Beethoven

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  • January 6, 2015 at 4:44 pm
    Laurie
    Participant

    So looking at Beethoven’s music, several of his symphonies are broken into 4 movements.  Any of you that have studied him have you broken them down and done 1 movement a week, or the whole thing?  Most are 20-30 minutes long.  Too much for me, not so sure about a 1st grader.

    January 6, 2015 at 5:41 pm
    Sonya Shafer
    Moderator

    Most of his symphonies’ movements are like chapters in a story, so it would make sense to listen to the entire symphony most of the time. You could play it during a meal. We used to have a special evening every once in a while when we would eat supper by candlelight with music playing and a no-talking rule in effect. Those “Ravinia Nights” (named after a local outdoor-on-the-lawn concert series at which the no-talking rule was strictly enforced) became a family favorite.
    Of course, feel free to highlight one movement at a time if desired, but try to give your student the treat of hearing the whole “story” too. He/she can imagine what story the music is telling in each chapter and as a whole.

    January 7, 2015 at 4:45 pm
    Laurie
    Participant

    Ok, thanks Sonya.  That helps. I was worried about him sitting that long and trying to listen, but putting it at a mealtime when he is doing something with his hands might work.

    January 7, 2015 at 5:59 pm
    Kathleen Marie
    Participant

    Would a coloring page be enough to keep him busy while listening?

    January 7, 2015 at 6:07 pm
    Kathleen Marie
    Participant

    I wonder if any of the activities in this book would be appropriate while listening.

    http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Kids-Life-Music-Activities-ebook/dp/B005XCUYGK/ref=tmm_kin_title_0

    I’m going to see if my library can get this book.

    January 7, 2015 at 8:45 pm
    Laurie
    Participant

    Kathleen.  Thanks for that suggestion.  Looks good.

    January 7, 2015 at 8:47 pm
    Laurie
    Participant

    I admit I’m not a big classical person (I know, sigh), so listening to 30 minutes of music seems a lot to me.  I’m trying to stay upbeat and enthusiastic about this, so maybe he will appreciate it more than I.

    January 7, 2015 at 10:50 pm
    Kathleen Marie
    Participant

    I struggle, too. It’s funny; I was chatting on another forum about how much easier it is for me to see the beauty in arithmetic algorithms than classical music. LOL

    I’m going to need to multitask while listening and have very specific lesson plans.

    I think I can do this.

    January 8, 2015 at 10:15 am
    Laurie
    Participant

    I’m so glad I’m not alone. My biggest worry is that classical usually puts me to sleep, so will definitely have to be moving at the same time.

    January 8, 2015 at 2:04 pm
    Kathleen Marie
    Participant

    You are not alone!

    I don’t think the problem is with the subject. I think it’s just that somewhere along the line we have missed something critical that prevents us from seeing something about the big picture. A dog is beautiful, but viewing a single dog hair under a microscope is unlikely to show someone how beautiful a dog is.

    I downloaded Bach. I’m dutifuly completing it. So far, I think I’m still using a microscope to see pieces. Something is still missing from the big picture I think, before I can see the beauty.

    As long as I can multitask, I don’t mind just listening along while I do the other thing. Maybe it’s like bread; not all that exciting by itself, but a welcome, sometimes essential, addition to other things

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