- Find short, appealing selections. There is a lot of great classical music that lasts just 1-5 minutes. Keep listening activities short and sweet. Don't sit on the couch and expect your child to make it through Bach's B-minor mass.
- Find classical music that has a good beat. A great example of this is Aaron Copland's "Hoe Down" (see track 12 from this Aaron Copland CD, conducted by Leonard Bernstein). My boys and I have enjoyed twirling, stomping, and dancing around the room with this playing at full volume many times.
- Share what you love. Find a piece of classical music that you love, and share it, and maybe mention what you love about it or how it makes you feel. It's OK if you child doesn't love it, too. Just like sharing your favorite flavor of ice cream, just offer it, and be OK whatever their response is. It's fun to have meaningful conversations about the kinds of music we like and why we like it, and how it makes us feel.
- For bedtime, my favorite music to have playing in my boys' room is Bach's Cello Suites. I love this music, and my boys love it, too. My oldest son said that this music was "his friend".
Happy listening!
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Some of my favorites:
ReplyDeleteIn the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg
Various Olympic fanfares by John Williams
Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March #2
Strauss Thunder and Lightning Polka
Sabre Dance by Khachaturian
Any brass piece by Gabrieli
Any piece from either of Disney's Fantasia movies -- they picked great music for those.