Study of the Composers Link-Up

Since I am trying (again!) to teach music and music appreciation with some semblance of consistency this year, this link-up at "a teaching heart" came along at just the right time.  Like her, I am probably in need of some level of accountability to make sure I get this done!

I purchased the CD-ROM version of A Young Scholar's Guide to the Composers and am really looking forward to having the spine of the study laid out for us along with listening suggestions and worksheets.  I am excited about doing this!  Landon is reluctant at best, so I hope that his attitude will get better as we go along.  He does have a tendency to balk at anything unfamiliar and claim that he will not like it - unless it involves explosions or full-contact sports.  *sigh*  Case in point - he does happen to like Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture - because there are cannons.  Kennady is still on the fence about this.  She knows there are lots of composers she will enjoy listening to, but she isn't going to commit to saying she likes it until she's done enough to have an opinion.  That seems sensible.



We are planning on starting next week with the first week's lessons on the history of music from ancient times through the Middle Ages.  We will be listening to Gregorian Chant, which I suspect won't be a huge hit with the kids, but you never know!  I hope I can have a positive report to share next week!

I am also teaching Kennady to play piano.  This is something I should have been doing all along, and it's embarrassing that I haven't.  Why? Because my goal when I was a child/teen was to be a music teacher, and specifically to teach piano.  And yet I have never been able to organize and motivate myself (or my boys) to teach my own kids.  I can't bring myself to spend money taking them to someone else to teach them what I am supposed to be highly qualified to teach.  They boys have never been that interested, so that was sort of my excuse.  But Kennady has a very good ear, and interest in learning, and - although I am probably biased - I think she has a lot of musical talent.  So DH has been pushing for piano lessons to be part of the school routine here, and I am going to do my best to stick with it this year.

Visit the original post explaining this link-up - Come Compose With Me and check in with me in the weeks to come and make sure I'm following through!