Proud Mama

I recently checked out a copy of the soundtrack for Carmen from the library and played it in the car for the kids.  Okay, maybe not just for the kids.  But they were in the car too.

As the overture started, I prompted them to recognize the familiar melodies and asked if they could just imagine a line of dancers, the ladies kicking their feet up over their heads.  I've never seen a staging of Carmen, so I don't know if that's what happens when the theme is played in the fourth act, but it certainly sounds like it to me.

The kids were soon enjoying the music, and asking what was happening in the story.  Cat read to us from the notes in the CD pamphlet and we tried to guess what was going on.  It was fun to share that time with the kids.

After listening to parts of that CD for a few days, the overture came on and I switched it to a different track.  Luke was really upset.  "I want to hear the ladies kicking their legs!" he cried.  How could I refuse a request like that?  And later on when Cat was in the car, as soon as we started driving, she changed the track number to Habanera, before she even realized that I'd put in a different CD.  Once again, I didn't want her to be disappointed, so I quickly got Carmen back out.

After we'd been listening to Carmen for a week or so, Eliza and her friends in the Kindergarten carpool were being really loud and I decided to turn on some music to hopefully distract them from their game of chanting at each stoplight on the way to school.  I pulled out the CD and put in a Disney mix album.  Once Eliza saw me getting ready to turn on some music she told her friends, "It's opera.  My Mom ALWAYS makes us listen to opera!"  They were all pleasantly surprised to hear "Colors of the Wind" start playing, and the kids were much quieter.

I can't imagine listening to opera all the time - I like too many different kinds of music - but I'm glad that my kids can at least enjoy it with me in small doses.