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Read on to discover our history of Children\u2019s Proms\u2026<\/strong><\/p> ‘Children are welcome at the Proms, but in consideration of our audience and performer, children under the age of five are not allowed in the auditorium,\u2019 stated the 1996 edition of the BBC Proms prospectus, firmly.\u00a0<\/p> These days the wording is gentler: \u2018We recommend that children … are aged five and over\u2019. There were two exceptions in 2023… The hour-long programme of music by Walton<\/a><\/strong>, Mozart<\/a><\/strong>, Rachmaninov<\/a><\/strong> and Myroslav Skoryk given by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. And the Horrible Histories: \u2019Orrible Opera Prom, given by the chorus and orchestra of English National Opera<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p> Both are Relaxed Proms, a concept introduced in 2017, primarily for people with autism, sensory or communication impairments and learning disabilities. But they are also suitable for children and anyone who finds it difficult to stay still or silent for an extended period. The doors to the auditorium are left open so that audience members can come and go as they please. And there are \u2018chill-out\u2019 areas in the foyers for anyone who needs some quiet time before or during the performance. This is ideal for a family that has to bring a baby or toddler along to a concert aimed at its older siblings.<\/p> At the Proms 2024<\/a><\/strong>, you can bring your toddler to a concert aimed especially at them, as part of the Proms at Bristol Beacon. CBeebies: Ocean Adventure<\/strong><\/a> (Monday 26 August, 2 & 4pm) invites children aged up to five to \u2018search for endangered creatures, find out fascinating facts and collect sounds and pictures for your very own musical ocean scrapbook\u2019. This is led by BBC children\u2019s television presenters, with music performed by the Southbank Sinfonia, conducted by Kwam\u00e9 Ryan.<\/p> And on Saturday 27 July, there are two CBeebies: Wildlife Jamboree<\/a><\/strong> Proms, celebrating the natural world in music and song. Here, CBeebies characters join the Southbank Sinfonia, BBC Singers and CBeebies East London Schools\u2019 Choir, again conducted by Kwam\u00e9 Ryan.<\/p> Children\u2019s Proms are a surprisingly recent innovation. They do not feature in Nicholas Kenyon\u2019s\u00a0The Proms: A New History<\/em>\u00a0until the 1990s. The issue of attracting younger audiences is discussed by David Wright in his chapter on \u2018The Sixties\u2019. But he means young adults, not children. <\/p> It was another 30 years before Kenyon, taking over as controller in 1996 from John Drummond, began to make changes aimed partly at making the Proms feel more inclusive and representative. His first season ended with the first outdoor Prom in the Park, a child-friendly event. But it also included a Junior Prom on the last Monday afternoon of the season, entitled Around the World in Eighty Minutes. Actor Tony Robinson was the audience\u2019s guide on a lightning musical tour of the world. This was designed for children between the ages of six and 14. It featured music performed by the New London Children\u2019s Choir and the BBC Concert Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, conducted by Ronald Corp.<\/p> Although this was part of the main season programme, it was not flagged up in the introductory pages of the prospectus at all. Nevertheless, it clearly found its audience, and the concept was repeated by the same forces the following year.<\/p> In 1998 there were two performances of a Blue Peter<\/a><\/strong> 40th Birthday Prom programme. These were introduced by the TV show\u2019s presenter Katy Hill. The BBC Philharmonic performed works including Copland<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s\u00a0Fanfare for the Common Man<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, and extracts from Prokofiev<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s\u00a0Romeo and Juliet<\/em>\u00a0and Debussy<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s\u00a0La mer<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. Conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier<\/a><\/strong> entered into the spirit of the event by assuming the role of Inspector Clouseau in the mystery plot that linked the different pieces.<\/p> This established a pattern for children\u2019s concerts linking standard classical repertoire to familiar television shows. Blue Peter Proms have focused on ancient Greek myths and on safaris. And in 2004 the Kagemusha Taiko drummers and a lion dance troupe from a Chinese school in central London joined the BBC Philharmonic to \u2018conjure up the spectacular sights and sounds of the Far East\u2019, reflecting a season theme built around a concert by cellist Yo-Yo Ma<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Silk Road Ensemble.<\/p> The first Doctor Who Prom was in 2008. This opened with Murray Gold\u2019s arrangement of the theme music from the series. It also included a specially filmed scene starring David Tennant, the incarnation of the Doctor at the time. Other works included Holst<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s \u2018Jupiter\u2019 from\u00a0The Planets<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0and the UK premiere of The Torino Scale <\/em>by Mark-Anthony Turnage. By this time, the importance of concerts for younger audiences had been recognised, and the events were given much greater prominence in the Proms Guide.<\/p> \u2018We\u2019ve learnt that kids love the spectacle, the big orchestras, the noises and the humongous Royal Albert Hall,\u2019 wrote Clara Nissen in an essay in the 2010 guide. \u2018The recipe for success lies in short, contrasting and exciting pieces that show the breadth of classical music, all introduced by a friendly presenter. Then throw in the odd surprise…\u2019<\/p> When I asked Facebook friends to share their memories of bringing their children to Proms, a great response came from organist Timothy Noon. He recalled Blue Peter and Doctor Who Proms. His son in particular was a big\u00a0Doctor Who<\/em>\u00a0fan. \u2018Did it work? Well, we\u2019re looking forward to seeing our daughter Molly [now a professional singer] in this year\u2019s Voces8 Prom on 9 August!\u2019<\/p> Another friend remembered taking her children to one of the BBC Ten Pieces<\/a><\/strong> Proms. These were introduced in 2015 to showcase the works that had been used as the basis for music in the primary curriculum over the previous academic year. \u2018They did extracts from\u00a0The Firebird<\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>and had a dancer who flew through the audience. That was magical. But a more adult one which they loved was the cellist Abel Selaocoe<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s in 2021. Concerts don\u2019t necessarily need to have themes; children can be gripped by the music.\u2019<\/p> The first Horrible Histories<\/a><\/strong> Family Prom took place in 2011. This was inspired by the CBBC television series which itself is based on the books by Terry Deary (text) and Martin Brown (illustrations). Composer Richie Webb\u2019s songs from the TV show were interspersed with music by Henry VIII<\/a><\/strong>, Lully<\/strong> and Mozart. Actors from the cast also joined the Aurora Orchestra and conductor Nicholas Collon<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>Relaxed Proms are introduced in 2017\u2026<\/h2>
Children\u2019s Proms in 2024<\/h2>
The first Children\u2019s Proms in the 1990s<\/h2>
The first Blue Peter Proms<\/h2>
The first Doctor Who Proms<\/h2>
Children\u2019s Proms can lead to a lifelong appreciation of music<\/h2>
The first Horrible Histories Proms \u2013 Children\u2019s Proms for slightly older kids<\/h2>