Categories: Continue
Date: Nov 13, 2008
Title: The Importance of Music Appreciation in the Home part 2
Learn how to introduce your children to the wonderful world of music.
One of the most important facets of my job as a conductor and vocal soloist is the ability to listen. The ears can be tricky things: my children often practice the art of “selective hearing” when it comes to instruction (sound familiar to anyone?). I’m sure we all do that at some time or another, but trained musicians don’t have that option. During the course of a choral rehearsal I listen for tuning, balance, unity of sound, phrasing, and general musicality. With God’s help all of these elements will come together to create an experience worthy to be a sweet smelling offering to our community and most importantly, to our Lord. {$pullquote}
As you and your family grow in this arena of sound, your listening and hearing skills will be honed. One really doesn’t have to be a trained musician to discern what music is deemed “quality.” The more you and your family listen, the more you learn and appreciate the finer aspects of music and sound. I think it’s a sanctification process of sorts. Just as God works with you in your spiritual growth, He can also make Himself very present through music here on this earth. Often when I experience a musical passage I feel as if I’m taken just a bit closer to that perfect harmony with my Lord. It can be overwhelming and inexplicable. I am driven to share this same experience with my family and my students. I believe it is a “must” to share with your children. The more you learn and are surrounded with His glory here on earth, the more one appreciates the intricacies of this art and how it involves logic, emotion, and ultimate expression.
Once you have a bit of historical background on various forms of music (see Learning to Listen, Part 1 in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue of Homeschooling Today magazine), it’s time to get some basic listening tools under your belt. What are practical venues to start this musical “sanctification” process? Well, let’s start with the easy and budget friendly ideas.
Your radio is a primary source for listening to classical music on a full-time basis. Our home city of Austin, Texas is blessed to have a wonderful classical music station. Oftentimes you can visit the radio station website for a schedule of what is to be aired in the near future. Just turn it on in the car, at home, or for quiet time. Try to determine from what musical era a particular piece might come. I highly recommend the radio show “From the Top,” which highlights student virtuoso musicians. They gear the show to children and youth, so it’s light-hearted but still educational. Look for it on your local stations.
Your computer is a great resource. The San Francisco Symphony Kid’s Site teaches music fundamentals and you can have fun at the same time. Visit www.sfskids.org and discover more about music theory, composers, and instruments of orchestra. It’s great fun!
Television can also be a useful tool, especially if you happen to have surround sound! Check out your local PBS listings and plan ahead for a family concert night. You’ll be privy to symphonic concerts, choral works, ballets, and operas right in your living room. Ovation is another great 24-hour channel that is devoted exclusively to the arts, personal creativity, and making the arts more accessible to viewers. Ovation showcases the world’s greatest artists in music, popular arts, theater, dance, opera, literature, film, visual and fine art, design, photography and architecture. Finally, my favorite television venue is the Classical Arts Showcase. It’s a cable television program which provides video clips of the arts in hopes that you may be tempted to go out and “feast from the buffet of arts available in your community.” You’ll find animation, folk art, museum art, architecture, dance, chamber and choral music, musical theater, opera, orchestral, solo performances, and theatre, as well as classic film and archival documentaries. Sometimes it’s tricky to find, and only on during specific times of the day, but well worth the search!
Of course, you can always find the classical arts on CD, video, or DVD. There are quite a few available from your libraries, and used book stores carry items at reasonable prices. If you come across a video or DVD series called “Young People’s Concert” snatch it up immediately! Leonard Bernstein conducted his first Young People’s Concert in 1958 and continued to lead these programs until 1972. Bernstein led a total of fifty-three Young People’s Concerts and covered a broad range of subjects. He introduced the works of the great composers, explained music theory, and discussed such topics as “Jazz in the Concert Hall,” “Folk Music in the Concert Hall,” and “The Latin- American Spirit.” This educational mission was among his favorite and most highly prized activities of his lifetime. They are truly a treasure!
I strongly urge you to take field trips with your family to experience some live music venues. Here in Austin, the major classical venues all support children’s programs throughout the year and most often give discounted performances for students and their teachers. Take advantage of these programs! Our local professional opera company offers an educational program that provides entrance to their dress rehearsal for $3 per student / $5 per adult. Now that’s a great deal! Local universities (if available) are also a great resource for community outreach. And don’t forget community orchestras and musical theater groups. Often performances are offered at reasonable prices, if not for free (particularly in the summertime). In smaller towns and rural regions, consult local Art Councils for music events.
As you begin to listen more to music, try to hear the differences between works. See if you can determine which stylistic period the piece may reflect. Try to get a sense of what distinguishes the music of the seventeenth, eighteenth, ninteenth, and twentieth centuries. Use the terms below to help make the distinction. Here are the basic building blocks of music:
Tune your ear to recognize the things that distinguish one musical period from another. You’ll start to learn what to expect when you hear a piece from 1680, 1770, 1850, or 1920. This practice will take you a long way toward feeling comfortable with classical music.
I realize that this all may sound a bit daunting at first, but it is well worth the time you put into “Music Enrichment” for your family. Your children will learn to appreciate the finer offerings God has bestowed throughout history, and hopefully enrich the soul! You can start this at an early age, so that music becomes a common vocabulary for the heart. But, if you as a parent are just now discovering this rich offering, it’s never too late to explore it along with your children.