The Summer holidays have officially begun, Beijing has some special offerings for the little ones. The "Gateway to Music" began on Monday at Beijing’s Forbidden City Concert Hall. The two-month event features an eclectic mix of performances with some pleasing ticket prices to boot.

Shen Li said, "A family night out to a concert on a budget of under 100 yuan. Sound too good to be true? Well the Forbidden City Concert Hall is offering just that. For the past nineteen years, the "Gateway to Music" annual season has seen a series of performances during school summer holidays. From classical music, jazz to children’s theater, the shows are all easy on the wallet so more people can enjoy them for less."

Before the main event organizers have prepared an appetizer for music lovers here. DagaDana, a Polish-Ukrainian jazz band, are here to interact with the kids and show them that music is all around us.

Daga Gregorowicz, Dagadana, jazz band, said, "We really want to wake up the child which is in every single person whether you’re ten years old or one hundred years old, you still have a child in yourself so I can see you’re smiling now and that’s what we want to achieve."

The Summer holidays have officially begun, Beijing has some special offerings for the little ones. The "Gateway to Music" began on Monday at Beijing’s Forbidden City Concert Hall.

From Strauss’s waltz, to Tchaikovsky Swan Lake, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra present a feast for the ears.

Conductor Tan Lihua is one of the organisers of the "Gateway to Music" project.

His passion for promoting music among the general public remains as strong today as it was 19 years ago. He has gained quite a reputation- many of the audiences are here just to see this music maestro.

"I’ve been bringing my kids to the opening concert for four years, because I really like the conductor Tan Lihua. He gives a vivid description of every piece of music before playing so kids can understand. And we parents have also learned a lot. And with low ticket prices, we can come to lots of different types of concerts."

For the growing number of children in China learning music, the event has a lot to offer.

"I first came to "Gateway to Music" when I was five and it was then that I fell in love with the piano. I’ve been playing ever since."

"I play bass and I’m about to take an exam. But it’s the summer holidays, so coming here to the concert is a lot of fun."

From July 7th to August 31th, "Gateway to Music" will also feature 7 Summer music camps and 11 lectures for children.

All fun events which have educational undertones. So this Summer rendez vous with the arts, be there or be square.

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