Thad Avery plays Uncle in 'Beethoven Lives Upstairs', a production for children about the famous Austrian composer. — Photos: Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS
THE POWER of music in children’s development is well-documented. From improved cognitive performance and reduction of anxiety to being better in Math and as a means of self-expression, a host of research has continuously shown that both exposure to music and learning to play musical instruments have immense benefits on children.
Mother-of-two Syahrizan Samsuddin, 44, whose sons Iman Hezry, 12 and Iman Hakimi, nine, both play the piano, is a firm believer in exposing children to the music and the arts to enhance their listening and concentration skills.
“Music stimulates different parts of the brain and fosters an understanding and appreciation of diversity, on top of teaching children to respect and embrace various cultures,” she says. “Listening to music can also be soothing and can help children cope with stress and anxiety. Attending a live concert elevates their musical experience; it also helps them learn about concert etiquette and behaviour in public.”
The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) resident conductor Gerard Salonga leads the musicians in the performance aimed at cultivating an interest in music among kids.
Last month, Syahrizan and her husband, Izwan Effendy Ismail, 44, took their sons to Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (DFP) for its Family Fun Day series, featuring Beethoven Lives Upstairs, based on the Emmy award-winning film.
The series, held once every few months and almost always fully attended, is a hit among parents with small children who are keen to introduce them to live performances and classical music. It is one of the few times that children under eight years old get to attend a performance at DFP.
“Attending a concert allows children to experience live music first-hand. And we feel that this experience is more engaging and impactful than just listening to the recordings. They can see the musicians play different instruments and feel the vibrations of the music,” she adds.
“I think this kind of experience is priceless. Exposing children to classical music at a young age can ignite a lifelong interest in music. It can inspire them to take up an instrument to play, maybe join a choir, or simply listen and appreciate the art of music,” Syahrizan says.
That wasn’t the family’s first outing to DFP. “We’ve also attended several shows like Lets Tour The World and Family Film Favourites, although this is the boys’ first experience watching a classical music concert,” she says.
“One of the first pieces that they learned to play was Beethoven’s Fur Elise so the show really resonated with them,” she says.
Syahrizan and her husband Izwan Effendy, whose children Iman Hezry and Iman Hakimi play the piano, believe in exposing their children in music to enhance concentration and listening skills. — SYAHRIZAN SHAMSUDDIN
Good introduction
For Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohamad Mokhtar, 53, who brought his five-year-old-son, Tunku Murshid Mughni, to the show, it was an opportunity to introduce him to classical music, something the former likes to listen to.
“I bought him a board book with excerpts of Beethoven’s music and he really likes Symphony No. 6. He is also curious about the different musical instruments depicted in the book so at a concert, he could see for himself what a bass, cello and violin look like and watch a conductor conduct a performance,”
Tunku Mohar says it’s important to inculcate an interest in arts and culture in children so they learn to appreciate a variety of music and melodies.
“There are many advantages to listening to classical music and playing musical instruments so parents could encourage this interest,” he says.
Beethoven Lives Upstairs tells the story of the composer during his time in Vienna, told through letters by his landlord’s son, Christoph, to his uncle. The young Christoph describes Beethoven as a madman before their friendship allows him to understand the troubled musical genius whose fear of going deaf – because how could he compose if he could not listen? – came true and how Beethoven rose against the odds to compose his most popular tune, Symphony No. 9, by only hearing in it his head.
(From left) Tan with her friends Koh Ning En, 11 and Koh Yi En, 11 before the concert. — MARLENE KHOR
The show presented the poignant tale of a composer who started playing the piano as a toddler and how he gained immense respect as one of the foremost composers in Vienna at the time. It played 25 pieces from Beethoven’s compositions, including Fur Elise, Shepherd’s Theme from Symphony No. 6, Ode to Joy from Symphony No. 9 and Symphony No. 5. Mvmt I. With the compositions mostly delivered by string instruments, the sounds were softer, making them palatable to children and those new to classical music.
Marlene Khor, 47, and her husband took their youngest daughter, Elizabeth Tan, eight, to see the show with her two friends. “She plays the piano but she is not yet exposed to live music. Concerts like these allow parents to bring their young children to experience live classical music, which is very enriching,” she adds.
Like Syahrizan and Tunku Mohar, Khor believes in the holistic development of her children, and music is an enrichment activity that can promote this.
“Formal education is mostly focused on academic abilities but my husband and I believe in holistic development and exposure to arts and culture is one way to inculcate that. The concert, for example, isn’t solely about music; there’s history infused in the narration so there is always something to learn and appreciate,” she says.
“Classical music and the experience of listening to it live can broaden children’s horizons and hone their sense of appreciation in arts, culture and the world in general,” she concludes.
