Monday, August 9, 2010

Teaching Classical Music Appreciation

I happen to love teaching music to children.
Taking them from wherever they are on the 
spectrum of music appreciation and showing 
them more.

For several years now I have been involved 
with the music classes at our Co-op.
First I was the assistant in the more formal
choirs taught by a certified music teacher
and then as the teacher after she 
moved out of state.

As a person who just loves music but is not
a certified teacher I don't even pretend to 
be an expert at all aspects of music.  I do, 
however, have a lifetime of singing, playing
piano and listening to music to fall back on.
I have sung in several choirs, was in a vocal group
that traveled and found a love for classical music
in an early morning class at Penn State.  
One would think that getting up early, rushing
to class and then sitting in a darkened auditorium
listening to the classics might put one right back 
to sleep.  But, instead, it invigorated me.  I learned
to love the harmonies and creativity of so many 
instruments working together.

So....when I teach young people about classical 
music I let them listen to it.  Not for lengths of time
at first.  We listen to pieces and identify the instruments
we hear.  I tell them stories of the people who have
written the music.  Such interesting stories!
We laugh together at Beethoven's Wig and other 
silly lyrics put to classical music.

Photo Credit:  Amazon.com
 I highly recommend this series of CD's if you are 
teaching music at home.  Truth be told, even my 
teenagers get a kick out of them.  I would put them 
in while we were driving here or there and tell them
that I was prepping for my music class and my guys
came to love them too.

Teaching music to children is a joy.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to
have done this for so many years.
This will most likely be my last year with
our co-op.
I will miss my young students and
hope to make the most of this last year.

What do you do to teach your children 
to love music?

Becky K.