4. Classical Music and Art
Similar to interpretive dancing, pick out several contrasting classical music pieces to listen to while you and your children paint, draw or color. Make sure your children understand to listen to the music and create their picture to however the music makes them feel. Once everyone is finished, listen to the music again and explain your creations. Don’t forget to let your children know the name of the piece and the composer.
Tip: This can be as messy as you want it to be; with most kids, the messier the better. Let your children know it’s okay to “give in” to the music and react to it. Classical music doesn’t just happen on the surface, it happens deep within your soul (if you let it).
5. Listening Games
When I was studying Music History in college, my teacher would give us listening quizzes. He would give us a list of several pieces of music to listen to and study one class period prior to the quiz. During the quiz he would pick a song at any random point in the piece, and we would have to be able to tell him who the composer was, the title of the piece and the tempo marking. If you play this listening game with your children it doesn’t have to be as complex. Pick out three pieces of music to play during the week and tell your children the name of the song and its composer every time you play it. At the end of the week have a game to see who can remember the name of the piece and the composer when you play it.Tip: This not only promotes music appreciation, but also memory. Games are always a fun way to introduce learning concepts.
