The Incredible Story of Classical Music

This term we have been following Classic FM’s The Incredible Story of Classical Music, using a book by Darren Henley as a guide. We have discovered that classical music has changed a lot through the years and around the globe. Some pieces of music are for church, some for ballet, and some for films. We each have our different opinions about each piece.

Often we describe the piece of music using adjectives. Sometimes we draw pictures of what we think is happening or imagine what part of a film we could use the music for. We dance to ballet music like the Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. We enjoyed debating the correct pronunciation of Camille Saint-Saëns! Some pieces of music are familiar but we enjoy learning interesting facts about the composers and their diverse lives.

Satu says, “In The Incredible Story of Classical Music” I enjoyed learning the different stories of the different composers. I loved the ballet music and Beethoven’s music. I loved The Lark Ascending and Finlandia. I also liked the different videos, especially the video for Finlandia. I thought that the strangest composer’s music names were very funny.”

Naomi says, “I learn every week about composers. Some have funny videos with them and some we dance to. One of the composers is called Maurice and that’s my Grandpa’s name, though it’s said in a French accent. One sounds like you’re on a horse in a race. One of the composers is called Satie and he made weird names.”

Domenica says, “I enjoyed the times when we got to dance. I also liked the little videos that Mr McCollum would show us. I enjoyed the times we got to draw what we felt like. One time Mr McCollum showed us some graceful ice-skaters. They were competing for the Olympics for Great Britain and used a piece of classical music.”

At Sunrise, we are very thankful for God’s gift of music, even if we prefer different pieces!