A STEAM Learning Experience Disguised as a Concert
What if your child could learn about science, sound, patterns, movement, and animals while attending a symphony concert?
That's exactly what makes Carnival of the Animals so unique.
Presented by the Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra and partnering with the Grand Forks Children's Museum, this sensory-friendly performance combines music, movement, imagination, and discovery into what can best be described as a STEAM learning experience disguised as a concert.
Unlike a traditional symphony performance where audiences are expected to sit quietly in their seats, Carnival of the Animals invites children and families to become part of the experience. Throughout the performance, audience members will be encouraged to move along with the music, participate in guided activities, and engage their senses as the orchestra brings a fascinating cast of animal characters to life.
From marching proudly like lions and galloping like wild donkeys to gliding like swans and swimming like fish, every movement of the music offers a new opportunity for young listeners to connect with what they hear. Families will be invited to listen, watch, move, imagine, and participate in whatever way feels most comfortable. There is no wrong way to experience this musical adventure.
At first glance, a musical performance may seem focused solely on the arts. But Carnival of the Animals offers surprising connections to all areas of STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. As children listen to the orchestra portray lions, elephants, tortoises, birds, and fish, they begin making connections between sound and the world around them.
How can a cello sound like a swan gliding across a lake?
What makes an elephant's musical theme feel big and powerful?
Why do rapid piano notes sound like animals racing across the countryside?
Without even realizing it, children are exploring concepts such as sound and
vibration, rhythm and patterns, observation, creativity, and cause and effect. The performance encourages curiosity and critical thinking while demonstrating how the arts and sciences often work together to help us better understand the world around us.
Adding another layer of engagement, the Grand Forks Children's Museum will provide special activity bags to help families connect with the performance. While the contents remain a surprise, the bags are being designed to complement the experience and encourage participation throughout the concert.
Throughout the performance, museum team members will help guide children
through movement activities and sensory experiences that connect with the music, encouraging them to use their imaginations, engage their senses, and become part of the story unfolding around them. Combined with interactive narration and guided movement, these resources help transform the performance from something that audiences simply watch into something they actively experience and participate in.
The partnership between the Symphony and the Grand Forks Children's Museum creates an environment where learning happens naturally through exploration, imagination, and play. Children will discover new ways to connect movement, sound, and creativity as the orchestra brings a world of animals to life.
The Symphony is bringing the music, while the Grand Forks Children's Museum is bringing the movement, imagination, and hands-on discovery, creating an experience where children are not simply watching a performance, they are becoming part of it.
For generations, Camille Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals has delighted
audiences with its playful musical depictions of creatures great and small. This special presentation builds on that beloved classic by creating an experience that is welcoming, interactive, and accessible for today's families.
This collaboration also offers a glimpse of what families can expect when the Grand Forks Children's Museum opens. Through partnerships like this one, the museum is creating opportunities for children to learn through movement, creativity, exploration, and hands-on discovery. Together with community partners, we are building experiences that spark curiosity, introduce children to new ideas, and inspire a lifelong love of learning.
Whether your child loves animals, music, science, movement, or hands-on discovery, this sensory-friendly event offers an opportunity to learn, play, and explore together. More than a concert, Carnival of the Animals is an invitation to listen, move, imagine, discover, and become part of the music itself.
Join the Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra and the Grand Forks Children's Museum for an unforgettable adventure where every note sparks curiosity, every movement inspires discovery, and every child becomes part of the performance.
When: Friday, October 30, 6pm
Where: East Grand Forks Senior High Performing Arts Center
Tickets: https://www.ggfso.org
Hope you will join us...
Katie Mayer, Executive Director, Grand Forks Children's Museum
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