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MUSICAL MINDS
A HARMONIOUS LEARNING BLOG FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS & PARENTS
Welcome to "Musical Minds," the harmonious learning blog for primary school teachers and parents brought to you by Music Kids Academy. Our blog is a resourceful hub where you can explore the world of music education for young learners. With our experienced team of music educators, we bring you a collection of articles, tips, and tricks that will guide you in incorporating music education into your child's daily life. From the benefits of music education to the latest trends in teaching techniques, our blog is the ultimate guide for primary school teachers and parents looking to nurture a child's love for music. Join us on this musical journey and watch as your child's love for music grows!
Hidden Musicians of History: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀: Frederick the Great
Frederick II of Prussia. Military genius. Absolute monarch. Relentless expansionist. And, rather inconveniently for the tough-guy image, a serious flautist. Frederick didn’t dabble. He practised daily. He performed regularly. He even composed over a hundred flute sonatas and concertos. This is the same man who spent decades at war, reshaped Europe through force, and ran one of the most disciplined armies in history. Yet every evening, without fail, he would sit down and
Hidden Musicians of History: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰: Leonardo da Vinci
Today’s hidden musician isn’t hidden because he was obscure. He’s hidden because we talk about everything else first. Paintings. Anatomy. Flying machines. Notebooks that look like the ramblings of a time-traveler. But Leonardo da Vinci was also a serious musician. So serious, in fact, that when he arrived at the court of Milan, he wasn’t hired as an artist. He was hired as a musical performer. Leonardo was an accomplished lutenist, known for improvising so beautifully th
Hidden Musicians of History Month: Boudicca
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 Boudicca — the warrior queen who nearly kicked Rome clean out of Britain… and who also, rather gloriously, sang. Not in a “lute by the fireside” way. Not in a “courtly entertainment” way. But in the fierce, spine-tightening Celtic tradition where leaders used music as a weapon. The Celts believed song carried power — literal power. War cries were sung. Rituals were sung. Laments were sung. Even strate
Hidden Musicians of History Month: BlackBeard
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 Boudicca — the warrior queen who nearly kicked Rome clean out of Britain… and who also, rather gloriously, sang. Not in a “lute by the fireside” way. Not in a “courtly entertainment” way. But in the fierce, spine-tightening Celtic tradition where leaders used music as a weapon. The Celts believed song carried power — literal power. War cries were sung. Rituals were sung. Laments were sung. Even strate
Hidden Musicians of History Month: Ramses II
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗵 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮. Ramses II, the long-reigning pharaoh who built temples the size of shopping centres and carved his own face into every cliff in Egypt. He was also a performer. Ancient Egypt treated music as a vital part of public life. Festivals, parades, coronations, prayers, harvest rituals, military celebrations, funerals, victories. All of them were filled with music. harps, flutes, percussion, chant and dance. Ramses
Hidden Musicians of History Month: Nero
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱: Nero 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗼 "𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱" 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱: Nero Nero. Rome’s most unhinged emperor, part-time tyrant, full-time wannabe rockstar. Most people know him for the fire of AD 64, the executions, the paranoia, the spectacularly high body count… But fewer people know that Nero had one overwhelming passion: Music. Not as a patron. Not as a casual plucker of strings.
Hidden Musicians Of History: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝘇𝘇 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱: Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States, the man who authorised the Marshall Plan, reshaped post-war Europe, and apparently… played the piano like he meant it. Truman wasn’t a “polished politician who occasionally plonked at the keys.” He was the real deal. He took piano lessons for over a decade. He practised two hours a day as a teenager. He genuinely imagined a future career in music before politics swallowed him whole. And here’s the part that surprises p
Hidden Musicians of History Month: King David
Yes, that David 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗳 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗢𝗳 Goliath-slaying, giant-rock-throwing, eventual-king-of-Israel David. You’re absolutely right that he’s not in the Christmas story as a walk-on character, but he sits at the very root of it — the entire Nativity narrative emphasises that Jesus is “of the House of David.” So, in December, he’s basically the great-great-great-great-(x28)-grandfather cameo nobody talks about. But
Hidden Musicians of History. Marie Antoinette: The "Let Them Eat Cake" Musician
𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻: Marie Antoinette Yes. "Let them eat cake" Marie Antoinette. The woman history paints as a powdered, pampered disaster. Turns out she was… a musician. A harpist, a singer, and — according to her tutors — genuinely talented. She even hosted small musical salons at Versailles, performing chamber works with her ladies-in-waiting (imagine Bridgerton, but with more political denial and better wigs). Her real teacher? Christoph Wil
Hidden Musicians of History: 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗮 — The Composer Columbus Didn’t Want You to Know About
December is “Hidden Musicians of History” month. Each day, we’re shining a light on the kings, queens, rebels, revolutionaries, villains, visionaries, and everyday geniuses who secretly shaped the world through music. From forgotten composers erased by conquest, to rulers who wrote songs in between battles, to creatives history tried (and failed) to hide… we’re bringing their stories back into the open. Because when you discover who actually made music — and why they did —
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