An experience every child should have
There is something that happens when a child hears a live orchestra for the first time. It’s difficult to describe, but easy to recognise. The moment the sound fills the room, something changes. Eyes widen. Bodies go still. And then, almost always, a smile.
Music has always been one of the most powerful tools we have for child development. Research consistently shows that engagement with music strengthens memory, language, emotional regulation, and creative thinking. But beyond the science, there is something simpler at work: music makes children feel things. It opens doors inside them that other subjects sometimes can’t reach.
Seeing a live orchestra takes that a step further. For many children, it’s the first time they understand that music is made by people: real people, sitting just metres away, drawing sound out of wood and metal and string. They watch a bow move across strings and hear it in their chest. They see a conductor’s hands shape the music in real time. They begin to understand, instinctively, that this is a conversation, between musicians, between the music and the room, between the orchestra and them.
At the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, we believe every child deserves that moment. That’s why we work hard to make live orchestral music accessible as a regular part of how young people in South Australia experience the world.
For schools, we offer a range of curriculum-linked performances throughout the year, designed to connect directly with what students are already exploring in the classroom. Excursion programs like Are We There Yet? this June, based on Alison Lester’s much-loved picture book, with music by Adelaide composer David Lang, bring storytelling and live music together in ways that are joyful, meaningful, and genuinely memorable. Bookings are available across the school year, making it easy to plan ahead and give your students an excursion worth talking about.
For families, we offer concerts designed to welcome children and parents together, relaxed, engaging, and built around the idea that a love of music is best grown early, and best grown together.
Whatever brings you through the doors, we promise this: the music will do the rest.
For more information, visit aso.com.au
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