Bing Nursery School Performance Series and Musical Experiences

This year’s performance of the Peter and the Wolf—Sergei Prokofiev’s 1936 children’s tale in which different instruments represent the various characters in the story—took place on February 10 at Stanford’s Dinkelspiel Auditorium as part of Bing Nursery School’s Performance Series. The series introduces young children to the performing arts, expanding their knowledge of different cultures through music and dance and setting the stage for a lifelong appreciation of the arts in every form.

Peter and the Wolf is a beloved tale about meeting challenges with courage. The audience of the sold-out show had the pleasure of listening to actress and Stanford alumna Sangini Bedner narrate the story, while the Fratello Marionettes performed with puppets! They were accompanied by musicians MyungJu Yeo (flute), Adrienne Malley (oboe), Michael Corner (clarinet), Carolyn Lockhart (bassoon), and Bing music specialist Leslie Hart (horn).

We celebrated a year of music at Bing at our end-of-year concert on June 11! Local jazz artists performed familiar Bing tunes, including “The Bear Missed the Train.” Parent and Stanford alumnus Eugene Robinson, a member of the band Oxbow, delighted families with a rendition of “Eerie Canal,” performed with his daughter, who is currently enrolled at Bing.

In addition to our performance series, acclaimed clarinetist and composer Oran Etkin visited Bing classrooms during music time. He introduced his instrument, “Clara Net,” which he played alongside her French horn “brother,” played by teacher Leslie. Etkin is a familiar face at Bing, as he participated in the Performance Series in 2013 and 2019.

Our end-of-quarter sing-alongs are a favorite for everyone at Bing! Last summer, children shared songs they had composed with the entire community. We also joined together to sing “Song-aji,” a popular Korean tune that offered many children who speak Korean with an opportunity to celebrate their language.

This year’s musical events were a big success, and we look forward to welcoming more musicians, instruments, and songs into our community and classrooms!