Walking With the Wise

Walking with The Wise for Kids is a new CD out by Sovereign Grace Ministries. It is excellent! I would like to encourage any parent who desires (and is working toward )building Godly character in your families, to order this CD. The link I posted has a free downloadable song called Lazy Bones. We have had the CD a week and my kids have played and re played it a hundred times - but you know what's great? They are pulling out the Proverbs sung about and identifying areas in their own life where they need to grow. There is a song about God loving truthful lips  and my son recognized that he desires to please God by speaking words that are true. My daughter Audrey identified with "Lazy bones" saying "I sure am a lazy bones, but the Bible calls it a sluggard. I don't want to be a lazy bones any more, I want to be a busy bone!" Laura saw herself in the song about learning to be a good friend as well as learning the fear of the Lord.
What valuable truths songs can have in our kids- they are the same principles I have been teaching all along- but somehow, they "got it" by listening to them in song!

(I don't get any profits from saying all of that- I just really want to encourage parents to consider getting this for your family- it's well-worth it!)

Ravel's Bolero

Ravel (a French composer) was commissioned to compose for a ballet called Fandango. It was Ravel's idea (after watching the first scene the way it was performed and disapproving of it), to have the woman (Ida Rubinstein) perform the scene in front of a factory where the workers would appear and dance together while a bullfighter is killed by a jealous rival. This song is supposed to be the world's most frequently played piece of music.

Finlandia ~ Jean Sibelius

This is a great story of the National Song of Finland written by it's most beloved composer: Jean Sibelius

Edvard Greig

I want to draw your attention to Classics for Kids- they have an excellent show about this term's composer- Edvard Greig.
Listen Here for the short radio shows explaining Norway's most famous Composer's Works.

Folksong study

I thought this a tragic story, but very interesting given by this very authentic looking man- just the sort of man you would expect singing about foreman young Monroe and how he met a sad end.

Music and Art for week two

After a very long week, I feel like I missed some great opportunities to journal what we did- oh, well, such is life. I don't want to miss our art and music for last week though.

This is St. George and the Dragon by Raphael Sanzio. I didn't understand much of the artistic lingo that explained this painting, but I did understand what my kids thought about it.

Laura: " I love how the horse is white and the dragon is black- good and evil. Raphael must have been thinking that he wanted to paint something strong. If I drew something like that it was because I wanted the world to know I could do something strong and wonderful. I wonder if Raphael had just done something really , really good?"

Audrey: " I like it. The girl is pretty. The St. is trying to rescue her."

Okay, not as deep that one... but there is still hope!

Our 20th Century Composer was still Ralph Vaughan Williams. The song is titled Fantasia on Greensleeves. Listen HERE. Read about Ralph Vaughan Williams Here.

I loved this song- we closed our eyes and tried to identify the instruments in them. We heard Harp, flute, and violin. In the middle of the song, a sudden change occurs with flutes which I believe is called "Lovely Joan". What a beautiful song!