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Music Appreciation – All Levels

Music Appreciation

Music appreciation involves introducing children to beautiful music from great composers.

For young children birth to age 7, try to make good music a part of the home atmosphere, and also play certain appealing short pieces of classical music to the child more regularly.

For a description of one way to create a musical atmosphere in the home, see the excellent article Our Relations with Music and Art by Mrs. Glover.

“Do not imagine that you must play down to your little child; as in everything else, give him the very best from the commencement, though you may do well to select simple and melodious compositions with well-marked rhythms. Let your répertoire take a wide range, embracing operas and oratorios, as well as pieces specially written for the piano. I might suggest the March from Faust, the “Harmonious Blacksmith,” Schumann’s Kinderscenen, Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words, the prelude to Act III. of Lohengrin, among many others. Do not, however, bewilder him by too many new things at first, but let him learn to recognize a few, and then gradually extend the list. Next comes the astonishing discovery that the baby has an ear, and can sing and hum the tunes you have played to him, weeks before he can speak. I believe from my personal observation, (and many parents present will bear me out) that most children who have a musical ear and are not tone deaf, can sing before they talk.”

The article Music Appreciation in the PNEU is helpful for getting a more in depth overview of how Music Appreciation came to be included in the PNEU curriculum.

Additional resource for all levels: Masters of Classical Music, Vols.1-10 (Box Set) (Also streaming on Amz Prime)– An economical set of 10 CDs, each featuring works by a different composer. Ideal as follow up listening to the Music Masters CDs (Includes Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Johann Strauss II, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Chopin, Schubert, Verdi.).

Prep Level 

Pre-K and Kinder age

Make music a part of your home environment. Try to “peg” folk songs and instrumental music into your routines. For example, you could play upbeat classical music while the children play in the morning, listen to or sing folk songs in the afternoon, and play quiet classical music during meals.

The following are some albums and resources you may find useful for young children.

Listen, Learn and Grow series from Naxos music

Listen, Learn and Grow Playtime Imagination

Listen , Learn and Grow Vol. 1

Music Program 

Making Music Praying Twice covers rhythm, world music and instrument types, seasonal folk songs, hymns and songs for the Church liturgical seasons.

You might want to listen to music from around the world that corresponds to the countries you are learning about in geography.

Folk Songs:

Go in and Out the Window: An Illustrated Songbook for Children or other book of folk songs

Albums by:

Elizabeth Mitchell

Sharon, Lois and Bram

Raffi (Singable Songs for the Very Young, The Corner Grocery Store)

LEVEL 1B

Use this year to introduce your child to classical music. Choose from the suggestions for suitable music below, or feel free to add any family favorites.

Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten

Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens

Maestro Classics – Carnival of the Animals

Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky (book)

Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev on Classics For Kids – Overview and 5 short episodes about the composer including one about Peter and the Wolf (free)

Maestro Classics – Peter and the Wolf

Peter and the Wolf narrated by Sir Alec Guinness on Youtube (KiddieRecordsWeekly)

Peter and the Wolf (Ladybird book on archive)

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas

Maestro Classics – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Level 1A:

The composers for this level are covered by Music Masters Set 1 (Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann/Greig, Mendelssohn, Schubert)

 

Level 1A Year One:

Term 1: Bach

The Story of Bach in Words and Music

Classics for Kids – Bach

Term 2: Mozart

The Story of Mozart in Words and Music

Classics for Kids – Mozart

Term 3: Chopin

The Story of Chopin in Words and Music

Classics for Kids – Chopin

Level 1A Year Two:

Term 1: Schumann & Grieg

The Story of Schumann & Grieg in Words and Music

Classics for Kids – Schumann

Classics for Kids – Grieg

Term 2: Mendelssohn

The Story of Mendelssohn In Words And Music

Classics for Kids – Mendelssohn

Term 3: Schubert

The Story of Schubert in Words and Music

Classics for Kids – Schubert

Level 2

The composers for this level are covered by Music Masters Set 2.

