Parents rejoice! The Beijing International Music Festival (BMF) is in town and offering a full day’s worth of free kid-centric performances this Saturday, Oct 23, at the Red House in Sanlitun’s Taikooli, as well as the Concert Hall in Zhongshan Park (perhaps better known as the Forbidden City Park Concert Hall).

Over at the Red House, The Adventure of Mimilu, the Wandering Cat tells the tale of a blossoming friendship between a piano teacher’s cat who loves music and a lonely piano student. This multimedia performance mixes iconic music such as Mozart’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with images and videos to fully engage all of the senses. Acclaimed pianist Song Siheng uses the performance to tell a heartwarming story of love and companionship. It also provides the perfect opportunity for children who are new to music culture to enter the wonderful world of music through both sight and sound. The Adventure of Mimilu, the Wandering Cat. The Red House, Taikooli. 11am and 2pm. Free.

The performances continue later that afternoon at the Zhongshan Park Concert Hall, where the young award-winning conductor Jin Yukuang will team up with the neoclassical chamber orchestra for Charles-Camille Saint-Saën’s masterpiece Animal Carnival. This piece was specially chosen to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French composer’s passing. Saint-Saëns was known for using beautiful and agile musical language to paint a vivid picture of the animals named in this piece, from turtles to elephants and most famously, swans. A Carnival of Animals, Poems, and Music. Zhongshang Park Concert Hall. 3pm and 6pm. Free.

This year marks the 24th edition of the Beijing Music Festival, which presents free, high-quality educational events every year to cultivate the next generation’s love of art and music. There are no tickets, so just show up to the venue beforehand and secure a spot to enjoy the performance. It is also worth mentioning that the four young performers in the two concerts were selected through open auditions and interviews for the Beijing International Music Festival. The youngest is barely 1.2m and in elementary school.

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Images: Unsplash, courtesy of Beijing Music Festival

School’s practically out so if you haven’t made plans to keep your little ones occupied for the next two months, check out the summer camp index we’ve painstakingly put together for your benefit. And now, joining the ranks of our numerous summer camp previews are two more summer camps that might be just what you’re looking for.

In the year 2154, on Egg Planet, two hundred years after the birth of rock music, everyone is into electronic music and few people are interested in the history of rock music anymore… Well, at least that is the premise of “You Rock School” – a half-day music camp + performance. Presented by Stallion Era and led by UK actor Dan Taylor, the camp offers two different workshops – “Let’s Play: An Interactive Music Game Workshop” organized by prominent music influencer Deng Ke, and “Swing Class” which is conducted by Swing Beijing.

Ages: 6+
Summary: A bilingual half-day introductory camp that will take kids on an adventure of rock’n’roll fun through games, music, and swing dance.
Who: Stallion Era
Where: Beijing Nanyang Theatre
When:
Section A
2-2.30pm Workshop 1:Swing Class for Kids|
2:45-3:15 Workshop 2: Lets PLAY: music interaction game workshop
3:30 Your Rock School:Back to the future

Section B
5-5.30pm Workshop 1:Swing Class for Kids
5:45-6:15 Workshop 2: Let’s PLAY: music interaction game workshop
6.30-7.30 Your Rock School :Back to the future

Language: English and Chinese
Prices: RMB 280 per pax, RMB 750 for 3 pax
Topics: Performing Arts
Conclusion: “You Rock School: Back to the Future” performance.
About: Founded in 2012, Stallion Era is the leading management company devoted to local music, world music, and cross-over artists in China.
More Info: Scan the QR code on the poster below for more information.

SAT Prep Master Class

Private education provider TJ Academy is offering an SAT Master Class designed to help students preparing for their overseas university applications. This camp will be especially valuable to those sitting the real exam in the coming fall semester. There will be mock SAT exams every Saturday, and the teachers will manage and check individual students’ progress and analyze their weak points to help them improve quickly.

Ages: G9 – G12
Summary: Get your teens ready for the SATs with individualized attention from TJ Academy teachers, and weekly mock exams.
Who: TJ Academy (Beijing)
Where: Wangjing
When: Jun 28 – Aug 14
Teacher to Child Ratio: 1:5/6
Language: English
Prices:
English Master Class RMB 18,900
English + Math Class RMB 28,350
Foundation Class RMB 7,000
Topics: English and Math
About: TJ Academy was founded in 2017 as a private education center that helps students with academic performance and the university application process.
More Info: Scan the QR code on the poster for more information.

KEEP READING: More Summer Camp Options: Kickboxing & Survival Fun

Images: Unsplash, courtesy of vendors