hmschooling Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Which is your top choice for music study/appreciation/history with young kids (3-8) and why? I am so torn between these two! Are there multiple selections from each composer in CtheC or just one each to listen to over and over? Is TtoR just parts or whole songs? Which would fit better if I wanted to do an actual composer study listening to several selections from the same composer over a couple weeks without having to find more cd's to go with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 into a huge love of and obsession with classical music! Even ds then 5 was singing the songs! We didn't do it as a study though, just listened to the songs in the car. It is portions of the songs, btw. Then she jumped off and started reading tons of books about the different composers. It could really jump start a love of classical-it did here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 My two girls really enjoy these. They can identify many classical music themes and have really impressed others with their knowledge. I went ahead and purchased their "Name the Tune" CD, and my kids have a blast playing this and naming the tunes. My dh was very doubtful at first but has come around and been impressed too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 It's a great program, that I plan to use with my dc over a period of many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntPol Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I haven't used Color the Classics (my kids like to color so I didn't glance at it) but they love Themes to Remember. I have three volumes of it now! BTW, one thing I do for "review" is go to imdb to look for family friendly movies that feature the composition we have studied and see if they notice the song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisychics Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 into a huge love of and obsession with classical music! Even ds then 5 was singing the songs! We didn't do it as a study though, just listened to the songs in the car. It is portions of the songs, btw. Then she jumped off and started reading tons of books about the different composers. It could really jump start a love of classical-it did here! :iagree: My 4 year old loves Themes to Remember. My husband does a double take when ds7 asks "Can you play classical music?" HappyGrace, what books did she read? Maybe, I'll leave some lying around the house for ds to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 So tell me about "Themes to Remember". I've never heard of it. Can you begin w/the "K" level at any age, or would you start w/the correct grade level. Looks interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Oh my goodness, Themes To Remember looks like an excellent program! I have been searching for a good music appreciation program and have had a hard time. Thanks for asking this question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntPol Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 So tell me about "Themes to Remember". I've never heard of it. Can you begin w/the "K" level at any age, or would you start w/the correct grade level. Looks interesting! You can start it at any age. This is our first year with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 She read every children's book the library system had about the composers! If you have a good library system-there are some great picture books and chapter books you can search the system for. Opal Wheeler books were favorites, she LOVED the Classical Kids CDs-a must for classical! Vox Music Masters are GREAT CDs too. I wish I had exact book titles for you, but my planner from that time is filed away in the garage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Can you begin w/the "K" level at any age, or would you start w/the correct grade level. Looks interesting! and after some experimentation, I decided not to follow the 6 year schedule outlined on the website. We often take the CDs along in the car with us to review and play "name that tune" and ultimately I found that it was not only cumbersome but dangerous to switch from one CD to another and search for different tracks while driving.:tongue_smilie: It's simpler to review them in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 So Themes to Remember it is! Where's the best place to buy this...I need somewhere I can pay with PayPal. Anyone have it for sale here?! So is it best just to start with the first Vol. and just play all the way through it or for however long the kids want to listen OR to follow the plan on the site playing certain ones in a certain order? Or even all the themes by the same composer ever a few weeks?? No need for the teacher's guide? I kinda want SOME structure to it, but I like the idea that if i don't get to it, I can just play it in the car, during nap, or lunch, or whenever without having to teach anything or search for certain songs....hmmm.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 anyone else? Anyone actually prefer Color The Classics? Or another program? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 So is it best just to start with the first Vol. and just play all the way through it or for however long the kids want to listen OR to follow the plan on the site playing certain ones in a certain order? Or even all the themes by the same composer ever a few weeks?? No need for the teacher's guide? We just enjoy listening. Listen over and over and over. Sometimes pause the CD (whichever one) after they play the theme, and ask if the kids can tell you who wrote it and what it is. If you hear other pieces by a composer they know, point it out to them. Or let them point it out to you! At some point, read the portions of the book that cover each of the composers and explain some basic musical concepts and terminology. By that time, your kids will know some examples that you can point out... I'm not fond of the 6-year cycle. Just listen. Enjoy. And then, once they're excited, add more info from the book and other CDs (Vox Meet the Masters, Classics for Kids, just full recordings of the pieces from which the themes are taken, etc, etc)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Not to hijack either, but can anyone compare Themes to Remember with Beethoven's Wig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Not to hijack either, but can anyone compare Themes to Remember with Beethoven's Wig? The Themes to Remember lyrics are much more closely related to the title of the piece, the composer, and sometimes even a few extra details. Many (maybe even most) of the Beethoven's Wigs lyrics are just silly and do not include both of those pieces of information. I find Themes to Remember does a better job of helping us remember that information about a piece, whereas BW does more in terms of sticking silly lyrics in my head every time I hear a piece. ;) The TR pieces are very short -- sometimes just a key phrase or two -- whereas the BW pieces tend to be longer selections. Because they are shorter, there are many more selections per CD on the TR sets. The format is slightly different. On TR, you listen to the "theme" without lyrics, then a voice tells you the title and composer, then you listen *with* lyrics. Later on, you can go to any odd-numbered track and let the kids listen, and see who can tell you the composer and piece before the narrator -- then they practice the lyrics again. BW gives all the pieces with lyrics (no mention of title or composer), then all the pieces again without lyrics. I find the instrumental music better on BW. Some of the TR pieces are pretty synthesized (not the word I mean really, but I bet you know what I mean!)... On the other hand, I'm not a huge fan of Richard Perlmutter's "singing". He's funny, but it gets a little old for me. In all, we've enjoyed both, and the kids have learned from both sets. But if I could only get one, it would be TR hands down. Then supplement with complete recordings of some of the pieces either from the library or cheap classical recordings. Oh, and TR includes a whole book with brief composer bios and some description of basic musical terms (and it relates them to pieces on the CD). BW only has the liner notes with lyrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneGrey Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 I found this thread while trying to compare art programs. Because I can't find anything on that, I'll just throw in my opinion here. :001_smile: We've used Color the Classics, Beethoven's Wig, AND Themes to Remember. (I have lots of other music stuff around as well.) I have to agree that I think Themes to Remember wins EASILY for best classical music curriculum for young children. In fact, my kids just taught themselves with it because they devoured the book and played the CD themselves. An earlier poster already commented about the difference between BW and TtR. I prefer just listening to BW (1 and 2; when one of mine was younger, he didn't like 3 when we previewed it). It does use words like "derriere," which might bother some people. Unlike the other poster, I don't mind listening to Perlmutter sing again and again. There is a big difference in performance quality between BW and TtR (which is why I put off buying TtR for so long -- check out the samples online for both), but I love love love that in TtR, they tell you the title of the composition on the CD. For BW, the composer is pretty clear usually (from the lyrics) but I need help with the titles -- not the composers so much. For Color the Classics, I was disappointed with the CD. That's the most important part of the music curriculum! Otherwise, I would be making up my own curriculum using the library. I'm no music expert, but I've taken music lessons and I know most of the famous pieces and composers. I felt like CtC had some obscure compositions or could have had better selections. I've also felt that way about other composers CDs. We've also listened to The Story of Classical Music narrated by Marin Alsop (I could have misspelled the name). It gives a nice run through the history of music. That's something to consider for the future. I have Music Masters, too, but a teacher friend recommended Alsop, so we listened to that instead. I'm not particularly fond of the narrator's voice, but the kids enjoyed the CDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khope1 Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 My daughter LOVES Themes to Remember. We happen to follow the 6 year schedule. But music is her favorite subject. She notices songs in commercials or shows that she watches. I give it a HUGE thumbs up. I bought mine from Rainbow Resource. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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