Dear Students,
Isn’t it amazing that music is a way to tell stories without words. And sometimes, without clues in lyrics or pictures, the stories we associate with music can be different than the ones the composer intended. Its one of the beauties of well crafted creativity – the ability to be personal no matter the social or historic context.
Take, for example, the Minnesota Public Radio’s series Classical Kids Storytime: classical music is used to illustrate an original telling of a classic fairy tale. (This is such a cool thing!) Their latest episode features the tale of The Three Little Pigs – and is quite brilliant. The music is three excerpts from different pieces composed by George Bizet (pop quiz: what opera is George Bizet famous for?). Originally the music had nothing to do with pigs or huffy wolves. And yet, when I listened to it I could hear the pigs running in terror and see the scruffy, hungry wolf pounding on front doors.
If you can, try set aside some time before our first lesson and listen to this story. Tell me if you think the music illustrated the story well. Listen very carefully to the end, and think about how the moral of the story – the lesson we can learn if we listen carefully – can be applied to music lessons.
Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!
Paper & Tea Studio 