Art Therapy- Oh what a noisy Zoo!

Gerrard attended his very first play at the Esplanade, Recital Studio on 23 Oct 2011 to watch "Oh, what a noisy zoo!". This play was inspired by a book titled "Silly Animal Poems for Children & Big Kids too! by Arthur Chan.

It was free seating on the floor and there is a small stage where the main characters- Julie, a girl going to the zoo, the zookeeper and 4 other actresses and actors who dressed up as monkeys, parrots and elephants. There was also use of animal hand puppets, together with musical wood instruments and lots of singing and actions during the play.

Although Gerrard was quiet most of the time, I can see that he is observing and absorbing every single detail. His eyes hardly blinked and the whole time, he appears to be in awe with all that is happening. Towards the end, he joined in the "Roarrrrrr" with the last animal, the lion and told us that he liked the play. There is another play coming up in Feb 2012 about an elephant learning the Alphabet. As Gerrard loves anything to do with alphabets, I am sure he will like the next play. However, will wait till nearer the date before I purchase the tickets as I am still trying to do more research about whether the play is suitable for 4 year olds.

As I am exposed to music since young, I strongly believes that it is good to cultivate an appreciation of music and arts because it provides an avenue for one to express ourselves, be in when we are feeling happy or sad. Although I have tried a few times to teach Gerrard to play the piano, he doesn't appear too keen to learn. Instead, he seems to prefer singing and moving to the rhythm.. well, maybe he is still too young as I recalled, most of my students were at least 6-7 years old before they started to actually like playing the piano. In any case, the trip to Esplanade has created a new experience for our little boy and I will definitely be on the lookout for more plays and musicals that we can enjoy in the future.