How are you using "Themes to remember"?

[M in Canada]

I like the material, but I find it a bit sparse. Can you tell me what you do and when you do it?

[Hannah]

We listen to the CD in the car, and it's amazing how much the children have picked up from having it on. My 8yo dd has recognized themes playing in different places a few times now.

We do a "composer of the month". I then read the biography in "Themes to Remember" and make a point of repeating the lyrics to the piece a few times during the month. We play the composer's music as background music during the month, read a book (or more if available) about the composer and listen to past programs at http://www.classicsforkids.com.

[Trivium Academy]

We've used it in many ways:

1. Using the six year schedule: I created my own lesson plans around the K schedule that include coloring pages, reading from other texts about the composer and focusing on the vocabulary in the book
http://triviumacademy.blogspot.com/2007/01/classical-music-study-plan.html

2. I've put the songs on a memory CD for my oldest, so she can listen to all her memory work in her room during "quiet time".

3. Now, after lessons are done for the day, the kids usually want to play a game or do an art project so I play the cd for them while they are doing this. Ds3 is learning the songs too and I see them humming them all the time.

I have plans to continue the informal approach of #3 but for the kids, but for next year we'll have 1 composer for a quarter that reflects the time period we're studying. We'll still use the information in the TtR book but add:

For 10 weeks we'll listen to that composer's music and read a biography books (by Opal Wheeler if possible) for about 15 minutes a week or whatever works for us when we actually DO it. I want the time to be short but purpose-filled. At the end of the quarter, we're doing to do a little report on the composer sort of like a lap-book but I'm not that type so it'll be a notebooking project.

[Hoggirl]

in the Meet the Great Composers workbooks. We just listen to one or two themes per week, M-W, and then we read the short bio. on Thursdays. I make flashcards of the musical terms that are scattered throughout the book. Every 8 or 9 weeks we review the eras, terms, and tunes (playing "Name That Tune" by jumping around the CD). I wish I would have found this program earlier. I love it. But, I will add in more biographical info. next year. Also, getting complete recordings of the representative themes would be good, too!

[chiguirre]

Could you describe this a little more? I'd like to start more music appreciation with the kids and this sounds great, but I do have one reservation. Are there lyrics to the music? For example, do they add words to something like Eine Kleine Nachtmusik?

Thanks!

[Hoggirl]

Each theme has humorous, silly lyrics that help you learn the name of the selection as well as who composed it. EX: (I may be recalling this perfectly, but you will get the idea)

Springtime's the best time of the year,
All the snow and ice disappear,
Songs of birds falling on my ear.

(repeat - softer 2nd time)

This music is by Vivaldi,
This music is by Vivaldi,
Vivaldi, Vivaldi
Vivaldi brings music and good cheer.

The back of the book (volume 1 anyway) has a glossary of about 70 musical terms such as aria, cantata, oratorio, symphony, concerto, prelude, hornpipe, etc. The themes themselves are quite short. One track has the theme without words and the other has words. The singing is quite good, and it is all very professionally done.
HTH

[chiguirre]

Thanks Cynthia!

How memorable are the words? Is this something that I'm going to have stuck in my mind every time I hear a piece of music? I was an avid concertgoer before kids, and I'd like to start again once they're old enough to come along. I'm pretty sure I'd be annoyed if I had lyrics going through my head instead of focusing on getting into the flow of the music. Is this likely to happen? I'm kind of reluctant to test it out and find out they're unforgettable :eek:, KWIM.

[Trivium Academy]

For me they are unforgettable. I hear, "Spring time's the best time of year, all the snow and ice disappear..." whenever I hear Vivald's Spring of the Four Seasons. I like it though.