Two things I’m obsessed with this month: the Santa Cruz Symphony and sneakers.
First off: the Symphony has its family Pops concert scheduled for 7:30pm June 13 at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and I suggest you bring the kids. I know in this digital age, sitting through a concert might not be a kid’s favorite activity, but I’ve been taking my 10-year-old son to this concert since he was 4, and I think it’s one of the best things I’ve done raising him.
There is nothing more powerful than hearing and feeling the sounds of a full orchestra playing in unison, from the pounding of the bass drums you can feel in your chest, to the guy who, every so often, hits the triangle, sending a loud tinkle into the high range. I love that guy and he brings a smile to my face every time. It looks like the easiest job in the world, but it’s not. He’s got to read the sheet music for pages and pages and then just hit it perfectly. That’s the job I’d want.
Aside from that, conductor Danny Stewart chooses fun pieces for this show, which this year include, Ennio Morricone’s “Ecstasy of Gold” from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; James Horner’s “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic; Howard Shore’s “Symphonic Suite” from The Fellowship of the Ring; EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick’s “Golden” from K-Pop Demon Hunters (arr. Daniel Stewart); Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now” from Rocky; Michael Giacchino’s “Married Life” from Up; Carlos Gardell’s “Tango: Por Un Cabeza” from Scent of a Woman (arr. John Williams); Hans Zimmer’s “Theme Music” from Interstellar; Jerry Goldsmith’s “Main Title Theme” from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and several surprises.
All proceeds will benefit Santa Cruz Symphony and help ensure the continued success of educational programs and performances. There’s a free street fair at 5pm outside the Civic with food and music, which is a fun and tasty opening.
In past years, when they performed music from Star Wars, kids brought or bought lightsabers to add to the festivities.
So, I’ve watched my son evolve as a musician and music fan through his years at the symphony. In our first year, we got scolded by someone sitting in front of us because he asked questions during the music. I get it. You want to hear the music and so do we. But this is a kid-friendly show, and yeah, kids talk. Sorry, not sorry.
My son plays piano, and while I’m more of a rocker, he’s now extremely comfortable playing more intricate classical pieces, which for me is a real accomplishment. He knew long before I did that classical music can be fun to listen to and to add. And we’ve expanded out from just the Pops shows to more serious works, which he now appreciates. We’ve enjoyed the Sunday afternoon shows at the Henry Mello center, which is way smaller than the Civic, but this last spring show is only available on Saturday night.
You can buy tickets at tickets.com, and they range from $45 to $135, not cheap, but I promise, well worth it.
So, shoes. I can’t believe I’m writing about shoes again. Last time, a few years back, it was because my son slid while playing tag and smashed his head on a park bench, which required an emergency room visit and nine stitches. After that, I called podiatrists, wondering if it had to do with the flat-soled fashionable Vans he was wearing. Yup, the doctors told me to make sure he has shoes with a tread. Problem solved, I thought.
Recently, he was wearing Reeboks that did have treads, but they were wearing thin, and he had pretty much outgrown them and wasn’t putting his heel in all the way. I’m sure you know, as parents, that sneakers are expensive and they outgrow them so fast, so we didn’t pay enough attention. But then, he started complaining about back and stomach pain. I took him to a pediatrician who thought he had a pulled muscle and that it would go away. It didn’t for four days.
And then it dawned on me: the sneakers. I finally took him to the running shoe store and bought him a pair of HOKA shoes that saved me after a knee surgery. He and I were both skeptical about whether it would make a difference, and the shoes are over $100. Ok, way over $100. But no one wants to see their kid in pain, so it was worth it for me to take a shot.
The minute we walked out of the Santa Cruz Running Company with them on, he had a huge smile on his face. “Can I try running in the parking lot?” he asked. He ran. And ran. There was no more pain. The store owner had put him on a machine that analyzed his gait and showed he wasn’t walking straight, in part because of the wear of his old shoes.
Problem solved. Maybe you already know this, but it taught me to really pay attention to what he puts on his feet and watch how fast they grow, and to make sure to keep the shoes fitting well. You can’t underestimate how important that is for these totally active beings.
