Parents, Grandparents, Teachers, Music Teachers: That Is Our Pedagogical Approach

When fun and education go "hand in hand", that's when you transfer knowledge most effectively. However: You have known that for a long time.

It goes without saying that we – that is me as the publisher of various Bach offers and my husband as the author of his reading offers, music calendars and Bach websites – would like to address adults first with the books for children: namely fathers and mothers, grandparents, godparents, uncles and aunts, and above all educators, that is teachers and especially music teachers. Actually, this reference is self-evident and thus almost superfluous.

It is completely different with the general concept, which should "transport" Bach. That is, in general, our mission around Johann Sebastian Bach goes a completely opposite way than the excellent approaches of other people with this goal do and did, today ... and also in the past. That is, with our offers for the very youngest we hope to turn one or the other interested kid into a very young Bach fan. If this succeeds 1 to 10.000, then our goal is already reached. In particular, we want to give teachers exciting material with my husband's project, "Bach on Bach", which tries to transform an otherwise rather dry subject into entertainment.

The pedagogical approach with the Bach Biography for Children is rather not to destroy anything while trying to bring classical music closer to children.  And this also applies in the case of a book – here a biography – about an exciting personality. In the Biography about Bach for Children, at first many, many names are extremely reduced. No matter how important the four famous sons may be, to mention their names would be like not mentioning them at all. Thus, however, "they do not demand to remain remembered at all". Important names, on the other hand, are repeated more often than necessary in the context of the story and the interaction of the amusing baroque angels. Twice, three times, several times. This happens in wide intervals in order to increase the adhesion value unnoticed, to remember key values, if the demand is not too extreme. Helpful here is also the suspense arc, which, like in modern TV series, announces the tension of the next chapter, but nevertheless does not end negatively. Since Balthasar tells the story of the composer to Veit, it is quite possible to explain borderline terms in a child-friendly way within the story. Unfamiliar words, however, are deliberately little included but on the other hand deliberately not avoided. And now, would you like to learn more and off to the store?

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These two creative people started the book with their job: Peter Bach Jr. is the author, his sister Petra-Ines Kaune painted the wonderful watercolors. They left "the rest" to me. And that is now done. Since the summer of 2021 you can buy the timeless Bach Biography for Kids also in English.

We Want to Spread Bach's Work and Life

The approach of the whole project around Bach builds on quite own experience, which introduced us both late, very late to the matter of "classical music". If you try – in a first approach – the wrong work of classical music "tried", it can actually "cover the need for a lifetime".

Our approach is different: We do not want to spoil a first contact with this "universe". As for a young little plant, we want to offer and "administer" the topic of Bach in consumable units at the beginning.  This means that the choice of music pieces must be a selected well-known collection, the first acquaintance with the life of the musical genius must be exciting, not comprehensive. And the whole subject must begin via a high entertainment value, today. 

However, it is important to integrate the facts correctly. It is the basic prerequisite, of course. But then immediately completely different criteria play a role. The life of Johann Sebastian Bach can also be offered excitingly. One can also leave aside most of his divine works. One can "sell" Bach's life like that of Robinson Crusoe. Everything else is left to the children anyway, who then decide whether they would like to know more about Bach's life, get closer to his music, or simply learn about the phenomenon of "this and that" from the websites of our project, in order to shine here and there with their knowledge. So, now to the store?

The Bach Biography for Children is a pure family production. There are still many creative people in this family of musicians today. Some of them are musicians and other Bachs love to paint. There are music teachers, organists, conductors and even a violinist who today is the only one of this Bach family who earns her living by playing an instrument. You do know the lady on the left above meanwhile. Besides, that's me, Renate Bach.

This Bach Biography Is Different Compared to 700 Bach Biographies in 250 Years Before

Of course, any book for children probably claims this pedagogical approach. So what is different? The subject of Johann Sebastian Bach is highly complicated, and unfortunately so in every respect. No area is "easy going". Dry matter has to be specially prepared for children, the characters have to be reduced to an overview, and the places and cities in the master's life have to be commented on.

With around 200 musicians, the Bachs are by far the most famous and largest musical family on earth. In the Bach Biography for Children, they are reduced to extremely few people. In general, only very few people are listed by name at all. It's simply not the life section of kids to confuse them with so many music-making Bach relatives. These few names, however, often appear – repetitively – three or four times. So that an automatic repetition of extremely few, but important events and also persons in Bach's life arises. Balthasar and Veit take over this part without these repetitions appearing annoying.

That's what my husband does when he's not writing, that is, writing a lot. He likes to take pictures. He likes to take a lot of pictures. Here, a street artist who painted us a caricature of Johann Sebastian Bach in Paris right behind the "confectioner's church" Sacré-Coeur. That was at a time when we still thought in all seriousness that Bach was only painted by Elias Gottlob Haußmann. Right, and at that time it probably didn't occur to us at all that you could also simply google Bach pictures ... as we do with all other searches.

Pointing out and then illuminating pitfalls is also one of the objectives of this book. Explicit reference is made – for example – to the similarity of the similar-sounding places Wechmar and Weimar. Or Lüneburg and Lübeck. About the fact that Johann Sebastian Bach had twenty children, but only half of them grew up. And he was one of eight children. Or about why not everything in life always goes according to plan, even if it turns out that in one discipline – just like Bach – you are not only the best on earth, but also "of all time".

Historical contexts are very carefully inserted into the material and explained. What is baroque? What are principalities? How did people travel back then? There is talk of serfs and that you could actually be thrown into prison for stubbornness, and indeed that this happened to Bach.

The story is a cool, fun and enjoyable week in the life of the two very best friends forever: Balthasar and Veit. With laptop, game console and reference to the present, the connection between the modern life of today's kids, the togetherness of the two baroque angels and the events between 1600 and 1800 is an unusual and surprising mixture of "...  there's no such thing" and an arc of suspense. 

Maybe this little biography will even manage to inspire children as well as parents and grandparents, who will also get to know Johann Sebastian Bach in this way ... and in a highly entertaining way. This was not the way it was conceived, but it seems to be the case after some feedback from adults. 

Now you know the whole story behind the Bach Biography for Children and by now also for adults ... and you would now like to click to the shop? Of course, that also works best here.

Just take a nice picture? But not my husband. Why don't you click on "Bach on Bach" and get to know him there. Between the lines.

Pipe Organ Calendars, Composers Calendars, Bach Calendars, Music Calendars: That ... Is "Bach 4 You"

This composers calendar was one of the first music calendars of the still young Renate Bach publishing house "Bach 4 You". It is available in three sizes. And ... it belongs to the nine value priced music calendars of the publishing house. In addition to it, there are 32 more composers calendars. These are together three value priced and 30 "hot off the press" ... that makes a total of 33 cool ... composer calendars.

A Bach calendar, a Bach T-shirt.

A small final reminder: millions of gifts, thousands of music gifts. Please click here.

Two music gifts: the Bach Beer Stein from 1985 and the 2024 Pipe Organ Calendar of the Publishing House. Both a cool idea when you have friends who love classical music. And here you get to the shop again.

Renate Bach Publishing "Bach 4 You” – Bildstrasse 25, 74223 Flein / Germany – Phone: +49 7131 576761 – info (at) bach4you.de