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Another question about composer study
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When listening to music from a certain composer for composer study, do you choose 3-4 of the most famous songs to listen to over and over again, so they will recognize it? Or do you just put in a cd full of their music and listen to it maybe throughout your days on that certain composer?
I’m just curious as to how you do it. I guess I would like them to learn a few of the more famous pieces, but it isn’t like we sit down and just listen to a cd for a little while, we are usually doing other things while we listen. And I wasn’t sure how to go about picking and choosing and making sure they pick up on a certain few songs.
My kids are so young yet, that I know the goal is mostly exposure at this point, but I still thought I’d ask how you guys do it. 🙂
THANKS!
Candace
We just begin by listening to various pieces, whatever we could find, although I do try to find several best-known pieces. Then, once we’ve listened once through to what we have, I let the kids choose what they like best to listen to over and over. Sometimes it’s the “famous” piece, but sometimes it’s a more off-the-beaten-path choice, and that’s OK. There are a lot of people who ONLY know, say, Beethoven’s 5th symphony, or Fur Elise, and stop there. We’ve wandered through all sorts of different pieces, some becoming favorites, others not.
Also we’ve gotten some less common pieces by picking up bargain or free music. 🙂 You encounter all sorts of things when you are cheap. 🙂
We are usually doing something else too, when we listen, like eating lunch or driving or drawing. But it’s surprising how much they retain! I like to “announce” the title of a new piece when a new one begins, and some they will remember, and some they won’t.
Michelle D
Thanks, Michelle! That makes sense! 🙂
And I definitely know about being cheap. The classical composers cds I have actually I picked up from a library sale! I got quite a few of them for $1! And lots of them are 2 disk sets! Yipee! 🙂
I just put in a cd and listen. I don’t talk about the names of the pieces or dates or anything. We usually have it on quietly in the background while we work. The only time I don’t have it on is if we are reading. I definitely think at this time it’s all about exposure to classical music that counts!
Faith 🙂
OK, don’t ask me how long it took to figure this out, but . . . be sure to start the CD at different tracks. If you always start at the beginning, the kids know the first song really well but not the others. 🙂
I follow the Ambleside schedule of composers some of the time, and also pick from our favorites. Sometimes I’ll look at the Ambleside suggested music for a particular composer and use that to start with.
I did discover that our library has a whole online library where you can download just about any classical music piece and listen to it from your computer for FREE!!!!
That has been the greatest blessing. I also refer to Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers and then share what I learn with the children.
The website “classics for kids” has a program on almost every composer including their bio and something interesting about their music. They also have some worksheets about each composer.
Color the Composers was a bit too much coloring for my crew. They got a little discouraged with having to do so many pages of coloring.
Our latest find has been the Opal Wheeler composer books from Zeezok publishing. These look really neat and I can’t wait to use them. I purchased them for our home because I thought it would be a great asset. Mike Venezia also has some fun books on composers and artists with lots of pictures and info.
I set aside Fridays for fine arts, but also play CDs of our composer during the week if I have a CD.
Hope this helps!
Oh! I second the recommendation on Opal Wheeler’s composer biographies. They are great for younger children! I’m so glad they’re back in print now!
I also recommend Venezia’s books. He makes the artist/composer seem really “human” and tells the bio without all the sordid details.
Candace ~ thanks for posting “another question about composer study” as this answered my question even more fully. 🙂 I can’t wait to check out Opal Wheeler’s composer biographies and Venezias books. Great tips on how to listen!!!!
Great suggestions everyone! At the risk of making the purists cringe :-), I’ll mention that we also like to throw in some extras just for fun. For example Peter Schickele’s New Horizons in Music Appreciation where Beethoven’s 5th is played as a sporting event, complete with commentators. It particularly resonates with our boys. But through all the laughter, we’re absorbing the terminology and structure of the symphony.
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