Wiggling is allowed. At the Kansas City Symphony’s family concerts in Helzberg Hall, kids meet the orchestra up close — shorter programs, storytelling, costumed characters and the famous instrument “petting zoo,” where children can try a violin, trumpet or drum with a musician’s help.
The Symphony designs these matinees as a first concert experience: arrive early for pre-show activities in the Kauffman Center lobby, hear the music explained in kid-sized bites, and be home before nap strikes. Its Mobile Music Box also brings free mini-concerts to neighborhoods across the metro each season.
Season family offerings typically include holiday pops and movie-music favorites that sell out fast.
Great orchestras are built one small listener at a time — Kansas City starts them young, and starts them joyful.

