classical reading

How long have you been reading classics with them? If these are kids that are used to reading popular books written for tweens nowadays, it will definitely take some time for them to adjust to the content and the writing style.

Perhaps try to find some classics that are tailored towards their interests. Do lots of read-alouds, and also check out http://www.librivox.org to find some audio books that they might like. For independent reading, I suggest finding classic books that might explore things they are interested in.

For the classical music – are you reading biographies about the artists when you introduce the music? I found my kids more likely to be interested in what they were listening to when they “knew” the man that wrote the music.

I believe the main reason why your boys don’t enjoy the classic lit and music is due to lack of exposure.  Perhaps start with some simpler classics that are easier to understand.

For music there are lots of things you can do.  Have them listen for certain things in the music.  For example, what instruments do you hear?  What picture comes to your mind when you hear the theme?  You can also read books or short stories on the composer.  When I taught music my students loved “Lives of the Musicians”.

One of my favorites is Mozart who we are studying presently.  You can play “Symphony No. 40”, and every time the theme is played sing, “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s Mozart!”  “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” is another famous work they will recognize.  Start with well known piece of music they would recognize from commercials and such.  Then move on to some other pieces by the same composer that are less well known.  Another piece by Mozart that is great to listen to is “Variations on ‘Ah, je vous dirai je maman'”.  Have them listen to the theme (“Twinkle, Twinkle”) and then listen to how it changes for each variation.  We are getting ready to read “The Magic Flute” by Anne Gatti.  My students enjoyed this book very much!  It is a great way to introduce opera to children.  You read a portion of the story then play some of the music.  It’s a great story for children b/c it has fantasy, a love story, good vs. evil, etc.  I used it to teach the various voice parts as well: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass.

HTH!

I agree that it’s a matter of exposure.  They will likely come to appreciate things more as they become more familiar with them.  Doing lots of family read alouds is great at any age, and will help them get used to the language without having to read it independently yet.

There are also lots of great living books (classic and more modern) that are a bit easier to handle.  The Little House on the Prairie series is the first that comes to mind.  Also, E.B. White’s books (Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan, etc.).  We just did Trumpet of the Swan as a read aloud with my 6yo DD and 4yo DS.  My DD has enjoyed the Patricia MacLachlan books (Sarah, Plain and Tall and sequels).  They are short and sweet, but deep at the same time! 

Take a look through some of the suggestions in the SCM curriculum guide for the younger years and let your children ‘cut their classical teeth’ on those.  The Thornton Burgess books are great for animal lovers of any age.

I introduced our study of classical music with “Peter and the Wolf”.  Our library has a couple of different versions of it, including a ballet performance on DVD that has some special features that talked about the music and the instruments.  It got my young kids excited about the different instruments, and they now enjoy trying to identify the instruments they hear in other music.  Of course, it also got my DD interested in learning to play the violin and now I’m trying to learn to play it myself fast enough to teach it to her (no time or money for lessons).  So be careful, sparking those interests can mean more work for you!  LOL

Joanne

Steph,

I would also recommend that you read aloud some fun classics. I was halfway into reading Trumpet of the Swan when my reluctant reader grabbed it and read the rest for himself, he said he couldn’t wait for me to finish it! These books are timeless and charming, and if kids don’t naturally gravitate towards them, then make a point to guide them by reading it to them. They will enjoy it, and it makes for sweet family memories.