We love composer study in our homeschool. Classical Kids CD’s are the perfect addition to any composer study.
These CD’s are dramatized stories based on a composer. The dramatization is then set to the various pieces of music by the composer. Various titles include, “Beethoven Lives Upstairs,” “Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage,” “Tchaikovsky Discover America,” “Handel’s Hallelujiah,” just to name a few.
The first CD we used was “Tchaikovsky Discovers America.” My kids adored this CD and listened to it more times than I could count. Even our littlest one at the time would recognize hearing the pieces and say, “Mr. Tchaikovsky!”
The great thing abut these CD’s are they are very Charlotte Mason friendly. They make the pieces come alive through a story about the composer, making solid connections in your child’s mind between the composers and their music. So while they are listening to the story the pieces are also getting ingrained in their minds. It’s a beautiful way to expose your child to various composers and their music.
We have listened to these CD’s various ways. Initially, we may listen to the story (which is about 45 min. long) while coloring or drawing, or just relaxing. Then we may bring them in the car or just listen anytime the children ask. I think listening to them over and over again is a sure way to learn.
I highly recommend using these CD’s in your composer study. While you can certainly add more books about the composer or more pieces, for younger ages these are a stand alone lesson on exposing your children to various composers.
