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A young kid with classic taste
By: Kristen Forbes
A young kid with classic taste
By: Kristen Forbes
[This article was published in the winter 2009 edition of Wavelength Magazine].
“Beethoven sounds like this: ‘Dun dun dun dun.’ I like that,” says five-year-old Isaac Bravo, an avid KBAQ listener and undoubtedly one of its youngest fans.
“When he was small, I’d say 18 months old, I’d play kids’ music for him, and he was not interested in that,” says his mother Kimberly. “But whenever I’d play something instrumental, he was really interested in it. To this day, it has to be an instrumental piece if he’s going to listen to it.”
Kimberly says she envisioned parenthood as a time when she’d repetitively hear “The Itsy Bitsty Spider” and the alphabet song. Instead, she’s been listening to Strauss, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Mozart and Brahms.
“I’ve always listened to classical music, since I was probably a teenager,” Isaac’s father Al explains. “And I knew, right from the beginning, that was something I’d like to expose my children to.”
Isaac’s first introduction to the music was as background noise: a CD playing at dinnertime, bedtime or during a car ride. Early on, the Bravos noticed Isaac's enjoyment. Before he could speak well, he would request the “La La Five” song, more commonly known as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Now, he enacts the songs with a pretend “air” violin or uses a wand to conduct an imaginary orchestra.
When Isaac was listening to the same classical CDs over and over, Kimberly and Al started to yearn for variety. Hoping Isaac wouldn’t balk at not having one of his usual CDs, they tuned the radio station to KBAQ during a car ride. Isaac instantly approved. And as longtime advocates of public radio, Kimberly and Al were delighted.
Even if a song is new to him, Isaac can make a connection to something he already knows. Al explains that if they put on any of the other movements from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” Isaac will say, “Oh, this sounds like the Springtime song.” Even Isaac's Kinder-Music teacher was impressed when she put on music in class one day and Isaac correctly yelled, “The Blue Danube!”
Isaac likes classical music so much, he's now passing his passion along. For instance, he taught his friends the art of conducting at his third birthday party.
Through it all, his mom insists that it is Isaac who ispires his parents to learn about the classics, not the the other way around.
“I’ve learned so much about different composers because of him,” Kimberly says.
“When he was small, I’d say 18 months old, I’d play kids’ music for him, and he was not interested in that,” says his mother Kimberly. “But whenever I’d play something instrumental, he was really interested in it. To this day, it has to be an instrumental piece if he’s going to listen to it.”
Kimberly says she envisioned parenthood as a time when she’d repetitively hear “The Itsy Bitsty Spider” and the alphabet song. Instead, she’s been listening to Strauss, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Mozart and Brahms.
“I’ve always listened to classical music, since I was probably a teenager,” Isaac’s father Al explains. “And I knew, right from the beginning, that was something I’d like to expose my children to.”
Isaac’s first introduction to the music was as background noise: a CD playing at dinnertime, bedtime or during a car ride. Early on, the Bravos noticed Isaac's enjoyment. Before he could speak well, he would request the “La La Five” song, more commonly known as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Now, he enacts the songs with a pretend “air” violin or uses a wand to conduct an imaginary orchestra.
When Isaac was listening to the same classical CDs over and over, Kimberly and Al started to yearn for variety. Hoping Isaac wouldn’t balk at not having one of his usual CDs, they tuned the radio station to KBAQ during a car ride. Isaac instantly approved. And as longtime advocates of public radio, Kimberly and Al were delighted.
Even if a song is new to him, Isaac can make a connection to something he already knows. Al explains that if they put on any of the other movements from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” Isaac will say, “Oh, this sounds like the Springtime song.” Even Isaac's Kinder-Music teacher was impressed when she put on music in class one day and Isaac correctly yelled, “The Blue Danube!”
Isaac likes classical music so much, he's now passing his passion along. For instance, he taught his friends the art of conducting at his third birthday party.
Through it all, his mom insists that it is Isaac who ispires his parents to learn about the classics, not the the other way around.
“I’ve learned so much about different composers because of him,” Kimberly says.
***
Kristen Forbes is a freelance writer living in Portland, OR. To view her blog, visit www.krissymick.blogspot.com
Kristen Forbes is a freelance writer living in Portland, OR. To view her blog, visit www.krissymick.blogspot.com
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