Music: Its Powerful Influence

(N.B. for my teenage readers: This post is for adults and contains links to content that is inappropriate for youth, especially the properly sheltered children whose parents have protected them from the filth out in the world. Please do not pursue links or do Google searches without your parents' permission.)


I offer this blog post (and also publish it as a permanent page called "Worthwhile Listening") for anyone seeking further opinions and information to form his or her own conscious about what kind of music we and our children should be listening to.

• Should we limit our children to certain kinds of music but we adults are allowed to listen to other types of music? Why or why not?
• Does music even matter? Is it just personal taste and preference? 
• If we grew up with music in the 1980s and 90s (I date myself), then is it "old school" and perfectly safe for our children? Just because it is "better" than the current music, is it "good"?
• Are lyrics the only thing that can be "bad" about music? Is any kind of rhythm, beat, tone safe and fine? Is there any such thing as music that is objectively bad for our souls or even physical health?

Please know that I know my family and I do not have all the answers about music. Our family has thus far for a dozen years of our family life limited ourselves to listening to classical music (which more accurately means Baroque, Classical, and Romantic), Gregorian chant, church hymns, some American and ethnic folk music (think Scottish reels, Celtic music, American folk), and occasionally (with reservations) a few Broadway hits. Note that all modern popular music--including Christian (Protestant or Catholic) "praise and worship music" and "Christian Rock"--is not on our list. We also limit television shows based on the background and theme music being played (close your eyes and actually hear the degree of rock and pop played in the background even of cartoons).

Resources for Music Discernment

Audio lecture on CD:  "The Profound Effects of Music on Life" by Andrew Pudewa

Discover the fascinating effects that different kinds of music have on our brains and the benefits of early music education for children. (Contains distinctly Christian content)

Audio lecture on CD: "Music and Morality" by Fr. Basil Nortz, OSC

What is wrong with Rock Music? Music can be a most powerful element in disposing a person toward virtue or vice. These talks give clear reasons why music has long been considered a key factor in the moral formation of the young. They are addressed to both parents and youth.

Audio lecture on YouTube: "Music and Its Influence on a Culture" by an anonymous priest (41 minutes)



Audio lecture on YouTube: "The Influence of Music" by Fr. Ripperger (1 hour 15 minutes)




Audio lecture on YouTube: "Music and the Formation of the Moral Imagination" by Dr. Lucas Tappan (1 hour)

Book:  "Dionysos Rising: The Birth of Cultural Revolution out of the Spirit of Music" by E. Michael Jones

Following up his best seller, "Degenerate Moderns," Jones reveals how major figures in modern music projected their own immorality into the field of music, the main vehicle of the cultural revolution in the West. For the first time, a unified theory of music and cultural revolution links the works of Wagner, Nietzsche, Schonberg, Jagger and others to show the connection between the demise of classical music and the rise of rock 'n' roll.

Video lecture:  "Hell's Bells: The Dangers of Rock N Roll" by The Apologetics Group

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioiHAQqI90c
• Note that this is an extremely difficult film to watch, especially for a tender soul or for a soul who formerly listened to this music and has repented. I strongly advise that males and fathers listen to the video without watching it because of visual immodesty. 

Readers, I would greatly appreciate your sharing in comments any other resources for discerning musical choices. I will be keeping the Permanent Page version of this blog post updated with anything more I consider worthwhile to share.

Youth Orchestras of Charlotte Family Concert Fall 2018

On Tuesday, we were honored to attend the first Family Concert of the Youth Orchestras of Charlotte. The YOC is only one year old, as about 80% of the parents departed with Dr. Ernest Pereira, who had been directing the young for the Charlotte Symphony for 30 years.

Read the story at "There's a new youth orchestra in town--4, actually--because parents refused to lose their leader" in The Charlotte Observer (11/15/18), by clicking here.

Mary (10) at her first orchestral performance

The YOC performed at the exquisite 1020-seat Halton Theater, and I share some photos taken from online to show the venue in all its glory. For a mama who rarely gets out of the house, it sure was lovely to dress up in sparkly clothes (albeit my voluminous I-just-had-a-baby-clothing 15 months later!) and feel like an adult.

Halton Theater, source online

Halton Theater, source online

Halton Theater, source online

When I pointed out to Mary's violin teacher, who was seated with us, that some cute, rascally girl musicians were peaking out from back stage to view the audience ahead of time--"Oh look! They're so short and little!"--I should have anticipated finding out later that my Mary was one of those four adventurers. Those who know her will not be surprised.


Typically, I don't start teaching my baby to be put to bed even by his own daddy till around 18 months and don't start leaving him with an outside babysitter till 24 months or later, but this event was so special that I hired a sitter and left 15-month-old David . . . and without even his crew of oldest siblings or his Second Mommy Mary to help! I was quite nervous until the babysitter texted me that he had gone to sleep easily.

The YOC is made up of four groups. We noted that about 20% of the 200 musicians are homeschooled, which does result in a chicken-and-egg question of whether they homeschool in order to achieve this excellence or whether they found themselves achieving this excellence because they were already homeschooling. I can say from personal experience that even at our young children's level of musical studies, it would be incredibly difficult to maintain this on an institutional school schedule. We employ three music teachers four hours per week teaching piano, violin, theory, and technique, and, for example, Mary alone practices 90 minutes per day plus her theory studies, all on top of a full academic schedule and playing two sports. The level of accomplishment that these high-school students are achieving probably requires two to four hours of practice daily. The 15-year-old choirmaster of the Youth Orchestra (see video far below) also travels for her music education, traveling to an expert in California and traveling to Julliard in NYC every few weeks. At some point, I assume many parents would need to pull their children out of institutional school (into homeschool) to pursue this kind of specialized education. It has been educational for me as a still fairly new "music parent" to see what kind of studies and commitment are required for the kind of musical accomplishments one sees on stage.

Back to my description of last night, the flute ensemble (of high-school aged musicians) first performed several pieces, and then Sinfonia Strings, the ensemble of mostly upper elementary students to which Mary belongs, performed.

The co-directors of Sinfonia Strings

The theme this fall was Americana music. I am more impressed with the Sinfonia Strings now that I've watched just how many months and how much hard work is required to transform students from a group of soloist musicians (which is what these kids are for many years) to orchestral musicians: blending, disappearing, becoming one voice. So, while the next two levels of orchestra truly took our breath away, I now see why it takes so many years and levels--starting at a small ensemble like this one--to reach those higher levels of performance.

Photo courtesy: Markus Kuncuro

Mary was absolutely beaming, her smile huge, the entire time she was performing.

Photo courtesy: Markus Kuncuro

Photo courtesy: Markus Kuncuro

Mary sitting with us for the second half of the show

Third, the Preparatory Orchestra (of mostly middle school aged musicians) performed, followed by the full-sized Youth Orchestra, which I photographed below for comparison. Their sound was gloriously full compared to that of the smaller Sinfonia Strings.

Purely for your viewing pleasure, I share below Caroline Smoak, a 15-year-old homeschooler and the choirmaster (first violin) of the Youth Orchestra, performing the first movement of Barber's violin concerto. It is worth all ten minutes, in my opinion!

(N.B., at the 3:30 mark you will hear the CELL PHONE of the person sitting to our left start ringing and ring at length. Please, let us all remember, to silence, set to "do not disturb," and otherwise turn off our cell phone notifications when at performances--and to double- and triple-check ourselves. I was just sinking in my seat to think how this soloist has worked her whole life to achieve this rank and has worked on this one-time performance specifically for six months, and the thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars that went into that . . . all MARRED IRREPARABLY by somebody forgetting to turn off his cell phone.)



We arrived home after a full two-and-a-half hour of musical performance to sleeping little boys. The three- and five-year-old boys reported later that they had so much fun with Miss A---- watching a cartoon, eating a cookie, and listening to her read four whole stories ("it was like a Read-a-Thon, Mama!").

Lastly, Baby David went to sleep without any symptoms but woke up with a 101-degree fever, so I thank God for the graces that David did not become sick just a few hours earlier, which would have caused me to stay home with him instead of getting to watch Mary!

Federation 2018: Piano

On Saturday the 24th, our three oldest children performed piano and took theory exams at the National Federation of Music Clubs' festival in Charlotte. (Joseph, age 5, was going to perform "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" and "Ninja Power," but when he got hit with two serious illnesses in a row, he lost nearly two weeks of practice, and that was too much to recover from in time to perform.)

Congratulations to our performers on their months of practice and hard work, leading to great scores today!

MARGARET (Age 6)

Margaret played: The Sparkling Brook by Margaret Goldsten

Margaret played: The Mermaid and the Sea by Deborah Brady

MARY (Age 9)

Mary played: Flying Leaf by Spindler

Mary played: Knights of the Castle by Carolyn Miller

JOHN (Age 11)

John played: Scales and Etude Op. 47 No. 8 by William Gillock

John played: Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket by Catherine Rollin

Celebrating at Dunkin' Donuts after performing

Stay tuned for my blog post on Mary's performing her violin pieces at Federation--a post which is delayed because of a snafu in my being able to record Mary playing with her accompanist.

Christmas Recital 2017

The children participated in a festive and successful Christmas recital on Saturday evening! The recital was held at the local Steinway gallery, so the children got the extra fun of playing on a $170,000, nine-foot concert grand.

This was Joseph's very first recital and I was a bit nervous about his being only four years old and in lessons for only a couple of months. He whispered to me ahead of time, "I'm going to do great in the part where I say my name and my song." I was so proud of him for announcing himself and making it through his song (even though he forgot to bow)!

Joseph (4) playing 'Jolly Old St. Nicholas'

Margaret (6) playing "Good King Wenceslas"

Mary playing "Here We Come A-Caroling"

Mary playing 'O Sanctissima"

John playing 'O Come, All Ye Faithful'

After our children had performed, there remained half the recital, so I slipped out with the youngest two performers, took over with the youngest tots in the van, and sent Daddy in to sit with the oldest two who watched till the end of the event. It's a juggling act in this circus!

Hanging out in the van

Forum Competition 2017

On Saturday, Mary and John participated in the Charlotte Piano Teachers' Forum competition, and John advanced to finals the next day!

Mary (8) competed in the Primary age group (grades K-3) and scored a Superior, but a few points shy of placing. I recorded her playing her songs at home:


 Mary performs "Musette in D Major" by J.S. Bach (18th Cen.)

 
 Mary performs "Prelude in b minor" by Alexander Morovsky (19th Cen.)

 
 Mary performs "Hungarian Folk Song" by Bela Bartok (20th Cen.)


John (10) competed in the Elementary division (grades 4-5).

 
 John performs "Minuet in G Major" by Petzold (18th Cen.)

 
 John performs "Innocence" Op. 100 No. 2 by Friedrick Burgmuller (19th Cen.)

 
 John performs "A Warlike Dance" by Kabalevsky (20th Cen.) 

The Music Theory exam at the Forum competition is used to break ties. Both our children scored 100 on their exams, which made all the difference for John: there was another student in our studio who also earned a 98 on piano, but he earned a 98 on theory, so John advanced to the finals while he didn't. These events come down to hair differences!

Daddy took the kids to doughnuts afterward.

Chris had to dash straight to the airport after Mass, so I managed to get all five kids (including the 20-month-old who hadn't been able to nap yet) to John's final competition. I was so grateful that another couple we know was there, so we two wives went in to watch the competition while the husband stayed out with both our sets of younger (louder) children.

Parents weren't permitted to take photos, but you will simply have to envision John performing in the main performance hall at the university, on a huge stage in an auditorium that probably seats 1,000 people (although was filled only with us few parents). I was so proud of him for walking that long walk down the aisle alone and performing with poise up on that stage, which can be such a daunting experience.

The finalist right before performing

Tonight, we celebrate with delivery pizza and ice cream!

Federation 2017: Piano and Theory

Saturday saw us back at Queens University to participate in Federation by taking Theory tests and performing piano pieces.

This was Margaret's first year to participate!

Warming up in a practice room

Margaret (5) performed "Distant Chimes" by Jon George and "Chimichanga Cha Cha" by Jennifer Linn; I was able to record her warming up.



"Distant Chimes"


"Chimichanga Cha Cha"


Mary (8) performed "Prelude in b minor" by Alexander Morovsky and "Bird's Eye" by Matt Schinske. John (10) performed "Chaplin's Cane" by Phil Hamm and "Minuet in G Major" by Christian Petzold.

They scored well in piano, we'll find out their Theory scores in a couple of weeks, and a good time was had by all!

Federation 2017: Violin

On Saturday, we participated in our third National Federation of Music Clubs festival, with Mary performing (non-competitively) on violin. (Next Saturday is for non-competition piano.)

Since this year will be Margaret's first time participating, I took her along with Mary so she could see the building, the process, and feel the buzz in the air--getting some of her nerves reduced in advance!

Walking onto Queens University

Mary performed Minuet No. 1 by J.S. Bach and Gavotte by Gossec. Because parents aren't allowed in the performance room, I filmed her during warm-up.

Congratulations to Mary for receiving a wonderful score!

Afterward, we continued our tradition of stopping by Dunkin Donuts for a treat.

Quietly watching out the window at DD

Next Saturday, piano and theory exams!

7 Quick Takes Friday

Check out the post on Mary's eighth birthday, if you missed it!

1. Concerto Competition

Playing cards while waiting for rehearsal time

Six months in the making and finally John and Mary participated in the Concerto Audition sponsored by the Charlotte Piano Teachers' Forum. This was the first time ever participating in this particular competition, and John's first time in any competition (although he's done numerous non-competition events where a score is given).

Contestants are limited to 30 in each age division, with ranks being given for first, second, and third, plus two Honorable Mentions for the next two highest-scoring students. In Mary's age division, she received an Honorable Mention for playing Noona's First Concerto in d minor, and in John's age division, he received a wonderful score just half a point shy of receiving an Honorable Mention, and one point shy of placing in Third Place, for playing Concerto in Classical Style for Martha Meier.

We're so proud of their hard work lo these many months!

2. Musical Moments

John and Mary were blessed with the opportunity to see world reknowned cellist Emanuel Gruber (click here to read a biography) perform solo the Bach suites for cello (Nos. 1, 3, and 5) at our very own church as part of the Gaudium et Spes concert series hosted each year. This series is our pastor's "baby" as he makes truth, beauty, and goodness avaialable to the community by bringing in very fine musicians for a low cost. We attended for my $12 ticket and children 12 and under are free!

This happened to be at the baby's nap time, so I was able to attend the concert myself instead of Chris being the one who usually goes: the music was so beautiful, I cried!

Additionally, I felt incredibly blessed that, as we weren't planning to go, the children begged for us to go see this solo cell concert, and then insisted we sit in the empty first row (ten feet from the performer).

We enjoyed delicious Israeli food at the reception afterward and I felt so refreshed.

3. Fall Leaves

It's that time of year!

4. Random Moments

John offering to teach chess to Margaret

Mary learning counted cross-stitch

At church on Sunday, Joseph (3) fell asleep during Mass and slept for the whole hour we stayed afterward, with the folks milling about him, chattering loudly with coffee cups. It was so great.

Add caption

It is a good thing Thomas (15 months) is so cute because getting his sleep straight this last month still eludes me. On Wednesday he was awake for the day at 3:30 a.m. and on Thursday at 4:00. I'm about as happy about that as you can imagine.

Thomas eating a muffin

5. Scholastic Scenes

Learning music theory

When I read aloud daily for History, sometimes I have the children draw from "Draw, Write, Now" and sometimes they occupy themselves quietly, such as the day some kids were sorting plastic animals, the three-year-old was using his sword and shield, the baby was climbing everything, and the big boy was building with Magformers.

