People often complain that music is too ambiguous, that what they should think when they hear it is so unclear, whereas everyone understands words. With me, it is exactly the opposite, and not only with regard to an entire speech but also with individual words. These seem to me so ambiguous, so vague, so easily misunderstood in comparison to genuine music, which fills the soul with a thousand things better than words. 

Felix Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn, the "Mozart of the 19th century," is my sentimental favourite (in fact, it seems to me I've used that quote before here...), and he is the focus of Music Appreciation this term.  We listened to our first selection today: Piano Trio, D Minor, Opus 49 - I - Molto Allegro e Agitato.  (Performed by the Gryphon Trio. You can also listen to a recording on the Analekta label, where you can also read a description of the piece and it's importance among Mendelssohn's works.)  We listened to only the first movement today, but you can listen to the entire piece at those links. 

Music Appreciation is just that: appreciating music.  The more children listen to music, the better they understand it, and the more they appreciate it.  I gave them a little bit of information about the composer, but not much.  Before we listened to the piece, I told the girls that we were about to hear a piano trio, and asked them to listen for which instruments made up the trio.  They identified the violin and the piano, and I told them the other is a cello.  We talked about the mood of the piece (is it happy or sad?), and I asked them if it made them think of anything.  Then they could draw a picture, if they chose to.  Katja drew the instruments that make up a piano trio, including a very nice violin.

I have some works by Mendelssohn on CD, but I was hoping to find some others that we wouldn't have heard before, and my web search lead me to these places: 

Concerts on Demand at CBC Radio 2 is a wonderful listening resource.  The link will take you to the "Concert Finder" where you can filter concerts by keyword.  Just type in the composer or the artist's name. 

Another great resource I found today is the Analekta website.  I found a new CD to add to my wishlist: Concert Parisien.  You can listen to full-length selections from the CD on this page, and even download one movement from a piece by Rameau.  Music to fill your soul with a thousand things better than words. 

*editing to add one more link: Heifetz with Rubistein in piano and Piatigorsky in cello play Mendelssohn Trio in D minor.

To read the publisher's description of the book, see their webpage: Music Play

We all enjoy our Music Play. The programme is geared for early childhood, but the songs and activities appeal to older children as well. For school age children I use Music Play activities to accompany our piano and singing lessons. We usually have two music play sessions a week, lasting about a half an hour each. Besides our organised Music Play, I sing and chant with the children throughout the day, and every once in a while (usually when I’m learning a new song or chant), I let them listen to the CD with me, which they love. It’s good for them to hear other adults performing our songs.   

I finally received Music Play yesterday, and it is just as good as I expected!  I'm still reading through the guide, which is rather long but very helpful.  I'll try to get a lesson together for music tomorrow.  I think we'll have a lot of fun with this!  I'll write a review when I've used it some.

 Yesterday I read an article in CM, Children and Lots of Grace, which had a link to this article.  Interestingly, this morning I read the following verse in Colossians :

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Col. 3:16)."  

My girls spend a good part of their day "singing to the glory of God" as they say.  They take a book and sing at the top of their lungs together, either something they know or, more often, something they make up as they go along.  We have mostly sung hymns to them since they were born, and even Rebecca, who is not yet two, sings the tune of our favourites.  Katja can sing all three or four verses of several hymns.  These precious songs will stay with them their whole lives. 

Music will be an important part of curriculum, because I feel it's an important part of life.  As a musician, I may be a little biased, but the fact is that music speaks to our souls; God made us that way.  I want our children to be able to understand music, minister through music, and praise God through music.  I know so many pastor's wives who have had to learn to play the piano as adults to accompany the hymns.  I heard one lady say, "I don't know which is harder to learn - French or the piano!"

In preparation for teaching music, I have been reading Learning Sequences in Music: A Music Learning Theory by Edwin E. Gordon.  It's slow reading, but very interesting.  As soon as I can, I want to get music books for the girls.  I'd like this one for the preschool years, but I'll probably get this one; for piano, I will order the preperatory book for Music Moves for Piano.  They were all written by or in cooperation with Mr. Gordon.  The early years are so important, I want to make sure they start out right.  At least they listen to a good variety of music, and I sing to them all the time - just like my mother :).