a chamber music concert featuring works by Saint-Saens, Rimsky-Korsakov, Schubert, Bartok, and more.

Tickets

The community performance is free of charge thanks to the generosity of The Centene Charitable Foundation. Currently, the organization is accepting reservations from people who signed up for their mailing list last Fall. Online reservations will be open to the general public starting on February 6, 2012. All the spots for the November 2011 performance were filled within two days last Fall, so be sure to make advance reservations on the Baby Got Bach web site. There is a limit of approximately 80 children for the event and there will be a wait list available. Walk-ins without reservations may be admitted, space permitting.

Tips

* Parking is available for $2 per hour at the Centene Plaza garage. Street parking is free on Saturdays.
* The St. Louis Symphony, The Centene Charitable Foundation, and many individuals donate their time and funds to the nonprofit, Baby Got Bach. If you are able, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Baby Got Bach.
* The program may be a bit long for some 3 and 4 year olds, but the format is casual, so feel free to take your child out to the lobby for a break or snack if she/he needs it.
* There will be short intermission before the chamber music concert portion of the event.
* Make a morning/day of your outing and eat at the nearby, delicious, and family friendly restaurant, Half and Half. Be sure to try the veggie hash and fresh donuts! Half and Half is open 8 am to 2 pm on Saturdays.
* Questions? Contact Baby Got Bach through their web site.

About Orli Shaham, Artistic Director, Host, and Pianist

Orli Shaham got an early start in her music career. She began playing piano at age four, and got her first music scholarship when she was five. Just a couple years later, she began her studies at The Juilliard School with Herbert Stessin. That was the beginning of a flood of prestigious performances and awards, launching her international career. Ms. Shaham has performed with many of the world’s great orchestras and has been lauded for her recitals at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, and Lincoln Center, as well as many other renowned concert halls around the globe. Ms. Shaham has preschool twins Nathan and Alex and college-age stepsons Peter and Jonathan. She lives in St. Louis and New York with her husband, St. Louis Symphony music director David Robertson.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7leQJIE8Lg8

Currently in its 23rd year, Opera Theatre of St. Louis’s Monsanto Artists-in-Training Program has consistently identified, coached, and encouraged talented singers in St. Louis urban and suburban high schools. Students receive individual weekly coaching and voice lessons by Opera Theatre of St. Louis’s professional staff; two artist residencies conducted by visiting guest artists; numerous chances to attend performing arts events; and a three-day college retreat where they learn about college life and academics. Each spring, the students perform in a free public recital at the Sheldon Concert Hall. To date, more than 170 students have completed the program and Opera Theatre of St. Louis has awarded these graduates more than $335,000 in scholarships to support their college educations. Many graduates have continued to pursue academic degrees and professional careers in music. Artists-in-Training is generously supported by the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, who has been the principal underwriter since the program’s inception.