Wondering how to teach home school music in the context of history? This page offers some helpful suggestions and curriculum which will help you to do this.
Placing music in its historical context helps us to see the integration of life and culture in the lives of various musicians. Not only do we read about the musicians, listen to their music, but we can place them into the time period, study the philosophies of the age, learn about their contemporaries and view the art work of that same time period. We can learn about music throughout History using CDs, Homeschool History Curriculum and reading certain Books.
Music History Classical Kids CDs
Here's a few music CDs which I really love using. These are wonderful CDs are a wonderful introduction to classical music. The stories provide a sense of history intertwined with the artist's music. Wonderfully done and a great resource to use for your home school music studies.
The Story: With magic bells and flute, Sarah and the dragon find their way from the Queen of the Night's realm to Sarastro's castle. Together they help Prince Tamino find Princess Pamina and the bird-man Papageno find his Papagena. The Music: Features Mozart's best known arias, originally translated and freshly recorded with child-appropriate verse. Lyrics enclosed.
In 1750, George Frideric Handel gave musical history's greatest gift - his Messiah - to an orphanage in London. From that city's dark lanes comes Thomas, a boy who sings like an angel but will not speak. Finally the boy is healed with the help of Maestro Handel, Katarina (from Vivaldi's Ring Of Mystery) and the power and glory of the music. Includes more than two dozens excerpts of Handel's music, including the Sarabande in D minor, Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks, Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Harp Concerto, oratorios, operas, and of course, Messiah.
In this tale of genius and childhood, an eccentric new boarder turns a young boy's life upside-down. Ludwig Van Beethoven has moved in upstairs! Young Christoph exchanges letters about the chaotic arrival of Mr. Beethoven and learns to appreciate and understand the great composer and his music. The CD features over two dozen excerpts from Beethoven's music including the Moonlight Sonata, Symphonies #5-9, Fur Elise, Pathetique Sonata, Flute Serenade, and Minuet in G Major.
Tchaikovsky arrives in New York for the grand opening of Carnegie Hall in 1891. It's all aboard for a fun-filled musical adventure to Niagara Falls. During his trip, the great composer shares stories with a young family about his music, his life and his fear of conducting. In the end, both the composer and the family discover something about courage and about themselves. Includes more than two dozen excerpts of Tchaikovsky's music, including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, The First Piano Concerto, String Serenade and 1812 Overture. Also included is a musical mosaic of well-known American music of the time, including ragtime, spirituals and popular folk classics.
Vivaldi spent part of his life as the music director in an orphanage in Venice. The story on this cassette focuses on the life of a fictitious character, Katarina, who enters the orphanage with many questions about her past, an intriguing mystery to her. When she accidentally drops and breaks a Stradivarius violin, she feels compelled to break some of the rules of the orphanage to have it repaired. She ventures out at night onto the gloomy canals of Venice with the hlep of Giovanni, the gondolier. We pick up clues to the mystery of her past along the way as two dozen exerpts of Vivaldi's compositions flow throughout the scenes.
The Story: After the dramatic send-off of his music into space about Voyager II, Mr. Bach, along with his magic orchestra and choir, drops in on a little girl as she practices piano. The Music: Over 2 dozen excerpts, including Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Brandenburg Concerto #5, Flute Sonatas and Badinerie, Air for the G-String, Goldberg Variations, piano minuet and preludes, organ music and Choral Cantata #78
To understand music in the context of history you might like to use Homeschool History Curriculum which uses an integrated approach - teaching musical history inside the time period.
"The arts are not extraneous . . . but a vital and essential part of our existence," write the authors. This stimulating overview integrates the biographies, beliefs, and music of 45 composers from Schutz to Shostakovich; and suggests recommended reading and listening to expand your students' understanding and appreciation of great music. Joyously written from a Christian viewpoint. 317 pages, softcover from Crossway.
This is an excellent book to help you gain an understanding of the Great Composers and their influence.
![Mozart's Magic Fantasy](http://ag.christianbook.com/g/thumbnail/0/04754t.gif "04754: Mozart"s Magic Fantasy - Audiobook on CD")
-listen to excerpts here.
- Listen to some tracks from Amazon.com
- listen to excerpts here.
-listen to some tracks here.![Vivaldi Ring of Mystery](http://ag.christianbook.com/g/thumbnail/0/0477xt.gif "0477X: Vivaldi"s Ring of Mystery - Audiobook on CD")
- listen here.
from Amazon.com
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