WITH OR WITHOUT PARENTS : Kids to Get Hands-On Musical Experience

Children ages 4 to 10 and their parents are invited to the Pasadena Symphony’s free “Musical Circus” at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Saturday at 9 a.m.

The event opens with “Musical Zoo,” a hands-on demonstration of violins, horns, drums and other orchestral instruments led by musicians and teachers. KUSC-FM announcer Bruce Langford will then host “Musical Sensations” with Los Angeles Philharmonic trumpet virtuoso Boyde Hood and give children the opportunity to explore the use of their senses in music through direct participation.

The event winds up with a morning rehearsal of the Pasadena Symphony, conducted by Jorge Mester and featuring Mexican pianist Jorge Federico Osorio. Information: (818) 793-7172.

Teen Troubles: “Scrappers,” a musical written for South Coast Repertory’s educational touring company by Octavio Solis and Michael Silversher, will be presented on South Coast’s main stage for the general public on Monday at 4:30 p.m., free on a first-come, first-served basis.

The 30-minute musical, about a troubled teen who’s thinking of dropping out of school, is presented as part of the theater’s commemoration of National Arts & Humanities Month and Multi-Cultural Month in California. Information: (714) 957-4033.

If You Build It . . .: “Cityscape,” a 16-by-24-foot sculpture made of tens of thousands of Erector-set pieces, was unveiled by Mayor Riordan on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Pieces were donated by Meccano Erector of France and designed by students in the L.A.’s Best afterschool enrichment program under the direction of Los Angeles Children’s Museum architect-designers Martin Paull and Eric Wendt. The sculpture will be on permanent display in the L.A. Mall in front of the museum.

Inside the museum today and Sunday visitors can see an exhibition of models created by members of the Southern California Meccano Erector Club from the ‘50s to the present. Visitors will be able to build sculptures too, although they won’t be able to take their creations home. Information: (213) 687-8801.

A Ghoulish Display: An exhibit of original art from Tim Burton’s book version of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” opens Tuesday at Every Picture Tells a Story, a gallery specializing in children’s book artists. Information: (213) 932-6070.