Sirena Huang is now 12 years old; she probably loves what all 12 year old girls love: talking with her friends, school, books…but she is also a world-renowned concert violinist. Sirena began violin lessons at the age of 4 and made her professional debut with the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra at the ripe old age of 9! She is the recipient of numerous prizes, won in international competitions and has an amazing musical imagination. Being that she is only 12 years old, there is not much more information on her…but her mastery of the violin begins to write a biography that you already are looking forward to reading…

Click on the video to look and listen to Sirena:

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a highly regarded composer of music during the Classical era…and that is simplifying his contributions greatly. With over 600 compositions, Mozart is one of the most enduring and popular composers ever, and many of his works are still played worldwide today.

Baptized Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, he was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzberg. He generally went by the name “Wolfange Almadé Mozart” in his adult life, with many variations. He was introduced to music by his father, Leopold, and by the age of five, Mozart was himself composing little pieces that he played to his father. His father would write these down, and eventually gave up his own composing of music when he realized the genius he had in his son. Leopold was Mozart’s only teacher in his early years, and also taught his children (Mozart and his sister, Maria Anna) other subjects.

Mozart’s father began to take the children traveling, showcasing them as child prodigies. During a trip to Vienna in 1767, Mozart contracted small pox and his father refused to have him inoculated, saying that it was “God’s will” whether he survived or not. During these trips to Italy, Mozart composed the first of many operas, “Mitridate Rè di Ponto,” which led to other opera commissions: “Ascanio in Alba,” and “Lucio Silla.” During the time in Italy, Mozart heard and wrote out, in its entirety, Gregorio Allegri’s “Miserere.” This was the first reproduced copy of the work, as it was closely guarded by the Vatican and illegal to copy.

In 1773, Mozart was employed as a court musician by Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo, the ruler of Salzburg. He was unhappy with the position, even though he was considered one of the favorite sons of Salzburg. The pay was low and Mozart wanted to compose operas. He was fired from this position after he balked at the Archbishop’s treatment of him, and after he was forbidden to play for Emperor Joseph II. Mozart then moved to Vienna with his new wife, Constanze Weber.

It was in Vienna that Mozart composed two of his best known works: “The Marriage of Figaro,” and ”Don Giovanni.” He was at the height of his career, and often lent an ear to upcoming talent, such as Ludwig van Beethoven. In 1791, Mozart became very ill with fever. It isn’t known exactly what caused his illness, but he passed away at 1 in the morning on December 5, 1791.

There is so much more to learn about Mozart. Be sure to check out the interview with Robert Levin, and the 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Mozart on the Simply Mozart site. And as always, be sure to visit the Simply Mozart Forum with your questions, and the Simply Mozart Store to build your Mozart library!

Happy Learning!

Michael Bitz, an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University, recently won a national competition with his idea of helping students learn academic subjects while creating their own record labels. Mr. Bitz will now attempt to bring his ideas to schools across the country as the first recipient of the fellowship awarded by Mind Trust, an Indianapolis non-profit organization. His story is featured in an article in USA Today.

The basis of Mr. Bitz’s idea is simple: allow the children to write songs, create digital tracks, design their own cover art, and market their CDs. The article states that elementary students have recorded tracks about civil rights heroes and favorite holidays, while middle school students have delved into edgier subjects such as crime and love.

How does this fit into a school’s core curriculum? It does teach the students math skills by getting them involved in marketing and business plans. And, according to one student, by writing songs, it focused on English skills, helping to focus on similes, metaphors, and personification.

There were over 150 applicants in the Mind Trust competition, all with ideas on how to encourage hands-on student engagement at school. Mr. Bitz believes that bringing music-making into schools is a sure way to get kids involved:

“There’s just something about music that helps kids connect to themselves and the world at large,” he said. “I’m trying to capitalize on that in some way.”

Happy learning!

