by Strauss, we would grab our skipping ropes and skip to the beat. We would request Beethoven’swhen we were getting ready for bed, Haydn’s Clock Symphony when we were playing Snakes and Ladders, and Chopin waltzes were always our favourite while playing dress-up. Another favourite was Strauss’s, which he played when the weather was stormy. Listening to classical music was normal for me and my sisters and it was part of our daily routine.
Then one day in October, everything changed. My eight-year-old daughter came home from school and announced, “I want to dress up as a bumble bee for Halloween this year. Can you make me a costume, Mom?” Well, of course, I agreed to sew her a bumble bee costume. But at the same time, the bumble bee gave me an idea.
Just then, my 10-year-old son walked into the room. He was dressed as a skeleton. He watched his sister moving around the room to the bumble bee music and said, “Hey, can you play some spooky music for me?” I immediately agreed because I was ready for him, too, withby Bazzini. He didn’t dance around the room like his sister; however, he nodded his head in time to the music and I could tell that he liked it. I was overjoyed. My kids were finally enjoying orchestral music.