Thirty minutes of music, dancing and dress-up instruments awaits San Diego's youngest concertgoers this Saturday as the San Diego Symphony kicks off its Symphony Kids Series, a sensory-friendly concert experience built for children ages 5 and under. The first show, Meet the Strings: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, runs at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at Jacobs Music Center, 1245 Seventh Avenue, with musicians dancing onto the stage in colorful costumes to kick things off.
The series is designed to make live music more accessible and enjoyable for families, and it was developed in 2024 in partnership with San Diego State University's Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders, according to CBS 8. Laura Reynolds, the San Diego Symphony's vice president of impact and innovation, said the series was intended to be open and welcoming to all families, per the outlet's reporting.
“It gives people a place where they can belong and be themselves,” Reynolds said, according to the station.
Lower Lights, Quiet Rooms and a Theater That Won't Fill Up
The symphony has built several supports into the concerts, including lower lighting, access to a quiet room, and sensory kits stocked with noise-canceling headphones and fidget toys, the same CBS 8 report notes. The theater will not be filled to capacity, which the station reports is meant to give children more room to move freely during the performance.
Families can also show up an hour before each show for lobby arts and crafts and hands-on instrument exploration, a detail that matches what the San Diego Symphony describes as pre-concert activities including crafts, coloring, reading and instrument exploration. The symphony's own event page adds that sing-alongs, rhymes, dances and musical games are meant to engage kids with orchestral instruments throughout the show.
SDSU Students Trained as Concert Buddies
Inna Fishman, who directs SDSU's Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders, said music and arts should be accessible to everyone, not only adults able to sit still for an hour, per the station's report. SDSU behavioral health students assist as concert buddies at each performance, offering extra support to families who need it, according to the same account.
Fishman said concert buddies may take one of several siblings to a quiet room or play with another sibling so a parent can stay focused on the child attending the concert, the outlet reports. The university's own announcement adds that Center for Autism members trained in behavioral therapy serve as concert buddies at every event, a partnership that, per SDSU, has run for three years as a year-long series of inclusive, child-friendly concerts with the symphony.
A Four-Concert Season Through Spring
Tickets for the Symphony Kids Series start at $24 per person, the station notes, and are required for everyone attending, including babies in arms, according to the symphony's concerts-for-families page. A four-concert subscription covering the full season costs $48, per the symphony's season announcement.
Beyond Saturday's string-focused opener, the 2026-27 series continues with Meet the Brass: March of the Toys in December, Meet the Percussion: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe in February, and Meet the Winds: Peter and the Wolf in April, according to the symphony's announcement. SDSU describes the lineup as continuing into winter and spring with three more shows featuring brass, percussion and wind instruments after the opening performance. Children can choose to sit, stand or visit a nearby quiet room or reading station throughout any of the concerts, the university adds. Comparable efforts exist elsewhere, including sensory-friendly performances at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which describes its own shows as designed to be a welcoming, fun experience for the entire family, according to a BSO program description.
