One of Ben's favorite books these days is called Opera Cat, a story about an opera singer in Milan whose cat turns out to be a virtuoso soprano as well and covers for her when she contracts laryngitis. A frequent visitor to the home is the Maestro, the conductor of the opera's pit orchestra. This morning when I was driving Ben to school, we were listening to some classical music on the radio. At one point I asked, "Do you think the Maestro is conducting that with his baton?" Ben responded, somewhat dismissively, "No." After a moment he continued, "I think it's Daniel Barenboim."
[Back story on that: A number of times we've watched this video featuring Itzhak Perlman playing the Beethoven violin concerto, with conductor Daniel Barenboim. Ben now knows to sing along to the main theme of the third movement with the immortal lyrics, "It's by Beethoven, it's by Beethoven...." Just as my father taught me, lo these many years ago.]
Tonight in the bath, Ben announced, "Tomorrow something exciting is going to happen right in the middle of school!" I signed, "What?" "Abba is going to give a concert! And I'm going to help them sing a song!"
He's the only almost-four-year-old I know who can name all the members of Abba. I can't name them all. And whence this interest in Abba? YouTube, again. John Denver -> Olivia Newton-John -> Abba. I bet you're never more than about six links away from an Abba video on YouTube.
We believe in a well-rounded musical education.
Why is a mindset still there?
2 months ago
2 comments:
Ben is destined to become a musician - I just love it! I wonder if preschool is really having an Abba concert? That is one cool school!
So glad Ben is getting a well-rounded musical education! (Not that I had any doubts!)
A set of siblings we have at the school where I'm working (a boy in preschool and a girl in first grade) are really into the Beatles. I don't know that they're quite as astute on the subject as Ben is, but one day I was wearing my Abbey Road shirt and their mom came to pick them up and said, "Look, guys! What's on Miss Madeline's shirt?" and they squealed "The Beatles!!" And then yesterday the sister was singing a Beatles song on the playground...I forget which one. But maybe we can start a musical revolution among the primary school age group! :)
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