CHILD-FRIENDLY CLASSICAL SELECTIONS
© Rachel Buchman, 2005

Part One - TUNING UP
The following is a list of music that I've found children respond especially well to. Of course, you'll find your own favorites. Encourage your children to dance freely to the music. While in the car, suggest that your child be the conductor. You can both try to identify the instruments you hear. Keep the beat. Identify when the music gets louder or quieter (changes in dynamics), faster or slower (changes in tempo). Does the mood change? Do you recognize a theme that is played over and over again? What is the form of the piece (the pattern of the music)? Does the music suggest a story or a character to you and your child? Make up a story to go with the music and then act or dance it out. You can add simple props or costumes (scarves, paper hats, cardboard roll swords, and so on) and put on a show! Use the music as your guide. It will tell you to move fast or slow, with big steps or small steps, happily or sadly.

The more you listen to a piece the more familiar it gets, and the more pleasure it gives. Because it often takes a while for children to absorb, organize, understand and respond to all the sounds they hear, listen to the same piece of music several times.

Start out by listening to shorter pieces for solo piano. Then move on to pieces played by small ensembles. And then move on to the symphony orchestra, but first get to know the orchestra. Listen to Benjamin Britten's "A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" (see below for recommendation)

There are many music videos out these days that boast, 'Watching our video will increase your child's intelligence or testing ability or musicality.' Hogwash!! The best way to do this is actually by watching NO VIDEOS AT ALL! Listen to music, sing, dance! This will do more for your child's (and your) brain function than all those videos combined; most ARE NOT worth the tape they're printed on. If you must watch videos, your child will learn a lot more by watching good old classic American musical comedies, the original "Fantasia" and even old Looney Tunes cartoons. If they're too little for that, first I'd ask why are they watching TV at all? But if they must - try OLD Disney movies, and Teletubbies.

Try listening to the music from the first "Fantasia" without watching the video, so your child can have the experience (and pleasure) of imagining his own 'videos' or pictures for the music.

"Peter and the Wolf" is a fabulous piece of music and story-telling. NO NEED to watch a video. Encourage your child to listen so that he can make his own video in his head. This is how the imagination develops. Imagination is an essential aspect of creativity.

Find a reputable classical music shop in your neighborhood, some place with personal service by a knowledgeable sales person, especially if you haven't bought classical music before. The variety of recordings, performers, and types of ensembles can be confusing, to say the least. In Houston, I recommend Joel's Classical Shop at Wesleyan and Bissonnet. Joel will order any of this music for you and help you find the best versions. He also carries my recordings and will order them for you if he's out of stock.