Classical Music for Children Is Classical Music for Parents and Is Classical Music for Teachers..

Classic or Classical Music? So ... Classical Music for children or Classic for children? And why is it also a page about Classic for parents, and for teachers? Here – on this page – you’ll find the very short answer. A detailed, full-fledged website is available at Classical Music for Children. And there’s also an entire website dedicated to the topic of terminology: What Exactly Is Classical Music? In addition, there’s a collection that, until summer 2020, couldn’t be found anywhere else on the internet … and there probably never will be another one like it. To be clear, this page you’re reading right now isn’t for kids who want to learn about it. It’s for adults who want to introduce their kids to Classical Music..

Teachers: I’d like to offer you a special “detour” right here. Just click to go to my Teaching Material Classical Music. Something you won’t find anywhere else..

Do those gentlemen above represent Classical Music? Or did they compose during the Classical period? If there isn’t even a reasonable explanation for this on the internet, how are parents supposed to manage to accompany their children to such beautiful, timeless music?!..

Classical Music ... Classic for Children, Parents, Teachers ... for Everyone!..

Language changes. The editors at Duden know this. Linguists know this. And we’ve always suspected it. And so today, “Classical Music” is no longer music composed during the Classical period. That would, in fact, be music from the “Classical era.”..

Next: Classical Music, then, is any music that is considered such a music genre. From the Baroque era – with Pachelbel as its first representative, though Walther von der Vogelweide is often cited as having done so long before – all the way to artists still living today who produce, create, arrange, and compose such music..

And the short form of “Classical Music”? It’s “Classic.” Here and now, it does not refer to the Classical period. Anyone who wants to talk about the Classical period must explicitly state that. This may seem strange to some musicians, but it makes it easier for everyone else to understand. Let’s be clear: Anyone who loves Classical Music loves the music composed from Bach to Schubert and from Handel to Morricone. And not just by the three superstars – Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart – who composed Classical Music during the Classical era. Is that okay? It’s okay!..

This immediately removes one hurdle when it comes to the concept of Classical Music for children – or, rather, Classic for kids. Because unlike my explanation for you, you can set these tips aside when it comes to your kids. Classical Music for children and adults is Classic for children and adults. And thus ... exactly what comes to mind when you hear those two terms..

Blah blah? Okay ... maybe. But ... that's just me! Next... ..

Is there such a thing as Classical Music for children? Is there Classic for children? No, no, no. Because one-tenth of a thousandth tends toward zero. And Peter and the Wolf as well as The Funny World of Animals are the exception ... actually, that one-tenth of a thousandth. Even classifying The Four Seasons as Classic for children ... or Classical Music for kids, if you will ... is nonsense. This classification only works if you want to sell something. But what, then, is “Classical Music for children”?..

I'm going to take a guess: You know two or three of the gentlemen up there. But not four! Right?..

What Do I Mean: No Classical Music for Kids?..

No, Classical Music wasn't composed for children. So there isn't any Classic specifically for children. But: You can get children excited about Classical Music. At least ... you can try. And there are already a few approaches to this: You can introduce them to the instruments played in a Classical Orchestra. And you can explain individual pieces in a way that makes children listen closely to what else lies behind a beautiful melody. But that’s not what this is about. It’s not about stories told in connection with a Classical Piece. They’re super cool, but that’s just not my approach..

Let’s just set that phrasing aside for a moment. And let’s think together about what you actually want. Many of you reading this would like to get your kids excited about Classical Music. And you’d like to do so without all the music and noise (... Johann Sebastian Bach’s words for heavy metal, perhaps. For example. Because that’s hardly composed “in honor of God”). But how do you get started? Or perhaps: Your daughter or son is currently learning to play an instrument. And that, too, is a “gateway to Classical Music.” I’ll suggest the perfect way to do that later (… in addition to the alternatives mentioned above)..

First, let’s rule out babies. Classical Music wasn’t composed for them either. With the exception of Schubert’s Good Evening, Good Night. But … there is Classical Music that can delight a baby. And that is exactly what music publishers mean when they offer such selections. So, not composed for babies. Rather, curated for babies. However: Do check whether the style of the selected pieces matches in terms of volume, tempo, and their calming effect. It doesn’t. And it certainly isn’t exclusively Popular Classical Music ... such collections don’t leave a lasting impression..

To put it simply: You’d like your kids to get excited about Classical Music, too. Right? Right!..

So we don’t need no “Classical Music” for children in the sense of Peter and the Wolf. And we also don’t expect to find Classic music (... any more) that was composed specifically for kids. After extensive research, I can tell you that among the 300 most Popular Classical Works, you’ll always find only the same two or three exceptions. Well, among the lesser-known Classical Works, there is also Mozart’s father’s “Children’s Symphony, or Toy Symphony”: It was actually composed for young children. Because the little ones get to hear a few sounds like dog barking, birds chirping, and rattling noises..

The Most Famous Classical Works Are Frustrating? Why on Earth Is That?..

