Instrument 'petting zoo' at the Children's Museum of Southern Oregon

MEDFORD, Ore. – The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon and the Rogue Valley Symphony, hosted an event showcasing the museum’s new outdoor space and instruments for families to enjoy.

The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon finally opened its outdoor play area.

They tell me they’ve been working on the space for about six years.

But moreover, the museum had musicians from the Rogue Valley Symphony come out to play live music and give kids a chance to play themselves, all for free.

The executive director of the museum, Sunny Spicer describes it as an instrument ‘petting zoo.’

Spicer said, “there aren’t too many opportunities for kids to experience live music and so that’s why this partnership with the Rogue Valley Symphony is so important to us and so, giving them the opportunity to come here be outside, have fun, hear the live music and actually experience it for themselves.”

Outside, kids could run around on the playgrounds and enjoy some instruments.

But inside, there were even more musical opportunities, where Rogue Valley Symphony musicians, staff, and volunteers, like Education Coordinator Andrew Zucker, could show them different instruments.

The Rogue Valley Symphony’s executive director, Joelle Graves says that it’s important to expose kids to music.

She says she was happy to open it to the community for free to give more kids the opportunity to check it out.

Graves said, “I think in this world of technology now, we lose that in person link for kids to hear and touch an instrument early. It really was an investment of us all saying we really care about what our community has access to.”

So many families came by that the museum had to open their additional pre-school outdoor area.

Parents like Jessica Goldman says she’s glad her son got a chance to enjoy the day.

Goldman said, “my husband actually brought the little man yesterday and heard this was opening tomorrow slash today, so we were like ‘oh man finally we got to check it out, huh? [My son] did love the instruments, especially outside in the little play area over there, with all the bells, he loved it, it’s so much fun.”

The museum tells us that there will be more future events for families and for adults, now that the outdoor area is complete.