Beethoven & Music Listening

Kindermusik for the Young Child – Semester 2 – Wk 8 

Today we listened to excerpts from Beethoven’s Symphony no. 6 in which the composer portrayed a storm with sound. In order to help them listen, I had them lie down on the floor and placed a humongous scarf over the top of their whole body.  As they listened to the music, I asked them to move their body in ways that reflected their feelings about the music. Learning to listen to music and to understand how that music makes us feel is part of developing aesthetic awareness. Learning to search for that which is beautiful and discussing beautiful sounds are the beginnings of an aesthetic awareness that lasts for a lifetime. 

    Consider offering your child the opportunity to hear more classical music by checking out CDs at your local library, or even exploring your own collection.  Try to listen to more Beethoven, and find out more about his life.  There are two CDs I recommend: First, Beethoven’s 9^th symphony, the music is easy to remember and full of emotion, Second, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, in the Classical Kids collection.  This musical story has also been made into a movie. You can find many of the recordings in this collection at the local library, but if you want to see the whole collection and have some of your own to keep, you can find them at:  http://www.childrensgroup.com/sections/classical/classical_index.html .  The Children’s Group Site is a wealth of wonder for introducing children to the many styles of music, including classical, opera, and multi-cultural music.  They also feature the Mozart Effect series.

For a great children’s website about composers and classical music, check out www.classicsforkids.com where you will find there is a weekly radio show specifically for children about classical music.  And in their archives, you can hear their past radio shows.  Cool! 

There are many other composers whose music is very emotionally expressive, and whom you might enjoy listening to together, including Mozart, Vivaldi, Copland, and Debussy.

Merry Melodies,Debbie Mondale