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Emotional growth begins in the first year of life. Even though they can’t yet intellectualize what they’re feeling, infants learn which emotions are acceptable and which ones aren’t by reading the cues on the faces of thir caregivers. Anger, sadness and happiness are the main three, but they aren’t always expressed equally. They will, however, be musically illustrated in equal measure during CSO for Kids concerts March 8 at Symphony Center.
Titled “The Music of Our Emotions” and geared to kids between the ages of 5 and 12, these performances by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser will explore emotions through the music of Tchaikovsky (selections from Symphony No. 4), former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery (Starburst), Mozart (Allegro assai from Symphony No. 40), Jonathan Bingham (Diamond), Beethoven (Tempo di menuetto from Symphony No. 8) and Prokofiev (Molto vivace from Symphony No. 1 [Classical]). Tchaikovsky’s work, though, will be the connective thread throughout the program, because it covers such a wide range of emotions, with Tchaikovsky’s emotions, in particular, on a journey from despair to joy.
“We have been focusing quite consistently and intentionally on emotional well-being in children throughout the pandemic and coming out of the pandemic, because it’s just such a needed response for what children were going through and what they continue to experience as they learn to be in community with one another again,” said CSO for Kids associate director Katy Clusen. “This kind of work that we do, whether it’s through our school partnerships or through the concerts we present on stage, really helps children to discover and understand the emotions they are feeling and how music can be used to express emotion, which helps them better understand themselves and provides a sense of well-being.”
Brenda Huber, a Chicago-based child-psychologist, said the seven-year gap between the youngest and oldest attendees (excluding parents and teachers) means that everyone will experience the venue and the music differently from an emotional standpoint. “Children on the younger end of the age spectrum will have fewer emotions they can identify verbally,” she explained. “They’ll be able to tell if the music is happy, sad or angry, and connect in broad strokes with those three emotions.
"And they may feel a lot more comfortable with one of them, because that emotion is comfortable for their parents. As a result, they might find themselves more drawn to songs that are emotionally consistent with what they’ve been taught is OK to feel, and more uncomfortable with other pieces. Children on the higher end of the age range may have a whole array of emotions they recognize in themselves, and those will resonate in the music they’re hearing.”
Beyond the musical elements, Huber said, concerts like these (and live performances in general, no matter the genre) engender a sense of belonging. That’s valuable for adults, but it’s “especially important for kids to feel like they’re part of something. When you go to an amazing performance, you actually feel connected to the audience. You have the feeling that you just shared something really powerful, that you’re a fellow traveler in a group that’s witnessing this creative expression.”
Whether it’s “The Music of Our Emotions” or any other performance that’s geared toward kids, another aim is to introduce the CSO and its vaunted venue to a younger generation that might not otherwise set foot in Orchestra Hall or hear one note of the world-class ensemble in their backyard. Some of them might even return as adults.
Clusen acknowledges this element but says it’s only a small part of the over-all goal. “Whether or not they become lifelong concertgoers, children deserve to have access to this incredible cultural institution located in their city and to be exposed to the incredible music of this world-class orchestra,” she said. To have a moment where their souls are touched and transformed.”
