Beethoven Symphony Concert

Our local home school group receive tickets to the St Louis Symphony educational program which I am told they do every year (featuring different music).  This is open to all the local schools so it was quite crowded.  SInce my husband is currently off work due to the government shutdown he was able to join us on this field trip.

We weren't allow to take pictures during the performances.  The  St Louis symphony is one of the oldest in the states having gotten started in 1880

They are holding a total of 4 concerts geared to students from grades  K thru 6th grade.    I plan on taking the children to several of the performances

While we watched the musicians set up the projector had lots of  questions  about symphonies to entertain the children. 

Here we learned what the city flag look like adding to our state study (counts as geography, right;))

Daddy got to join in at the very last minute since he can't be at work

Todays concert was on the life and times of Beethoven played to the 5th symphony which some say is his greatest piece of work.

What I loved about this concert was that while they played parts of the music they stop and told the life story of Beethovan using props and a very entertaining actor.  Beethoven did not have a very pleasant father and they had a very difficult relationship

We learned that when the 5th symphony was debuted around christmas time it was hailed as a complete failure.    We also heard that there was much competition with other musicians of the time such as Mozart and Haydn

We  learned though the letters he wrote, how he felt about losing his hearing and that he was a sick man most of his life.

All of the information present was done during or between musical movements.   

I definitely feel we got a complete history of this great musician and best of all the kids loved attending and asked when the next one was.