Tune children into music stories
When grandchildren started accumulating, I accumulated a stack of CDs featuring nursery rhymes, alphabet songs, Bible songs, and the classic music that I remember from kindergarten.
Great idea. We sang in the car. We danced wild and crazy dances in the kitchen. ("Bessie the Cow" was the perennial favorite.)
The downside: After the children went home, those silly little ditties stayed in my head, playing and replaying. Anything for our grandchildren! But not that. I re-grouped.
Revised plan: We still sing in the car and dance in the kitchen. But, mostly we listen to NPR music programs and my favorite CDs from the '60s.
My (self-serving) rationalization is that I need to be introducing these precious children to the music that's precious to me. And parenthetically, if I lose my sanity over repetitions of "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider," I won't be of much use to anybody.
The gurus of children's publishing have never asked my opinion about anything, but they have been producing dozens of books to aid my cause.
"The Carnival of the Animals," music by Camille Saint-Saens and with new verses by Jack Prelutsky (America's first children's poet laureate) is a perfect package of book and CD. It's recommended for children ages 6 to 12. I would recommend it for everyone ages newborn on up. A sample of Prelutsky on elephants:
An elephant never forgets to remember
The things he remembers to never forget.
An elephant knows that it snows in December,
That summer is warmer and water is wet ...
In addition to children's books that come with CDs, there are numerous picture-book biographies of musicians. "Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald" by Roxane Orgill is the inspiring, literally rags-to-riches story of one of my favorite singers. It's also a great excuse for me to introduce grandchildren to her music. For ages 5 and up.
"When Bob Met Woody: The Story of the Young Bob Dylan" by Gary Golio "documents" (who really knows except Bob himself?) the early life and amazing career of the singer who is called "the voice of a generation."
This isn't a situation where the grandchildren are doing all the learning. Although Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is my abiding love, I'd never heard of his sister, Maria Anna Mozart. She also was a musical prodigy who was considered one of the finest pianists in Europe by the time she was 12.
"For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart" by Elizabeth Rusch is a beautifully illustrated picture book for children ages 5-8.
"Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George" by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome is another fascinating picture book about a young musician who is said to have inspired the young Wolfgang Mozart. Joseph was the son of a white plantation owner and a black slave who overcame the prejudices of his peers to achieve success.
Contact Fran Hawk at franbooks@yahoo.com.
