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Roy Thomson Hall (photo by Mimi Choi)

Since becoming a mommy I find that there are days when I crave doing adult things so my life isn't totally about diapers, baby programming and baby music. But finding a babysitter for some of us doesn't come easy and can be very expensive; yet every once in awhile it's important that we spend the money and make the effort. On November 18th I took Mia, my two-year-old, and my 12-year-old niece to see a children's concert at Roy Thomson Hall.

The show was called A Bowl of Notes. Narrator Greg Smith explained to a crowd of nearly 2,000 people made up of families how you can mix 12 musical notes into a bowl and come up with all the great music that has been written the past four hundred years. Of course he was accompanied by the wonderful Toronto Symphony Orchestra to make for a pleasurable concert for us adults and Mr. Smith was indeed the comedy relief for the children. Unlike our Wigglemania experience where Mia was in a total trance of excitement from beginning to end, I have to admit that 20 minutes into A Bowl of Notes she asked if we could go home...."MOMMY GO HOME?"

Unfortunately, a majority of the children in the crowd who were in the age group of 2 to 4 years old grew restless and either fell asleep or just wanted to go home. Mia climbed into my arms and basically took a nap. In fairness to the TSO, the brochure did say that this concert was best suited for children in the age group of 5 to12 years; however, children between the age of 2 to 5 years were welcome with a purchased ticket and at the parent's discretion. This holds true and is policy for all family and children performances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall. Note that NO CHILDREN under the age of 2 years old are allowed into any TSO concerts.

Getting There

Getting to Roy Thomson Hall was easy: we drove there and back. There is very limited underground parking available at Roy Thomson Hall, and it is based on a first come first served basis and again, extremely limited. Taking the TTC to this venue is probably the best way to go. However, please note that St. Andrew subway station does not have elevators. So if your toddler still needs their stroller, the closest subway station with an elevator is Union Station, the next stop. This means you would have to walk from Union Station to Roy Thomson Hall. Fine if the weather is good, but not so fine if the weather is cold, windy and raining. If you don't take a stroller, then definitely St. Andrew Station is the closest subway stop with an underground walkway that connects to Roy Thomson Hall.

Once there, we had no problem getting around with Mia's huge Cadillac stroller. This venue has ramps to make life easier when you have to go check in your stroller at the coat check. Unfortunately, you do have to pay for items checked in. This is how it works for the family and children's concerts. I had to pay $2 per coat and no extra cost for the stroller because I was checking in the coats. If I had just checked in the stroller it would have been $2 as well.

Reserve a Booster Seat

One smart thing to do before you go to a concert at this venue is call the House Manager in advance (416-593-4822 ext 357), and have a booster seat reserved for you. They have a limited amount of booster seats so I strongly recommend you call in advance like I did. The booster seat is a free service. One word of advice: go for the black booster seat. The fabric cushion one is too huge and Mia was extremely uncomfortable in it. Just before the concert began, I asked a mother two rows ahead of us where she had gotten that fabulous black booster seat from. She told me to go back to coat check and tell the man that I want to get the black booster seat and just return the fabric cushion one. Which I did, and Mia sat more comfortably in it. Even though she only lasted 20 minutes, and then ended up in my lap to sleep.

There are no diaper change stations in any of the washrooms.

Unlike most concerts where you must wait during intermission to use washroom facilities, the children and family concerts are more forgiving, and in this case A Bowl of Notes did not have an intermission. The concert ran 50 minutes straight. So needless to say since we were all families at this performance and if your kid had to go, you went. Now this is the part of the surprised me. There are NO DIAPER CHANGE STATIONS in any of the washrooms. Trust me. I checked out a few washrooms just to make sure and asked at the customer service desk situated in the main lobby of the Hall. I guess this venue feels that since no children under 5 are allowed to attend any regular TSO concerts and children between the age of 2 and 5 years are only allowed for the family and children's concerts no diaper changing stations are needed. However, my daughter is potty training and she still wears a diaper and helping her change on the floor in the wheelchair-accessible washroom just wasn't that great. So be aware of this if you are going to bring your toddler in diapers to this venue for any family concerts.

I guess what I learned from this outing was Mia is just too young for the symphony, even a children's performance. But mommy (me) and my niece had a great time and really enjoyed the beautiful music and Greg Smith's funny and educational narration.

For directions, protocol and all kinds of information you will need to know, check the TSO website at www.tso.ca or call the TSO Customer Service Centre at 416-598-3375. To reserve a booster seat, call the House Manager at 416-593-4822 ext 357. If you have to leave a message they will return your call promptly.

Roy Thomson Hall (located at the south-west corner of King St. W and Simcoe St.)