A Homeschooling Thespian

I think we all do, sometimes! I've been talking to the most dynamite people across the country recently for an article I'm writing, and I am truly amazed by the talent, energy and passion that so many people have! They are doing some incredible things in drama, film, and music, and the fact that we are all Catholic homeschoolers means that we have a lot in common! I've just formed a yahoo group called Homeschooling Thespians for us to gather our communal wisdom together to help and encourage each other. I'm a little lonely shouting out in cyberspace, so let's see what we can do together. To join, click the button on the right.

Scroll down to see the Handel music activities to add to your homeschool curriculum!

George Friderich Handel was discouraged. Panicked might be a better term. Although he had proven to be a great success as a musician, he was a miserable example of a businessman. Fearing that debtor's prison would become his next performance, on April 8, 1741, at the age of 56, he gave what he considered to be his farewell concert. Although not much is known about Handel's personal life or his spiritual beliefs, Handel must have done a great deal of praying about his situation because within weeks two events happened that would change his life forever. First, a wealthy friend and admirer Charles Jennings gave Handel a libretto based on the life of Christ taken entirely from the Bible. At around the same time he received a commission from a Dublin charity to compose a work for a benefit performance. He set out to compose an oratorio, using Jennings' libretto, on August 22. He became so completely inspired while writing that he never left his house, hardly stopping to eat. S...

Yesterday twelve of my beautiful, wonderful piano students had their end of the year recital. It is a delight to teach each of them! Most are homeschooled children, and they are so open and enthusiastic about learning classical music. I like to supplement their lesson books with "real" music from the very beginning, so even my newest students were able to perform music by Grieg, Beethoven & Bach. Afterward we had a wonderful potluck dinner, followed by the most amazing surprise: a chocolate "grand piano" cake made by our incredibly talented hostess, which tasted even better than it looked (if you can believe it)!!! Good friends, good food & good music! Who could ask for anything more? :)

George Frideric Handel was the composer that almost wasn't. As a hot-headed temperamental youth of 19, he found himself in a real duel outside a theater in Hamburg, Germany, facing an opponent -- Johann Mattheson, 22, actor, composer, musician and friend -- already famous for his operas and quite skilled in the art of fencing. Handel, it seems, refused to release the leadership of the orchestra to its own composer after Mattheson stepped off the stage and back into the orchestra pit. There was a scuffle between both youths in the pit while the opera played on above, with the other musicians egging them on. Handel was tall, strong, broad-shouldered and muscular; Mattheson slapped him across the face. Still angry, Handel gave way but challenged Mattheson to a duel after the show. Afterwards, surrounded by so many people, Handel couldn't back down, so both men drew their swords and circled each other warily. They had been good friends for over a year, but both men had hot tempers...

Handel was a bit tougher to sell to my boys than Vivaldi was. At first everything was going very well. We listened to the Classical Kids version of Hallelujah Handel in the car again, which they definitely enjoyed. (Chalk one up for mom!) The book I read to them the next day as a follow up was charming as well. (They loved the illustrations.) Next, I went to our local library and borrowed a few other books on Handel from the juvenile biography section, and asked the 11 & 13 year olds to just "look over" them (which they know means to read only the pictures -- but their curiosity usually hooks them into reading a little bit more!) (sneaky mom trick!) We also borrowed this wonderful movie from the library, and made it be our "feature film" for our regular Sunday family night movie. Quite enjoyable for our whole family, especially with lots of buttered popcorn! I highly recommend watching this film as an introduction to this composer. I borrowed three Handel CDs f...

I just found a couple of great resources for Shakespeare online. One, called appropriately enough Shakespeare Online , is where you will find his complete works ready to print off, as well as his poems, sonnets, complete play and character analyses, play synopses, even essay questions to be assigned to your student! What a find! The other is the online version of a favorite book of mine, the complete version of Tales From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb . I've used this resource for many years to serve as an introduction to the study of a specific play, as it's the same story told in prose. I find it to be a delightful way to introduce the Bard to younger children. A similar classic by E. Nesbit, Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare , is also available online. These would be great resources to have for any homeschool or drama group..... only this time, they're free! Don't you just love the internet? ;)