The State of Music Teaching

[Chris]

Get them interested in the greats early. What boy wouldn't want his very own Ludwig van Beethoven action figure?

[Bonn1827]

Hilarious! But what does it DO? Hit the enemy over the head with a score? Throw piano stools? Tantrums? What?

[Quijote]

I really should address my "ideology" posting above, and I will (later).
In the meantime, why does Chris assume the Beethoven action figure is only for boys? My youngest daughter (5) often talks about Beethoven, and demonstrates a healthy disdain
for things pink and "Barbie-esque".

[Quijote]

Barbie (Barby?) the horrible doll, not Barbie, the Nazi. Or am I getting confused?

[Bonn1827]

Barbie (Barby?) the horrible doll, not Barbie, the Nazi. Or am I getting confused?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Preston]

But popular culture in Elizabethan times was, amazingly, Shakespeare!!

Now- if only our popular culture was Shakespeare, ! Sounds like a good pop-culture. Also, sorry for the late joke, well partial joke!

[Maurice Colgan]

Our daughter's twins, Rachel and Rebecca, were heard performing in the broadcast of Mahler's 8th symphony last month. They know Beethoven's music from hearing it at home,in their mother's car. and here when they visit us as they did ust two weeks ago. I hadn't heard the Mahler 8th till I listened to the broadcast. The twins are members of the Halle Orchestra's junior choir in Manchester.
My interest in classical music did not come till I was 22 in 1964. Then I was very eager to hear more and more. So my children benifitted from hearing and then playing the classics as musicians all through their childhood.
Now their children hear a lot of classics along with the best of popular music. Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Kate Bush etc etc.

When our children were small all our meals were eaten as we digested the classics on vinyl. :-)