Music

Music is one of my favorite subjects, because other than sitting back and listening, there's almost nothing I have to do. The kids all take music lessons, either piano or violin. In addition to that, we really just listen to wonderful classical music regularly. I always try to remember to tell them the composer's name and the title of the work. We also love the wonderful 3 disc set "Beethoven's Wig," which takes very familiar classics (Beethoven's 5th Symphony for example) and puts words to the music. The words usually have something to do with the composer or period in which the work was written. They're usually somewhat comical and really catchy. Some may not like having words associated with the music, especially words that often get a giggle or two. But we have enjoyed them tremendously. The little ones especially love them.
There are also the Music Masters CDs which are more serious and feature many different works by a composer intertwined with a story of his life. There are about 20 CDs in all.
We also have different books about some of the different composers, and have enjoyed the videos about them as well. Beethoven Lives Upstairs, for example, is a lovely story about the composer and the little boy who lives in the house in which Beethoven rents the top floor apartment.
I also have a book of the stories of the great operas, which I will sometimes read to the kids and then we may borrow a video of the opera from the library. You have to be careful with some of them, though. Many of the operas are very mature themes, and the opera Aida, for example, is set in Egypt, and some of the women are actually topless in the opera. Preview them before you watch them with your kids.
We don't do any real formal study of music, unless, of course, someone specifically wants to, but all my children have a love and appreciation for classical music, and opera. As they have gotten older some of them have wanted to listen to the pop music, and my husband has always listened to country. I prefer to put the songs on the iPod and let them listen to them that way rather than on the radio. I have more control over it that way. I also limit their listening and make sure that they are listening more to classical than to current.
My oldest son has recently started composing his own pieces. Whatever we're doing seems to be working out o.k. so far!
Happy Listening!