Field Trip – The Philadelphia Orchestra at The Kimmel Center

Our family joined other CC families for a trip this week to see The Philadelphia Orchestra perform Beethoven Lives Upstairs at The Kimmel Center.  Our campus has made this trip before, but it was our family’s first time.  I was so excited to experience this with my guys! 

The production had two actors, one playing a young Christoph and the other his uncle, as they exchanged letters shortly after Ludwig Van Beethoven moved into the upstairs apartment of Christoph’s family’s Vienna home.  Christoph described Beethoven as a “madman” while his uncle, also a composer, helped Christoph to understand Beethoven’s struggles and genius.  And, of course, Beethoven’s music was a central part of the story telling.  As I told my guys afterward, the music was like another character on the stage guiding our emotions in the story.  

My two favorite things about the trip — 1) learning so much about Beethoven’s life and 2) watching my guys experience the orchestra firsthand.  Really, the best part to me about any field trip is seeing them make connections from what they’ve learned in school to what they’re living in the world.  This probably explains at least part of the reason why we love taking trips so much!