The Waltz Event
This was in high school so not exactly childhood but I want to write about it anyway. Our orchestra's big yearly fundraiser involved renting out a big place downtown and hosting a dance.
Not only could family and friends attend, but many people who specifically sought out waltzes would come in their big colorful dresses designed to bloom out when they spun. I have no idea where these people came from but they are probably the reason our orchestra program could afford to be as good as it was. Students got a discount but everyone else had to pay the big bucks (I don't remember how much it actually was). Besides dancing, there was food and alcohol for purchase (for the adults ofc).
Each year we would break out these big binders of sheet music and learn ~20 waltz and polka songs. It was the same ones every year, so by the third year you barely had to practice them. Being a violist, we did not have many difficult or exciting parts. On the plus side- easy! On the downside- boring.
During the event, I spent most of my time in the upper balcony areas where all of us orchestra kids who weren't playing at the moment were stored. I remember people playing card games and eating snacks up there.
Anyway, to this day I can recognize a good number of classical waltzes because I played them a bunch of times. My favorites are probably "Waltz of the Flowers" and "Unter Donner und Blitz".