Meet the Musicians: John Turman

The secret of putting on a stimulating and entertaining concert for kids 5 and younger? According to Seattle Symphony Horn and Tiny Tots series host/scripting writer John Turman, “picking the coolest repertoire we can possibly think of, and then building a show around the pieces we come up with — because, no matter how young you are, you can get great enjoyment out of great music.”

Seems obvious, right? But Turman explains it’s also planning programs (written and produced in collaboration with the Education and Community Engagement team) that touch on all the social emotional learning markers, featuring cross body motor functions with interactive activities, and making each program as enjoyable for the parents as it is for the kids. This could mean creating a show centered around Mozart’s Twelve Variations on “Ah vous dirais-je, Maman” — the basis of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” among a few other children's tunes — or a dance-party-themed show driven by Schubert’s Octet and Chick Corea’s “Fiesta.”

Turman’s favorite component is the audience participation and engagement, which has become more elusive during Covid times as the Symphony’s Tiny Tots concerts moved to an online-only format. Even so, Turman still received feedback. “Just seeing people commenting and writing thank you notes, this gave me joy in a dark time, it fueled my soul in a way that I didn’t expect just starting out this program a couple of years ago.”

The temporarily renamed Tiny Clips programs (which earned Turman a 2021 Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service) are all exclusively online (and free) this season, and you’ll find him on horn and guitar (the first instrument he learned to play, at age 7, when his grandpa bought him a three-quarter size Takamine), joined by various other Symphony players and delivering sing-along verses to engage youthful audiences. Although during quarantine, he discovered adults were getting just as much fulfillment as the kids. “I’m not even a tiny tot and this made my week,” one viewer wrote.

Originally from Texas, Turman won his position as a member of the Symphony in 2015 and has added University of Washington School of Music faculty to his resume (he’s the horn performance artist in residence), on top of various Symphony gigs outside of concert programs (like a Brass Quintet performance of the National Anthem at a Mariners game). He's used his knowledge from Tiny Clips to start media company and YouTube channel "Horn Hippie Media," which serves as a production house and resource for music educators. Turman doesn’t spend all his time playing and teaching music or producing Tiny Clips programs, however. One of his favorite pastimes? Competitive powerlifting. “My deadlift personal record is 510 pounds, my squat is 415 pounds, and the bench press, we’re working on it; I’m at 275.” He also loves a good video game, among them, Final Fantasy 7 (an all-time fave) and Far Cry 6.

The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, Arakawa Foundation, Marco Argenti, The Klorfine Foundation, Merriman-Ross Family, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Maryanne Tagney, the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund.