Arkansas Children's Theater Now Showing....

 

The Velveteen Rabbit

My children always enjoy this story. Believe it or not, I personally had never seen/read/heard of this story until I was myself a parent. Odd? Maybe. This beautiful story my children have on DVD and always love to watch it. 

The Arkansas Children's Theater is playing this wonderful story until December 21, 2014. (School performances stop on the 19th) Grab a couple of homeschool families and you might be able to get in on a school day performance.

We were able to see a year or two ago The Country Mouse, Christmas Mouse. What an excellent play! The children's theater is a great play to spark the love of acting. Please check them out. They will begin in January with new plays.

Upcoming Plays in the New Year

Rumpelstiltskin

Jan. 23 - Feb. 8, 2015 

Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat

March 6 - 29, 2015 

 

The Legend of Robin Hood

April 24 - May 10, 2015

More Gioachino Rossini

Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868) 

 Last Thursday we introduced to you Gioachino Rossini. You listened to The Barber of Seville by Rossini. Today we will listen to Rossini's William Tell.

Music...

Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868)

Gioachino Antonio Rossini was born in Pesaro, Italy on February 29, 1792.

 (Information taken from Making Music Fun.com)

Rossini was born into a musical family. At the age of six he was already playing the triangle in his father's band. Due to bad decisions of his father, his father went to jail and his mother moved them all to Bologna to support them as an opera singer. Rossini, as a child, preformed as an apprentice opera performer and later entered the Conservatory of Bologna to study cello and composition. Because Rossini was so taken with the music of Mozart his fellow classmates called him, "the little German."

By the early 1820's Rossini had been appointed the Director of the San Carlo Theater in Naples. During his 19 years in this position, he wrote 36 operas that are full of humor and beautiful melodies. Then suddenly he stopped writing music. For the next 40 years of his life he did not compose at all.

Rossini died on November 13, 1868. His most successful and best known works include his operas The Barber of Seville completed at the age of 18, and William Tell, his final opera.

Now we will listen to The Barber of Seville. Like lots of classical music, Rossini's was used in older cartoons like Bugs Bunny Show.

More Antonio Vivaldi

 Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

We are back with Music Study Thursday's to  finish up listening to Antonio Vivaldi, The Four Seasons.

Today we will listen to Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Winter.

In case you missed the introduction to Vivaldi, Spring , Summer, Autumn.
 

More Antonio Vivaldi

 Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

We are back with Music Study Thursday's to again become a little more familiar with Antonio Vivaldi.

Today we will listen to Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Autumn.

In case you missed the introduction to Vivaldi, Spring or Summer.

More Antonio Vivaldi

 Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

We are back with Music Study Thursday's to again become a little more familiar with Antonio Vivaldi. If you'd like to review a short biography of Vivaldi please visit our introduction to Vivaldi. Last Thursday we listened to a piece of Vivaldi's most famous concerto, Spring: The Four Seasons. Today we will listen to a second piece of The Four Seasons, Summer.

More Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi ( (1678-1741)

Last Thursday we introduced you to Antonio Vivaldi and his most famous work, The Four Seasons.

Today we are going to take a closer look, well, rather closer listen to the different seasons. We will begin listening to Spring.

(Spring Sonnet provided by Making Music Fun.com) 

Spring Sonnet

Allegro
Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return with festive song,
and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes.
Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven,
Then they die away to silence, and the birds take up their charming songs once more.

Largo
On the flower-strewn meadow, with leafy branches rustling overhead, the goat-herd sleeps, his faithful dog beside him.

Allegro
Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes, nymphs and shepherds lightly dance beneath the brilliant canopy of spring.