Carillon Concert

We rushed home after our zoo trip so that everyone could use the bathroom and I could throw together a picnic dinner.  Then we drove to the lawn east of the Bean Museum on the BYU campus for our first ever carillon concert!  I was really pretty ridiculously excited about this, and hoped that the kids would enjoy themselves too.  All in all, I think it was a good experience for the whole family.  Except for Ben, who was out of town, and missed out on the fun.

For those of you who don't know what a carillon is - I didn't until I looked online - it is the instrument housed in a bell tower, comprised of an organ-like keyboard connected to the bells themselves.  I hope that makes sense.

I loved that the carillonneur played a good variety of music.  He played some Classical-type pieces that I didn't recognize, some popular songs (I was tickled to hear "Somewhere Out There," one of my all-time favorites), and of course some Patriotic songs.

So this was a unique concert experience in that there is nothing at all to see.  You simply go and listen. We found out afterward that if you walked to the base of the bell tower during the concert, there was a live feed video of the carillonneur performing.  Oh well.  But the kids had a fun during the concert anyway.  They ate some picnic dinner then found a tree nearby with limbs for climbing and many other kids around to play with.  So I sat and enjoyed the music while watching the kids play and eating my strawberry vinaigrette salad.  Not a bad way to spend an evening.

Oh - and there was also dancing. (Jack is in the background breaking sticks and such.)

When the concert was over the kids and I walked over to the bell tower to get a closer look.

Best I could do on my own...

As it turnsd out, one of the BYU students who plays the carillon on a regular basis was down in the practice room at the bottom of the towerr telling people about the instrument and answering questions.  Notice how my kids pushed their way into the center of the room, but maintained a safe distance from the practice instrument.

..until they jumped on the bench...

Aaaaaaand... started playing the instrument.  Aaaaaaand the BYU student doesn't mind them playing, as long as they don't get too loud.  Awww, how nice.

Notice how instead of keys like you find on a piano or an organ, these are actual levers and a carillonneur plays them by pounding his fist on them.  And he operates the foot pedals simultaneously.  How in the world do you play fast music?  I don't know.  But they do.  And Cat thought it was awesome.  That night she found out another reason why she should stick with piano: we were told that most carillonneurs begin playing after learning organ.  And what do most people play before learning organ?  That's right.  Pee-pan-oh, as Cat would say.