 

“Music is an essential part of everything we do. Like puppetry, music has an abstract quality which speaks to a worldwide audience in a wonderful way that nourishes the soul.” ~ Jim Henson, television producer and puppeteer

Did you know that March is National Music in Our Schools Month? It began as a single statewide celebration in 1973 and has grown into a month-long celebration of school music, according to the National Association for Music Education Web site (www.menc.org). MENC was started to raise awareness of the importance of music education in schools.

So why is music important? It is first important to view music as part of the curriculum and not as an extra-curricular activity. Music is important because it teaches students critical social skills. It is also known to improve math and reading skills because of the focus on learning rhythms and decoding notes. Studying music also encourages self-discipline and diligence, which positively affect study habits. Listed below are other benefits of music education:

• Students of the music learn craftsmanship as they study how details are put together painstakingly and what constitutes good, as opposed to mediocre, work.
• Music provides children with a means of self-expression.
• Music study develops skills that are necessary in the workplace.
• Music performance teaches young people to conquer fear and to take risks.
• Through music study, students learn the value of sustained effort to achieve excellence and the concrete rewards of hard work.

source: http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/

So what can you do? Continue to support the schools in your area and their musical programs. Get involved with your state leadership and assist with developing policies and programs that support music programs. Music and the arts in education are not a side note; they are an integral part of a student’s education and the benefits and long-term effects are numerous and positive.

Happy learning!

The beauty of the sounds coming from the piano played by Miss Jennifer Lin is magical. Jennifer was 14-years old in this video, and she speaks of how she is able to compose music in her mind and play it instantly…this is profoundly amazing! Jennifer has been Oprah and ABC World News Tonight and her virtuoso performances have been known to reduce audiences to tears.

Click on the link to enjoy Jennifer and her Simply Amazing skills!

Happy listening!

Jennifer Lin

“Is it not by love alone that we succeed in penetrating to the very essence of being?” This is a quote by the renowned Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky, named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of the 20th century. Stravinsky received recognition not only for his compositions but also for his skills as a pianist and conductor.

Stravinsky was born in 1882 in Oraniebaum, Russia but raised in St. Petersburg. According to his autobiography, his childhood was troubled. His father was a bass singer and young Stravinsky began piano lessons, studied music theory, and began his hand at composing. Even though he clearly had a fascination for music, his parents expected Stravinsky to become a lawyer. The studies clearly did not interest him, as he attended less than 50 classes in four years. His father passed away in 1902, and after being prevented from taking his law finals and earning a half-course diploma, Stravinsky was able to focus all his attention to his musical interests.

In 1905, Stravinsky began to take private lessons from Rimsky-Korsakov, who became a father figure to him. In that same year, he became engaged to his second cousin, Katerina Nossenko. They married in 1906 and had two children—Feodor and Ludmila.

In 1909, Stravinsky presented his Fireworks composition in St. Petersburg. In attendance was Sergei Diaghilev, the director of the Ballets Russes in Paris. Diaghilev was impressed and commissioned Stravinsky for orchestrations and then for a full-length ballet score, The Firebird.

Stravinsky moved to Europe and penned three more ballets for the Ballets Russes: The Rite of Spring, Petrushka, and Pulcinella. Stravinsky’s work can be classified into three stylistic periods: The Rite of Spring and Petrushka ended his Russian Period. Stravinsky moved next into his Neoclassical Period—defined by Pulcinella and Octet (1923), which lacked the large orchestras of former ballets and used wind instruments, the piano, and choral and chamber works. Lastly was his Serial Period, which included the use of dodecaphony, the twelve-tone technique devised by Schoenberg. Stravinsky’s ballet Agon displayed this technique.

For many years, Stravinsky romanced two women—his wife Katarina and his mistress Vera. Katarina, Stravinsky, and their daughter Ludmila were all stricken with tuberculosis; Katarina and Ludmila died from the disease. After months in the hospital, Stravinsky survived and moved to the United States shortly thereafter. His marriage to Vera was a happy one despite rumors of several affairs. Stravinsky died in 1971 at the age of 88.

There is much more interesting information about him on the Simply Stravinsky page…click on the link to read all about him!

Happy Learning !