6. Family Books of the Week (in progress or completed)

• Read-alouds
• "Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints" (Loreto Publications, originally published 1894)
• "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne (1870)--We need some good fiction! We're really this one so far.
• Mama
• "Divine Intimacy" (1963)--current daily holy reading
• "Joan of Arc" by Mark Twain
• book about Marian apparitions
• For Connecting with History:
• "Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia"
• John
• "St. John Bosco"
• "Manual for Spiritual Warfare"
• Mary
• "Young Faces of Holiness"--Mary's daily saint book
• "The Green Ember"--She is devouring this book.
• Margaret
• Various

Mary is really enjoying "The Green Ember" (which I can't vouch for, as I haven't read it, but I got off of the Read Aloud Revival list, which is generally good). She began it one night, and I was startled when I checked all the children's beds at ten at night to find her still awake, reading by headlamp, 130 pages into the book.

The next morning, Mary joined me on my exercise walk in the dark hours, but insisted she would read "The Green Ember" while we walked. I decided to stop arguing with her and just let her discover on her own that it was difficult-to-impossible to do so . . . but she proved me wrong.

Reading while walking

7. Meals

• Saturday
• We enjoyed a wonderful evening at home with two other families celebrating Mary's birthday (click here)!
• Sunday
• My meal plan scrapped for leftover pizza, of which there was an abundance.
• Monday
• Delectable Marinated Chicken Thighs, red lentils with sauteed onions, pasta, steamed green beans, Red Lobster drop biscuits
• Tuesday
• ate random things out of the pantry while husband was out of town
• Wednesday
• One Pot Pinto Beans (great recipe!) for me; random things out of the pantry for the kids; Husband was at a monthly fellowship dinner
• Thursday--doubling meal to take to a postpartum mom
• Just Like Wendy's Chili, corn bread, brownies
• Friday
• We're planning a third "Kids Cook Real Food" class. The children will cook:
• Chicken strips
• Veggie Stir Fry
• Egg Frid Rice

Egg fried rice and stir fry made by children
--but consumed not one single bite by any of them!

Bonus Reading: "Ask Auntie Leila: No, really, how do you prepare for Thanksgiving?"  Written by a mom of eight (?) with humorous style, she teaches you how to simplify, schedule in time to properly care for the baby, and cook some food homemade.

For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.

Master Class for Concertos

On Saturday, John and Mary had the blessing to be able to take an invitation-only Master Class with Dr. Paul Nitsch in preparation for the Concerto competition in a month (see here).

"Dr. Paul Nitsch is the Carolyn G. McMahon Professor of Music and the Macavity Artist-in Residence at Queens. He teaches piano, and is a concertizing performer. He has performed most recently in the eastern United States and in Portugal, Austria and Italy. He was awarded two Fulbright Foreign Study grants for study in Vienna, Austria, at the Vienna Academy of Music and Performing Arts (Hochschulr für Musik and Darstellende Kunst), and has studied with highly recognized teachers and musicians, including Leon Fleisher, Walter Hautzig, Anne Epperson and George Crumb. He is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md, and the Cleveland Institute of Music at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Nitsch also served for 30 years as Artistic Director for the Friends of Music at Queens, is past Pianist-in-Residence and Assistant Director of the Garth Newel Music Center in Hot Springs, VA., Artistic Director of the Fontana Concert Society in Kalamazoo, MI, and Executive Director of the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival at Warren-Wilson College in Asheville, NC. His hobby (as well as profession) is playing chamber music, and he enjoys cooking."

I didn't know what to expect, so regretfully I missed the opportunity to film Mary playing Noona's Concerto in d minor, but I did see her teacher motioning to me from across the room to film her session with Dr. Nitsch! so at least I got that for Mary to study further at home.

I did successfully film John's performance of Concerto in Classical Style by Martha Mier (and his session, until my phone ran out of memory). Of note, I so enjoy seeing John (on the cusp of 10) maturing in his music and moving beyond achieving technical performance to expressing more emotion in his body and playing.

The teachers instructed students to take notes on other student's sessions with Dr. Nitsch, which was an excellent learning opportunity.

The whole experience was wonderful and I wish we'd been prepared (having eaten, and knowing all of what to expect) to stay the three hours' duration or so, but instead we made our exit. I look forward to any other similar opportunities to take Master Classes in the years to come!