Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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The Arts in the Everyday
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Subject Topic: Why small kids should listen to Mozart Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Jamberry77
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Posted: March 18 2006 at 7:30am | IP Logged Quote Jamberry77


Hi Ladies,

My friend told me about The Effects of Music on Life, a CD set by Anthony Pudewa. It's a talk plus musical snippits of different works. He compares classical to rock, including Christian rock/pop music, and even throws John Michael Talbot in there. My friend just told me a little about what she learned:

Plants exposed to classical music thrive. Those hearing heavy percussive music (hard rock/metal) grow away from the source of music and some die.

The mice experiment: normal mice ran a certain maze in 10 minutes. Mice hearing classical music gradually became smarter and after a few months, got their time down to 1-2 minutes. Mice hearing rock music gradually increased their time over a few months, to 30 minutes. Another unforeseen problem was the rock music mice began to kill each other after the first few weeks so the scientist had to cage them separately instead of several mice in one cage.

My friend heard that when a child, 0 to 6, listens to classical music (especially Mozart, she heard), it permantly changes the brain in good ways (increases some neural connections?). After age 6, the benefits are still there but the benefits are temporary.

She also mentioned the three parts of music, melody, beat, and harmony, and how the beat affects your body, the harmony your emotions, and the melody your brain, and that the ancient Greeks actually had a law that said melody had to be dominant in music because the mind should be dominant over the body or emotions. She also told me that some Christian pop/rock songs have a beat that is detrimental to people since the beat is so similar to the other rock/metal music. She highly recommends listening to this cd. She said she bought it hoping it would praise Gregorian chant (she helps run our Latin Choir in our homeschool group). It didn't, but she still really enjoyed it. So I thought I'd tell you about it.

So make sure you play that classical music often for your kids, especially your little ones!

Love,
Kelly in NC
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lapazfarm
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Posted: March 18 2006 at 10:50am | IP Logged Quote lapazfarm

I agree that playing positive, upbeat music is more stimulating than other kinds, and due to the complexity (or richness) of classical music it is more stimulating to the brain than some other types. But I have also done some reading on the Mozart thing and there is some question to the validity of the studies claiming superiority of Mozart to other forms of complex music. Other studies have shown no significant differences amongst composers. I wish I could remember the name of the book I read, but I can't. It was something like Brain Based Education. Maybe I should have been playing Mozart when I read it?

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Karen T
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Posted: March 18 2006 at 11:08pm | IP Logged Quote Karen T

I have listened to Pudewa's CD and I agree it is most interesting. Another interesting thing about it is that the studies he quotes were all done by a high school student for a science project (I believe others have confirmed his work later).
The thing about the beat is that rock music, even Christian rock, has a syncopated beat, where the emphasis is on the off-beats instead of a straightforward ONE-TWO-ONETWO. Since our heartbeats follow that beat, the syncopated beat constantly feels 'off' (no pun intended) and our minds try to get the two together, causing a rise in stress hormones.
I'd like to listen to the CD again, but I loaned it to someone at work who seems to have lost it. I think I bought it through Emmanuel books.
Also, the mice who began to eat each other were listening to heavy metal music, but in further studies even those mice exposed "only" to 50's or 60's rock still were way behind the classical music mice (kind of shot a hole in my previous reasoning of avoiding only the heavy stuff) I haven't given up entirely on my old soft rock and Christian rock songs but I do try to play more classical music around the kids than I used to, esp in the car.
Karen T
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Becky Parker
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Posted: March 19 2006 at 6:41am | IP Logged Quote Becky Parker

This is interesting. I think I will get Pudewa's tape. But, what if a child (specifically ds who is 12) says he "hates" classical music and wont listen to it? Even if that "Mozart makes you smarter" stuff isn't true, I still see the value in my children listening to classical music. Is there a way to get an adolescent to enjoy it?
Becky
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marihalojen
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Posted: March 19 2006 at 9:19am | IP Logged Quote marihalojen

Becky Parker wrote:
Is there a way to get an adolescent to enjoy it?


We *love* the history behind the music. These composers wrote the popular music of their time; they often worked for Royalty and had hilarious (memorable) things happen to them which we add to our timelines.

How about Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks where the pavilion burned down and the audience fled and Handel was so upset he challenged the Master of Fireworks to a duel? Great picture book about this Handel, Who Knew What He Liked.

Or try watching Casablanca, (because the Marseillaise is so prominent,) and then listen to the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky where the Marseillaise battles, and loses to, the Tsarist National Anthem. And don't forget the cannons! As Calvin said to Hobbes, "They play this in crowded Concert Halls?!?"

Go to a crowded Concert Hall and sit up front and listen and watch - the strings always amaze my daughter, the bows are in unison, the fingers on a classical guitarist are a blur - and then go talk to your favorite afterwards, get their autograph - wow!maybe in our timeline (we haven't done this yet, the idea just came to me, but I can see this being *so* cool)

Oh, I nearly forgot - this site has short little blurbs on the Top 100 Songs.

I'll keep thinking of other things I try to do with my 11 year old.

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lapazfarm
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Posted: March 19 2006 at 11:20am | IP Logged Quote lapazfarm

We just got "The Story of Classical Music." It is a 4 cd set that plays blurbs of classical music and gives alot of history behind the music. It is very light and interesting and we play it in the car on long trips. The dc love it. What I like is that it gives a taste of many different composers and eras and styles. If dc like a certain composer, then we go get some more music by that composer.

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Becky Parker
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Posted: March 20 2006 at 6:09am | IP Logged Quote Becky Parker

Thanks Jennifer and Theresa. I think the stories and history would help. Theresa, do you know where I can purchase "The Story of Classical Music?"
A friend of mine said they have "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" and others in that series. I thought I might try those as well.
I'm sure it would really help if my dh liked classical music. It surprises me that he doesn't. He listens to quite a bit of music - Jazz, Blues, Folk, Celtic, you name it. He doesn't listen to rock much any more (thank goodness) - mostly oldies if he does. I think he would like classical music if he would give it a chance. I'm hoping he will listen to Pudewa's tapes with me!
Becky
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lapazfarm
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Posted: March 20 2006 at 7:52am | IP Logged Quote lapazfarm

Sure. We got it from Amazon.
The story of Classical Music
My kids loved Beethoven lives Upstairs, btw. They love Amadeus, too, but it is a little risque in parts.
Oh, and my husband doesn't really care for classical music, either, but he enjoyed listening to "Story of Classical Music" on our long trip to FL.

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Becky Parker
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Posted: March 20 2006 at 1:27pm | IP Logged Quote Becky Parker

Thanks Theresa,
We're headed south on vacation in a couple of weeks. This might be a great thing to listen to on the way!!
Becky
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Jen L.
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Posted: March 20 2006 at 9:45pm | IP Logged Quote Jen L.

lapazfarm wrote:
Sure. We got it from Amazon.
The story of Classical Music
My kids loved Beethoven lives Upstairs, btw. They love Amadeus, too, but it is a little risque in parts.
Oh, and my husband doesn't really care for classical music, either, but he enjoyed listening to "Story of Classical Music" on our long trip to FL.


My ds (10) and dd (8) LOVE The Story of Classical Music! My husband and I are fans as well. We haven't listened to Amadeus, but we have enjoyed all the Classical Kids stories that we've heard.

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