Solveig's Song: SmartPlay with Classical (Heidi Brende, pianist)

playful piano pieces for developing young minds…

"…a collection of exquisitely played, great pieces." Chicago Parent, May 1999

STUDIES SHOW that classical music influences brain development and raises IQ. This collection is designed to be the perfect accompaniment to playful, energetic activities. You will enjoy these masterworks as much as your child will.

Suggestions

play during baby's "quiet-alert" or playful stages
use to accompany your toddler's play
use for interactive play with children aged 0–12 using the notes below
encourage your older child to listen before studying
use as an energy boost for tired parents

Full Track Listing & Audio Samples

all pieces are performed in their complete and original versions
click on 'listen' to hear a sample in mp3 format

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
[1–13] Variations on Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman (Twinkle, Twinkle) [12'00] listen (complete theme) [748 KB, 0'48] listen (complete first variation) [696 KB, 0'45]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composed at age 8)
Little Pieces from the London Musical Notebook
[14] Tempo di minuetto, K 15cc, in E flat major [2'59] listen [444 KB, 0'29]
[15] Contredanse en rondeau, K 15gg, in B flat major [1.04] listen [472 KB, 0'31]
[16] Finale di sonata, K 15bb, in D major [1'39] listen [512 KB, 0'33]
[17] Finale di sonata, K 15x, in F major [1'00] listen [552 KB, 0'36]

Johann Sebastian Bach
[18] Invention in F, BWV 779 [0'59] listen [396 KB, 0'26]

Johann Sebastian Bach
[19–20] Prelude & Fugue in G, BWV 884 [3'47] listen (Prelude) [444 KB, 0'29] listen (Fugue) [372 KB, 0'24]

Domenico Scarlatti
Sonatas
[21] Sonata in G, L 286 [2'36] listen [756 KB, 0'49]
[22] Sonata in B flat, L 24 [3'36] listen [960 KB, 1'02]
[23] Sonata in C, L 3 [2'35] listen [552 KB, 0'36]

Robert Schumann
Scenes of Childhood, op. 15
[24] A Curious Story [1'10] listen [472 KB, 0'31]
[25] Catch Me [0'36] listen [332 KB, 0'22]
[26] Perfect Happiness [1'24] listen [488 KB, 0'32]

Sergei Prokofiev
Music for Children, op. 65
[27] Parade of the Grasshoppers [1'04] listen to complete track [1 MB, 1'04]
[28] Tag [1'03] listen [504 KB, 0'33]

Ludwig van Beethoven
[29] The Rage over the Lost Penny [7'11] listen [444 KB, 0'29]

Notes about this collection

Let SmartPlay set the stage for stimulating play. Simply use it for background music at playtime to keep the mood happy and upbeat. Or choose one or two pieces each day for guided listening and interactive play using the following suggestions.

Babies Dance with your baby to the beat of the music. Move your baby's arms or legs in time to the music. Sit facing the baby and act out the music with movement and facial expressions. Use a stuffed animal, puppet or doll to dance and act out the music.

Toddlers Dance with your toddler to the beat of the music. Ask your toddler what movement the music sounds like (jumping, running, walking on tiptoes, crawling, etc). Encourage your child to move the way the music sounds.

3–5 Ask your child if the piece sounds happy, sad, silly, energetic, tired, thoughtful, etc. Your child can invent a story that goes along with the music, draw a picture to go along with the music, or act out a story with the music. Also see notes below.

Notes for older children

Music is made of many elements. Listening for these elements makes the music more fun to listen to and exercises your ears, brain and imagination.

Sometimes you will hear very loud music. Sometimes you will hear very soft music. You will also hear everything in between. These differences in volume (loud and soft) are called "dynamics."

Some notes are very high in pitch, like a bird, and some notes are very low, like a lion. Can you sing a high pitch like a bird? Can you sing a low pitch like a foghorn or a man? If you have a piano, play the keys on the far left. These are the lowest notes. Now play the keys on the far right. These are the highest notes. Start with the lowest key, and play each white key, one at a time, until you get to the highest key. Did you hear the sounds getting higher and higher?

When you listen to music, you can feel the rhythm. Does the music make you want to tap your foot, clap, or march? This means you are feeling the beat. March in time to the beat. You will hear many notes going faster than the beat and some notes going slower than the beat.

As you listen to each piece, you can draw a picture of what the music sounds like, or think of a story, or make up a dance. Several of the pieces have descriptive titles to tell you what they are about.

Here are some more things for you to do.

You can sing along to parts of the Twinkle, Twinkle Variations [1–13] by Mozart. When a composer writes variations, he takes a familiar tune and decorates it in different ways. In this set of variations, Mozart dresses up Twinkle, Twinkle in many different costumes. Have you ever worn a costume so good only your mom or dad knew it was you? Sometimes Mozart hides Twinkle, Twinkle so well that almost no one can hear it. In one variation [9], he makes it sound sad instead of happy. In a different one [12] he makes it sound like someone is dreaming about it. In yet another [6], it sounds like someone walking on tiptoes. See how many times you can hear the Twinkle, Twinkle melody.

The Little Pieces [14–17] from The London Notebook were composed by Mozart when he was eight years old. Would you like to compose? Sing a song about your pet, your favorite friend, your grandma or grandpa, or the monkeys at the zoo. Now you are a composer.

Bach's Invention in F Major [18] begins with a "rocket theme." If you listen to the first six notes, you will hear the pitches shoot up like a rocket. You will hear this theme many times during this piece. Can you shoot up like a rocket every time you hear it?

Scarlatti's Sonata in B flat major [22] is a good piece for galloping. You will hear a rhythm that sounds like someone saying "giddyup, giddyup, giddyup, giddyup" again and again.

Bring Prokofiev's Parade of the Grasshoppers [27] to life by joining the parade. Do you hear the grasshoppers jumping high? Jumping low? You never know where a grasshopper will jump next. Does part of the piece sound like the grasshoppers are singing?

The Rage Over the Lost Penny [29] is a nickname that someone else gave to Beethoven's composition. But it seems to fit. Wouldn't it be silly if your mom or dad were enraged by losing a penny? Much of this piece sounds kind of silly. But there are parts that really do sound mad. Listen for someone scurrying around looking for a penny, running uphill and downhill, around and around. This music was composed during a time when people rode in horse-drawn carriages. Listen for a section that sounds like a carriage driving. The main theme at the beginning begins with a "rocket." Do you remember the "rocket theme" in Bach's Invention in F major?

As you listen, remember that music has often been called the "universal language" because it speaks to everyone, no matter what their language. The wonderful thing about music is that it means something a little different to each person who hears it. So you may hear something in the music that nobody else hears. I hope you enjoy listening to these pieces as much as I enjoyed playing them for you.

– Heidi Brende