Todays' featured Christmas song was included in the movie "The Polar Express," a film adaptation of Chris Van Allsburgs' Caldecott winning story. The song is titled "When Christmas Comes to Town," a beautiful song composed by Alan Silvestri/Glen Ballard and performed by Matthew Hall/Meagan Moore.
Composer of the Day
Although the Kodaly Method wasn't exactly invented by Zoltan Kodaly, there is no doubt it developed during the mid-20th century based on his teachings. Kodaly was born in Hungary and learned how to play the cello, piano and violin without formal schooling. He went on to become an expert on Hungarian folk songs, an author, composer and teacher of the 20th century who helped promote the importance of music education. He received his Ph.D from Budapest Academy and gained critical praise for his works. He put on concerts with young musicians, wrote many articles about music and conducted lectures.
Today in Music History
On this day in 1858, composer Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, Italy. Emotional, sentimental and well-crafted, these are but some of the words used to describe Giacomo Puccinis' music. He was an Italian composer of the Romantic period who comes from a family of church musicians. Puccinis' La Bohème is considered by many as his masterpiece.
Suggested Stocking Stuffer
Popular Movie Musicals for Children - Children love movies, especially if there's a lot of catchy tunes and movement involved. If you have a child who is musically inclined, one of the easiest things to do to nurture her gift is to expose her to good musical movies. Not only will she learn something, she will also have fun watching it. Here is a list of "Popular Movie Musicals for Kids". It is a mix of new and classic movie musicals the whole family will enjoy.
Inside the Music Education Blogosphere
The Choir Teachers blog has a new look and blogger Kyle Gardner has just posted a video on YouTube of their past performance.
