Composer Study/Music Lesson

We are getting know three composers this year, beginning with Vivaldi, then Pagani, and ending the year with Wagner. This post by Jennifer Spencer encouraged me very much last year and gives a wonderful explanation of how a composer study can help our children really connect with the composers and their music.

"First, in order to help my students form a relationship with the real person behind the music, I decide to only choose composers for whom there were living biographies available." -Jennifer Spencer

We have always loved Opal Wheeler's books as they give us a heart warming view of the composer as a child growing up which all children can connect with. This year I did not find a book by OW for Vivaldi but I did find one for Pagnini and Wagner. Our living story about Vivaldi will be from the Vox Master collection of CD stories. This one is called The Stories of Vivladi and Corelli.

"The decision to study one work for the term instead of sampling songs or movements from different works was made as a kind of experiement. I based it on the desire to connect with the ideas through the narrative." -Jennifer Spencer

We decided to study Vivaldi's Four Season this term, Another from Paganini next term and one from Wagner the following term. I am not as musical as Jennifer is but we are listening to the music with the idea that there are picture or ideas to be out into our minds. For the four seasons we listened all the way through the entire piece as the boys played quietly with their toys. Then during the following weeks we have been painting a season picture to go with the music. Here is an example of summer by Zak.

"The beauty of the music depends upon the quality of the ideas expressed, not just the technical skill of the performer or the emotional experience of the listener." -Jennifer Spencer

We do this lesson twice a week so we spend about three months with each composer. We also add each composer to our composer lapbook we started two years ago.

If time allows we also enjoy Classical Kids musical dramas. This year we hope to find time for Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery.

That concludes our music appreciation lesson which I teach, then every afternoon my dh gives piano lessons, each of our guys gets two lessons a week.

Thanks for stopping in. :)