 

Level 2 Year 1:

Term 1: Handel

The Story of Handel in Words and Music? (CD)

Classics for Kids – Handel

Term 2: Beethoven

The Story of Beethoven in Words and Music?(CD)

Classics for Kids – Beethoven

Term 3: Wagner

The Story of Wagner in Words and Music (CD)

Classics for Kids – Wagner (bio only, no audio)

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids – Richard Wagner

Classics for Kids – What’s an Opera? (Verdi shows)

Classics for Kids- Famous Instrumental Music from Operas (Verdi show)

Level 2 Year 2:

Term 1: Dvorak:

The Story of Dvorak in Words and Music?(CD)

Classics for Kids – Dvorák

Term 2: Haydn:

The Story of Haydn in Words and Music?(CD)

Classics for Kids – Haydn

Term 3: Vivaldi/Corelli:

The Story of Vivaldi/Corelli in Words and Music (CD)

Classics for Kids – Vivaldi

Classics for Kids – Corelli (biography only, no shows)

Level 3

The composers for this level are covered by Music Masters set 3.

Level 3 Year 1:

Term 1: Tchaikovsky

Classics for Kids – Tchaikovsky

Term 2: Brahms

Classics for Kids – Brahms

Term 3: Strauss

Classics for Kids – Johann Strauss  

Level 3 Year 2:

Term 1: Foster & Sousa

Classics for Kids – Stephen Foster (bio only)

Stephen Collins Foster – America’s Bard (WQXR Feature)

Classics for Kids – John Philips Sousa

Term 2: Berlioz

Classics for Kids – Hector Berlioz (bio only)

Term 3: Verdi

Classics for Kids – Verdi

Level 4

TERM 1: 20th Century British Composers

 SUGGESTED WORKS:

Edward Elgar (1857-1934):

Classics for Kids – Edward Elgar

    • Cello Concerto in E Minor,
    • Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma),
    • Serenade for Strings

Ralph Vaughan-Williams (1872-1958):

Classics for Kids – Ralph Vaughn Williams

    • Fantasia on Greensleeves,
    • The Lark Ascending

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912):

About Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

10 of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s best pieces of music

    • The Song of Hiawatha (Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast)

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976):

Classics for Kids – Benjamin Britten

    • War Requiem

William Walton:

    • Belshazzar’s Feast

TERM 2: 20th Century European Composers

SUGGESTED WORKS:

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943):

Classics for Kids – Rachmaninoff

    • Piano Concerto No. 2

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971):

Classics for Kids – Stravinsky

    • The Rite of Spring

Gustav Holst:

Classics for Kids – Holst

    • The Planets

Gustav Mahler:

Classics for Kids – Mahler

    • Symphony No.1

Sergei Prokiev:

Classics for Kids – Prokofiev

    • Classical Symphony

Joaquin Rodrigo:

Classics for Kids – Joaquín Rodrigo

    • Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra

TERM 3: 20th Century American Composers

SUGGESTED WORKS:

Scott Joplin (1867 – 1917):

Classics for Kids – Scott Joplin

Historic Black Composers: Classics for Kids – Historic Black Composers

George Gershwin (1898-1937):

Classics for Kids – George Gershwin

    • Rhapsody in Blue

Florence Price (1887-1953)

    • Concerto in One Movement
    • Dances in the Canebrakes

Dances in the Canebrakes (piano only)

Dances in the Canebrakes (Arr. W.G. Still for Orchestra) : No. 1, Nimble Feet

    • Mississippi River Suite

Aaron Copland (1900-1990):

Classics for Kids – Aaron Copland

    • Appalachian Spring
    • Rodeo
    • Fanfare for the Common Man

Samuel Barber (1910-1981):

Classics for Kids – Samuel Barber

    • Adagio for Strings

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990):

Classics for Kids – Leonard Bernstein

    • Chichester Psalms

William Grant Still (1895-1978)

Classics for Kids – William Grant Still

    • Symphony No. 1
    • Symphony No. 5.
    • Afro-American Symphony

George Walker (1922-2018):

    • Address for Orchestra

Level 5-6 (High School)

Some options for high school level music study follow.

How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, Greenburg (Great Courses Lecture Series)  1x weekly  until finished

OR

Dr. Carol Reynolds’ Discovering Music:  300 Years of Interaction in Western Music, Arts, History, and Culture, scheduled over four years

Additional optional resources:

Simply Charlotte Mason’s series Music Study with the Masters offers studies in many of our suggested composers.

 

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Here is a brief tour through the website, including how to find the introduction, overview, subject helps, and level landing pages. We have also included a tour of level 1A as an example of the resources available for most levels, and a quick look at the high school levels.

The Joy of Copywork

by Sally Thomas I’ve always loved copywork. In grade school, the nicest days – aside from the days when the art teacher read us Amelia Bedelia – were the days when the teacher handed us a poem, purple, damp, and vaguely vanilla-scented, fresh from the ditto machine. Generally it was a poem of the season, … Read More about The Joy of Copywork

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