We love taking our kids to the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts, which were made famous by the late, great Leonard Bernstein.
The four programs this year were each devoted to a different “capital of music”: Mozart‘s Vienna, Ravel‘s Paris, Mussorgsky‘s St. Petersberg, and Bernstein’s New York.
The final program, held last weekend, was Mussogsky’s St. Petersberg. The conductor, Delta David Gier, began by wandering into the audience and asking kids, apparently picked at random, which had been their favorite program to date.
The first kid said he liked Bernstein’s New York. Why? “Because it was loud.” Another kid liked the Paris program but didn’t say much about it. And a third kid, maybe 7 or 8 years old, preferred Mozart’s Vienna. When asked why, he replied that it taught him a lot about composition. When pressed further, he mentioned that Mozart mixed up minor and major keys in interesting ways.
Amazingly precocious! You could hear the jaws of all the other parents hitting the floor. My 7-year-old is pretty musical but — well, this reply was well beyond her level. (My 8-year-old could tell you Honus Wagner‘s career batting stats but, well, Mozart’s not his bag.)
The concert was typically excellent. When it was over, a few of the musicians came off the stage to say hello to friends and family. Among them was the first violinist. She and the little Mozart lover were sharing a big hug and happy conversation. It looked very much like she was his mom. That’s when it dawned on me that we may have all gotten shilled by an 8-year-old.
and 
. You can also watch it on 
“One who poses as a satisfied customer or an enthusiastic gambler to dupe bystanders into participating in a swindle.”
What was the swindle? Sounds like a lovely evening enjoyed by all.
I’m not even sure the child was a plant -
“A person or thing put into place in order to mislead or function secretly, especially:
a. A person placed in a group of spectators to influence behavior.”
You are already there because of an appreciation of the arts. Maybe the child influenced the view of your own chlidren?
But from the perspective of the children attending the child was definatly a plant.
Shill seems too negative.
Maybe a musical parent just has a musically talented and aware child. Unless they were taping this for some kind of ad, I hardly see the “shilling” aspect of it.
Those are the kind of kids and parents that make me roll my eyes and want to barf.
I’ll bet you gave the kid ice cream afterwords. “Sir, a young child at the concert is like a dog’s walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.” Boswell: Life
I don’t really see any problem here. Yes, that kid probably learned about Mozart from his mom. Is that so wrong?
If the conductor deliberately chose this kid, knowing he was the child of one of the performers, that’s a bit much.
But if it was just random? No problem there. The kid isn’t necessarily a prodigy; he has the example of his mother. Some parents actively involve their kids in their jobs, the better to show how the adult world works.
A musician has a much easier time “bringing work home” in a positive way than many other parents. Lucky for her, and lucky for her children.
The overall randomness was likely skewed in the program’s favor as the child selected was a ‘ringer’, or a plant. Unfortunately we’ve seen too much of this and we’re all jaded to accept the probability the kid and his mother talk about music in such detail.
How dare you demean the art of shilling by suggesting this spoiled little music brat could be a shill. Next thing you’ll be suggesting children shill McDonalds by wearing t-shirts and hats with their logo on it. How dare you!