Nov

16

Music Appreciation Starts with You

Posted by Homeschool_Dad

November 16, 2007 |

I was looking over my Netflix queue the other day trying to decide what to put on it and Ethan, my 14 year old was looking over my shoulder.

“Can you move Pirates of Penzance  up to the first on the list, mom?” he asked. I want to see it.

He watched as I did , and then walked off whistling “A Modern Major General“.

We watched the movie of the 1980 Central Park Production of Pirates of Penzance. last night. Linda Ronstadt, Patricia Routledge… brilliantly done.

I thought that maybe the younger kids would be bored. They weren’t. They laughed at the right parts, they hummed and smiled.  We talked about how very unusual Gilbert and Sullivan were in their time to write such political satire. I explained the references to parliament. And, of course, we just enjoyed it.

They wanted to see it because on one of my other blogs I have the soundtrack from it playing. Everytime I write that blog the music from Pirates of Penzance fills the office.

Sometimes we listen to classical, or country, or gospel, or modern Christian. Sometimes we listen to classic rock, or Big Band, or folk.  Last night over supper we discussed the song by Don MacLean, American Pie. One of the kids had heard the song and was curious about it. I explained that a plane by the name of American Pie had crashed one night, killing several musicians, and that it was quite a blow to the music industry.

Marc told them that a young guitar player named Waylon Jennings had be scheduled to be on that plane and how he was spared.

Life learning happens all the time. Our kids learn from conversations around the dinner table  more than they will from any book.   They learn from us, and as much as we might not think so, our opinions shape their lives.

Life is a teachable moment. Don’t waste it. And don’t let your own tastes stunt your children’s intellectual growth.

I love this site, Music Is Groovy  because you can go there and the study is all mapped out for you. AWESOME site!

LunaBlog has a great post about 101 ways to add spice to your school day.  I liked #93 Try letting your children create artwork while listening to a great piece of music. Let them pay attention to how the music makes them feel, and then express that on paper, in whatever way they like.

Music is important in our lives. Don’t leave it out when it is so easy to incorporate.


Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. Andy Fling on February 11, 2008 4:14 pm

    Hi,
    You had linked to my blog, Music is Groovy, in December. I have since moved the blog to http://www.makingmusicfun.net and have added additional resources for the homeschooling families.
    Thanks for your interest and support,
    Andy

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