Great Opera and Orchestra

The world famous Sydney Opera House. If we were in Austrailia this is the place for Opera. Today a Kindermusik parent asked me about appropriate opera for her son who seems suddenly interested in the stories and sounds of the opera. It warms my heart to hear this, and I am not surprised. I just finished working on a project for Kindermusik International where we used Mozart's Magic Flute as the basis for a whole curriculum. In pilot classes with 4 and 5 year olds we had remarkable participation, and interest in the sounds and story.

Serendipitously, a blog I check regularly written by Mollie Greene has listed several wonderful starting classics for children. Here is Mollie's list, I couldn't agree more. Children love to be challeneged with what they hear. Pick up a few of these, they are classics, easily found at the library if you want to try them before you buy.

If you’re not familiar with classical music yourself, choosing music that will inspire your children to make broad musical choices may be difficult for you.

First of all, Congratulations! Enrolling your children in Kindermusik is a great ways to start exposing your children to new musical genres. In Kindermusik, your home cds include music from other countries and a variety of musical styles.

The following is a list of recordings to purchase or to borrow that are not only appealing to young children, but are a part of classic repertoire with which everyone should be familiar. Give them a listen and let your teacher know what you think about them. Pass them on to friends and family. Most of all, listen to them over and over again yourself!

• Peter and the Wolf, Tchaikovsky
• Carnival of the Animals, Saint Saens
• 1001 Nights, Rimsky-Korsakov
• Cinderella, Suite from the Ballet, Prokofiev
• The Story of Babar, Poulenc
• The World’s Very Best Opera for Kids, in English
• The Classical Child at the Opera
• Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage, Mozart
• A Journey Through the Magic Flute, Mozart
• Cello Suites, Bach
• Vivaldi I & II