Music Fun, Variety, and Appreciation

An Intro to S.

Music can make you evoke emotions in so many circumstances. I know for myself that I have been moved to tears…or seen beauty and passion in something that I would not usually see it in due to the music that I was listening to at the time.

Music is Fun

I lucked out. My parents were very musical. I grew up being inspired by a mom who played the piano while my dad sang. Music was always there for me. And they made it fun. I am the oldest of seven children. There was hardly a day that went by where we didn’t gather around the piano and sing songs together from the big yellow sing-along book (Choo, choo, choo,  what’s coming down the track? Choo, choo, choo, it’s something big and black...) or from our favorite musicals (Consider yourself at home, consider yourself one of the family…). At the same time, my parents encouraged us to play whatever instrument we were interested in (as long as we all took piano lessons, too).

When I was in elementary school (right after the world was created), one of my teachers showed us a short Disney movie about where music came from. The flick was called “Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom.” It may be an oversimplification of where music came from, but it was another feather in my learning cap as to the fun and importance of music.

Here is that Disney Short:

It is so great to have an assortment of music because when you are in a certain mood, nothing beats a certain type of music.

If you were to ask me what my favorite type of music is, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I have at least THREE types of favorite music…Broadway, Jazz, and Christmas music. I can find any song amongst these styles that will play to the mood that I am in at that certain point of my life (of course I only listen to Christmas music between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day). The  point is, I can’t narrow it down to just one genre of music. I love variety too much.  Still, if I am being honest with myself, there are times when nothing beats a piece by Tchaikovsky, or Queen, or The Rolling Stones, or LL Cool J, or yes, even Garth Brooks.

I love Disney music (for all intents and purposes, I would group Disney music in with the Broadway genre). I used to work at Disney Studios in the computer department. One day, some of the executives came in and asked the employees what they would like to change in their work environment…a “wish list” per se. Some of my cohorts asked for better coffee or upgraded computers, but I asked to have Disney music piped in to the workplace. My fellow employees went crazy…not in a good way. They said that they did NOT want to listen to Snow White singing constantly in their ears. I didn’t argue with them, though I could have…there are so many Disney songs that they would NOT have heard a repeat song for a LONG time. Disney music, by itself, has a TON of variety.

Then I played them the more updated “pop” version of the song. So now, along with the classical version of the piece, we have something that can be more appreciated by a contemporary crowd.

A Fifth of Beethoven:

Then I threw some comedy in to the appreciation mix. On the album “P.D.Q. Bach on the Air,” P.D.Q. Bach (created by Peter Schickele) poses as a classical music DJ. His parodies of classical music are outrageous and hilarious. I WILL tell you that unless you are an aficionado of the baroque masters, you won’t get all of the humor and most of the jokes that are being thrown out there, but the satire is still brilliant and fun to listen to. I LOVE it. I laugh every time I hear it. In this version of Beethoven’s Fifth, Peter Schickele and Bob Dennis act as sports-type announcers to help us understand the musical piece. Incredible!

P.D.Q. Bach (Peter Schickele) – “New horizons in Music Appreciation” (Beethoven): 

FINE (pronounced fee'-nay)

As I wrap things up here, just know that I have a great passion and love for music. If there is anything I can do to help you or your children increase their love and passion for music, let me know. Let US know. Tamsyn and I are dedicated to heightening and strengthening your knowledge of the world of music so that you can pass that on to your children and make this world that much more of a musical place.