Sunday, May 9, 2010

       Alright, folks,  it's a culture check.   I recently introduced students to classical music.  I opened by querying their knowledge of different types of music.  Yikes...so many knew so little about various styles.  I was surprised to realize that my household seems to be an anomaly.  

       In my house we heard everything from 20's style ragtime to classical, to blues, to rock-and-roll, to country, to spiritual...it was all good.  Likewise, my husband grew up knowing his Bach from his Bluegrass.  

       I remember the day my eighteen-month old shouted from the car's back seat, "This is jazz!"  Never a prouder moment~sigh.  I didn't even know she knew jazz.

       I encourage parents to surf the radio for various music styles and play games with your captive audience  (spouses, kids, and pets), for the duration of the drive.  Challenge each other to learn about the different styles of music.   While not every style appeals to everyone, it is safe to say that one song does not a music genre make.  I've heard Christian Rap I  thoroughly enjoyed, and mellow Beatles songs that left me cold (pretend you didn't read that last one, and I'll pretend I didn't write it).  

      As I try to instill in my classes.  Learning about the art, and analyzing it (or enjoying it), tells us something about the culture that produced it.  Music is such a fine example for this.  From the lilting waltzes of Strauss, to the compelling, nature-inspired works of Aaron Copeland.  We can look through the eyes of the composer, and "hear" what they saw.  

Break out of the bonds of conformity, find a composer or a style that is as foreign to you as a new language, and immerse yourself in the wonder of its melodies.   Blues, Opera, Baroque, Celtic, Tribal, Bluegrass, Country, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Spiritual, Rock-n-Roll, Show Tunes , New-Age, Contemporary, Movie Scores, Folk music, Salsa, Classical, Big Band/Swing, Tin-Pan Alley...orchestral, chamber, garage-band.  

Did I mention I learned the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America, as did my Eighth-grade classmates, by listening to School House Rock?  Talk about cross-curricular instruction! And don't get me started on Les Miserables.  From history, to literature, to musical composition~what's not to like?

Do you wander up and down the dial?  Do you dabble in music diversity?  Or does your stereo only have one station?  Rise up, take up the charge, and change your tune.  You might like the beat of a different drummer.  

5 comments:

  1. Oh yes...I love all kinds of music, but Celtic is my favorite!

    Blessed be
    Druantia

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  2. I'm with you and Druantia...ALL KINDS!

    I love Jazz the best and then classical....and now and then I go wild with rock and roll! ;-)

    HUgs
    Hawk

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  3. Druantia and Hawk,

    Thank you for the posts. We listen to everything in our house. Whatever mood strikes us. And when my daughter throws out a measure of any song, it's stuck in my head forever.

    If you get a chance, look up Scythian and Albannach~ both bands have a celtic edge, one is tribal, the other is gypsy/fusion. Outstanding!

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  4. Oh...I'll check both out asap! Thank you hon!

    Hawk

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  5. Hi Lori,
    Love this post, and I agree with you 100% I too let my son (s) listen to all kinds of music growing and now,like me, they have a wide range to pick from. In their education of music, I felt it was important to know Bach, Beethoven,Carreras, Domingo, and Pavarotti as well as top 40 and the different in modern music too as pop, rag gay, country, and all the others as well.
    I feel music is very important as well as a good education. Sadly not many get these kind of chances.
    Keep up the good work, I'll be back soon
    Blessed Be
    Jes

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