Did you know that the renowned pop artist Andy Warhol wore a wig… to bed?!
Did you know that he also had 25 cats, and that each and everyone was named “Sam”?!
Did you know that Andy Warhol once shared a one bedroom apartment with 17 other people?!
I didn’t know any of these things either, until Lexi (my 4 year old daughter) came home from her art class with a fascinating children’s comic book about Andy Warhol… who happens to be the artist of the month at her art school.
What a brilliant idea!
The owners of her art studio should be commended. Not only for authoring a fantastic book for their students… but for also making Andy Warhol relevant and exciting to a 4 year old.
Now for the Piano Connection
Why is classical music struggling to gain favour with today’s generation of kids? If you’re looking for my opinion, I’ll tell you that it’s because they can’t connect with the music. And they can’t connect with the music, because they can’t connect with the composers of the music.
Today’s kids see classical composers as a bunch of old dudes in wigs! They don’t see them for the rockstars they once were. If we as piano teachers can take the time to excite kids about composers, as Lexi’s art teachers did about Andy Warhol, we’ll have a leg up on getting them excited about classical music.
If you are a regular reader, you know that I am truly passionate about getting kids excited about piano, so rest assured, composer comic books are a concept getting serious consideration in my mind right now 🙂 But in the meantime, here are some fascinating facts about composers you may want to share with your kids…
Crazy Composer Facts
Beethoven frequently dipped his head in cold water before composing.
Mozart was a knight. Pope Clement XIV knighted Mozart when he presented the young composer with the Order of the Golden Spur.
Bach and Handel both became blind after being treated for cataracts by the same 18th century con-man
Following his death, Haydn’s head was stolen form his grave and not returned for 150 years. As a substitute skull rested in the grave for 150 years and was never removed, Haydn’s grave now contains two skulls.
Beethoven’s famous “dun dun dun daaaaaaa” is morse code for the letter “V”. With his country at war, Beethoven wanted to compose a patriotic piece that communicated Victory; hence the letter “V”.
If you would like to add to this list please leave your fun composer facts in the comments below.
Andrea Dow says
Correction to today’s post… As a reader pointed out, while the opening of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is Morse Code for the letter “V” and was indeed used in various eras of war to allude to “Victory”… Beethoven did not compose the piece with this in mind (Morse Code would be invented 20 years later). I stand corrected!
robin mdden says
So Googling or checking Wikipedia for a particular composer may turn up some interesting tidbits.