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Musical talent is a learned skill and has to be nurtured. Every child can be educated and the environment is the key. Students will not be able to understand what "good" music is unless they have been exposed to it in their daily environment. I encourage you to build a collection of classical and jazz music and listen regularly to a variety of genres and styles. The internet is one of many great resources and on youtube.com you can listen to classical music for free.

Both styles, classical and jazz music, build a well-educated individual. When listening to classical music, lessons will become more and more appealing to students, and progress may increase. Regular listening assignments are part of my instruction. In addition to listening to classical music, I encourage students to learn more about the composer. For example, where he/she was from, when he/she lived, or anything else that you are interested to find out about the composer.

I have created a suggestive repertoire list of pieces that you may familiarize yourself with. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it may help you to have a starting point when listening to classical music. You may keep a listening log and please add any other classical pieces that you enjoy listening to:

• Repertoire List 
• Listening Log: listen to at least two or three different performances of the same piece. You can compare/contrast the performances in your listening log.

• Complete the Listening Guide for weekly listening assignments. 
• You may also submit an Electronic Version of the Listening Guide and I will receive your answers in an email.
  • Descriptive Words:This is a list of words that may help you describe the music you are listening to. When describing music you may think of how the music makes you feel or what colors you hear in the music. There is no end on how to describe music and there is no right or wrong answer either. You may even come up with your own words or draw a picture to match the music ...