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Introducing Children to Classical Music
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Anonymous
| We are beginning to introduce our young children to classical music. I am interested in how other parents go about it. Neither of us plays an instrument. Any suggestions? |
Anonymous
| CDs during dinner? |
Anonymous
| How old is your child? You can buy some of the baby einstein dvds or if you don't like the TV watching, then just purchase (or download a few songs) from some of the baby einstein music cds. My dc really loved that music and when I would play the CDs, dc would associate it with images from the videos. However, the real interest came when a teacher of played classical music in the background during school. So, playing it in the background at home during play time or maybe even asking a preschool teacher if they would ever mind playing it during an appropriate time in school might help. Depending on DC's age, you could try some of the Family Series at the Kennedy Center. They have some really great programs. And, if DC is older, say 5 or so, try the Beethoven Lives Upstairs CD. Oh and one other thing I like to do is give my DC a piece of paper and some paint or markers or crayons and turn on a great piece of classical music and let him go to town, drawing how the music make him/her feel. It is fun for them if you can do it too. Hope this helps. |
Anonymous
| My son loved the Baby Einstein classical CDs. We play music all the time -- home, bedtime, in the car. And classical is part of that. Christmas is a good time to play classical as well. |
Anonymous
. Loved all the suggestions but this one was great |
Anonymous
Listen to Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals with them. When I was growing up, my mother always listened to the opera on the radio every saturday and we didn't have to sit and listen but eventually all of us, including my brother who into sports, lstened. If children hear classical music at home, are taken to museums they can't help but learn to appreciate art, music, and literature. |
Anonymous
| There's nothing better than seeing it live. Many groups in the area have concerts geared towards children. And many of the military bands in the area do kids concerts and those are all free. I know the Marine Band does a free kids concert every spring and it's great - better for around 8-10 year olds probably. |
Anonymous
I was just going to rec this. My DD loves Peter & the Wolf (esp when we follow along with the book) and is just starting to imitate the different instrument/animal sounds. |
Anonymous
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This question reoccurs rather frequently, and it mystifies me - are people so out of touch with classical that they feel it is some sort of alien out-of-body experience that needs to be premeditated?
Like any sort of music, you just listen to the radio, pop a CD in, get a DVD of a ballet or opera or concert. You can buy books for children about a specific child-friendly opera (Peter and the Wolf, The Magic Flute, etc) with accompanying CD. My parents listened to nothing but classical. Now I do the same. My 5 year old likes nothing better than sing along to Pavarotti when he performs Nessum Dorma during his 1990 Rome Three Tenors Concert (available on CD, but I recommend the DVD - it's awfully fun to watch). But whatever you do, NO Baby Einstein or other dumbed-downed low quality "classical"! No one could ever learn to appreciate poorly recorded music, especially not children, who are more discerning than we sometimes give them credit for... Pick rousing fun snippets - the marching children in Carmen who spoof the soldiers, or the famous Sabre Dance by Katchaturian. My mother used the latter for a musical chairs game at my 10th birthday party, and it became the wildest, most quick-tempo game ever! |
Anonymous
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Sorry to disagree with some PPs but I would like to mention that some of the baby einstein cds do not include the full orchestra and/or the music is synthesised (sp?) so some of the richness and multi-layers that lovers of classical music really appreciate is missing and the experience will be less, therefore without being a snob about it buy real CDs rather than those.
For kids linking the music to stories is always fun. An obvious one at this time of year is the Nutcracker. So buy the CD (a real one!), a kids book with the story, and check out a performance somewhere this season. That is a good place to start. A good introduction to Opera is the Magic Flute - there is a great book by Kyra Teis (probably more for older kids but my then 3 year old loved it). The NY met has a great CD with the Opera in English that is also good for kids. Peter and the wolf is also great but some kids are a bit scared of the wolf. I agree with the sugestion above that for the Carnival of Animals - a nice book that includes full length CD is ilustrated by Williams. A good book about classical music in general is "My first classical music book" by helsby and Chapman. Finally, other fun books that have classical music themes are Mole Music and Maestro Mouse. I would listen to classical WETA on the radio in the car to also provide more in the background. There is nothing like seeing music live to get kids excited. Kennedy center has some wonderful children's concerts that include an opportunity to touch and play some instruments before and after the concerts at a instrument petting zoo, but so might a local high school or music school for less money. Just have fun with it! |
Anonymous
Exactly. Please, no substituting Baby Einstein for the real thing. |
Anonymous
| We play classical music CDs while getting ready for bed and during bathtime. |
Anonymous
| Put on whatever type of music that youu're in the mood for, and have a dance party! Or record a ballet and dance along to it! WETA shows "Great Performances" often, and it's easy to find kid-friendly ones like Sleeping Beauty or the Nutcracker. |
Anonymous
| I agree, Baby Einstein is horrible. Just buy any classical CDs at the store. I would avoid Bach though. I found him too depressing for the children. |
Anonymous
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The Capital City Symphony's annual family concert is next Sunday afternoon.
Books and CDs abound, but the radio is just as good. Ditto on listening to the real thing. In the car, at home, whenever. |