Well, the best-known works aren’t necessarily the most Popular Classical Works; rather, they’re often famous “only” by name. And the selection is also a matter of taste ... specifically, the taste of the author of each list. On top of that, they’re not short at all. But for kids just starting out, that’s one of the most important factors. Plus, they’re “not easy to digest”..

And anyway: As a general rule – in fact, 99.99 percent of the time – you have to be a Classical Music fan to put together a list like this. And I – with all due courtesy and respect – doubt that such authors are capable of compiling a collection like this. That’s pretty harsh, isn’t it?!..

It takes a music fan with a “healthy dose of half-knowledge” and absolutely no clue about Classical Music to put together what I’d like to “sell” to you today... for free: I hope you’ll forgive my rather unconventional writing style because you’re initially interested in the result. And then, perhaps, you’ll be thrilled by it. What you need to look for ... “need” because you won’t turn your kids into hardcore Classical Music fans “overnight” ... is an introduction to Classical Music. And for that, there’s now my “Popular Classical Music,” or simply my “Popular Classic”..

What makes it special? This Popular Classical Music is “easy-going.” Most of the pieces are short. Here’s how it goes. Then the recognition factor is high. Because the refrain is often repeated, because it’s catchy and also beautiful. Also: Not every piece is allowed on this list. Not because they have well-known names. Not because they’re famous. Or because we all turn pale with awe when their name is mentioned..

And even some of the very, very greatest composers may be missing. Because they don’t meet the criteria I described above. Many, many people must love these works. They must be enthusiastic about them. They must move their listeners. Enthusiastic listeners sway, sing along, hum along, and dance to them. And some even cry along with them. These requirements must not stem from my taste (... like so many lists by other authors, editors, music connoisseurs). Rather, there must be an objective yardstick. And there is one. It’s YouTube. And Google. The only question is: How do you find these works? Now that you know exactly what you’re looking for?..

It took me 40 years, and I discovered two things. The first is easy to explain, yet so incredibly important!..

It wasn’t until I found the 200th Popular Classics title that I realized: I knew many Classical Pieces not just from TV and movies. I also knew them because my parents used to have three or four James Last LPs. And they listened to them every now and then. In fact, however – now, a few decades later, and after discovering the first 199 Popular Classical Works –I was of the opinion that my enthusiasm came only from television..

And the conclusion is: Put together a playlist from my 300 Popular Classical Pieces. And listen to it every now and then at a “moderate volume” together with your kids ... whether you’re eating together, playing, or when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit. And just like that, we’re done with tip number 1. And I’m serious. My suggestions for pieces are entertaining, exciting, have beautiful melodies, are catchy, and they are the ones people all over the world love to hear most when it comes to Classical Music..

Classical Music for Children = Classical Music for Adults = Classical Music for Teachers..

Why do I claim that I am the first person to compile such a Classical Music Top 100 list... that is, my “Popular Classical Music Top 100”? After all, people have been passionate about this genre of music for hundreds of years. I’ll go into a bit more detail now..

Lovers of Classical Music and Lovers of Popular Classical Music are two different “species.” Like orangutans and gorillas. Both are great apes, but there are differences in color and, of course, many other distinctions..

You are looking for Popular Classical Music. And “best-of” lists are meant for fans of traditional Classical Music. This is most obvious on the Internet. But: Such lists aren’t even suitable for conservative Classical Music Fans, because they have long known that everything starts with Air and then moves on to the great works of the great composers. And not even that is interesting. Because these musical gems are often already far too trivial for such conservative music fans. And they “thirst” for something less familiar, yet equally good, when it comes to Classical Music. Just as one no longer falls into delight when visiting Paris for the eighth time, stepping out of the metro behind the Palais de Chaillot, and then, after a few steps, “discovering the Eiffel Tower in person” for the first time. These conservative Classical Music fans have long since moved beyond the Top 100.

Anyone Looking for a “Classical Music Top 100” Is Actually Looking for a “popular Classic Top 100”!..

I knew what I’d been looking for for a long time, though not with any real urgency: namely, Popular Classical Music. And here’s how it went: For some people, there’s a James Bond movie. For others, there’s a Tom Cruise movie. You hear a Classical Piece. You like it. It’s great. You’ve heard it before. You want to “have” it. Or listen to it more often. Listen to it again..

But ... how do you go about it? Until recently, not at all. That was true for me. And for years – or rather, decades – I’d been envisioning a collection that would be something like “Oh ... that’s by him!”. I’d come up with the idea (... invented it) and then set it aside ... on to the next topic. Over and over again. Until I designed my website “Classical Music for Kids” and “What Is Classical Music?” and wanted to compile a Classic Top 100 for it..

And the essence? Classical Music for children consists precisely of those Classical Works that are the right choice for beginners of all ages to start with. The transition from Popular Classical Music to less trivial works (... let's call the well-known pieces that for now?), anyone interested can make that leap on their own, sooner or later. And Classical Music for babies? The same applies, plus? Among the best compositions, you also have to select those suitable for a baby’s listening pleasure. Ave Maria is perfect, Thus Spoke Zarathustra ... not so much..

I Love Popular Classical Music Because My Parents Loved Popular Classical Music..

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