I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day weekend. We had a lovely day with a nice BBQ and swim and time with family...



Welcome to The Chic Assignment Check-in for June. We are going to discover lesser-known aspects about both Mozart's and Mary Cassatt's life.

⚜️ Chic Assignment No. 1 W.A.Mozart Horn Concerto Nr.3 KV.447 in E flat major I.Allegro
Mozart's famous horn concerto really brought peace to my month. How did you enjoy listening to it? Today, I read to you from this excellent article on Mental Floss with 13 facts on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's short, and fascinating life.

Here is a performance by by Radek Baborák


⚜️ Chic Assignment no. 2 Enjoy the art of Mary Cassatt

Today, we learn of Mary Cassatt's inspiring biography and how she became a world-renowned artist despite her family's disapproval of her chosen path.


Young Mother Sewing, 1900 by Mary Cassatt

Which Mary Cassatt painting is your favorite?

⚜️ Chic Assignment no. 3 Begin to use one elegant thing you own, but hardly ever use. This month, I enjoyed using my lemon loaf pan and I plan to use my brooch more.



⚜️ Chic Assignment no. 4 Spend meaningful time outdoors When we do go outside we can be preoccupied with our thoughts or our smartphones. Let's try to spend some meaningful time outdoors this month, if you are able to go outside.



I finally finished Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. What an excellent biography. I highly recommend it. I have moved on to the audio version of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Featured: My earrings are SKYE Lea pearl earrings. JenniferS for 20% off

I hope you enjoy today's video.

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📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.) I often discuss more controversial and sensitive issues on memberships, that do not make it to YouTube and last month we had a great Zoom call with all of the participants.

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Regarding last week's homemaking video, LadySpinster writes, "My goodness! Even after the stress of reading American news, this has me SO RELAXED! I'm even breathing more deeply! Ahhhh! Love from The Hague!"


Thank you, LadySpinster! I am glad that the videos are bringing you peace at this time.

I hope you enjoyed The Chic Assignment check-in. Let us know what your experience has been with #TheChicAssignment and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.


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Welcome to The Chic Assignment for June, 2020. Before we begin, I would like to thank you as our channel has reached over 80,000 subscribers! This is a big milestone for my small channel and I appreciate each and every one of you who has subscribed. Thank you very much for your support of The Daily Connoisseur.



There are so many horrible things going on in the world right now... I hope The Chic Assignment provides a respite for you. Let's take a look at this month's assignments:

⚜️ Chic Assignment No. 1 W.A.Mozart Horn Concerto Nr.3 KV.447 in E flat major I.Allegro
Can you believe we haven't studied Mozart yet? Well, there's no time like the present. This month we are going to enjoy one of Mozart's famous horn concertos.

Here is a performance by by Radek Baborák


We will study Mozart's biography in the mid-month check-in.


⚜️ Chic Assignment no. 2 Enjoy the art of Mary Cassatt


Young Mother Sewing, 1900 by Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt is the American impressionist painter who loved to portray women in both social and intimate settings. Enjoy her artwork this month and observe her beautiful paintings.

Here is a great article on how Mary Cassatt painted domestic life in a way that Impressionist males couldn't.

We will go more in-depth into her paintings in the mid-month check-in.

⚜️ Chic Assignment no. 3 Begin to use one elegant thing you own, but hardly ever use. For examples, please see my video here and look forward to a new video this month with part 2.

⚜️ Chic Assignment no. 4 Spend meaningful time outdoors When we do go outside we can be preoccupied with our thoughts or our smartphones. Let's try to spend some meaningful time outdoors this month, if you are able to go outside.

As for books, I am still reading (but almost done with) Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.

Thank you for joining me for The Chic Assignment this month. I hope you will invite a friend who would love to add culture and beauty to their life.

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📍Thank you for 80,000 subscribers on YouTube! I appreciate you very much.

📍Take my new eCourse, Carry Yourself with Poise. There are so many amazing ladies on this course, bonding and building friendships as we rally around elegant living. Tamara writes, "I absolutely adored this course! One of the best investments I have ever made in my life. Jennifer, I would like to thank you for taking the time to create a course that is enriching. I look forward future courses."

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.) I often discuss more controversial and sensitive issues on memberships, that do not make it to YouTube and last month we had a great Zoom call with all of the participants.

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

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Lessons from Madame Chic : 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris - Jennifer L. Scott 5k/📖 Cr : Pinterest #jenniferlscott #lessonsfrommadamechic

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Comment of the Week
pneu writes, "Delighting in the mundane is so important; thank you for sharing. We can view the innumerable tasks that make up our day as tedious, or we can choose mindfulness and take interest in the details.

Your grin as you ducked through the grape arbor reminded me of an interaction I had the other day: an acquaintance politely mocked me for my enthusiasm about the small things in life, like a bright blue robin's egg in the forest near my home, the smell of clean laundry, and my unvaried cup of coffee that delights me every morning. I just smiled and thought, "Yes, but I'm so much happier than you are..."

As a word nerd, I was interested to discover that 'mundane' comes from the Latin for 'world'. It is the mundane that makes up our world and proves a daily testing ground for character, kindness, and joy. Like you, I choose joy!

P.S. I'm delighted that your toenails look like ripe strawberries. :)"


Thank you... I loved your comment! And yes, I realize after you commented that my toes did look like strawberries :)

Thank you for joining us for The Chic Assignment for June. I look forward to hearing your observations. Tag me on social media with #thechicassignment


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With much of today's popular music being so dumbed-down and full of vapid lyrics at best, and violent and sexually explicit lyrics at worst, exposing your children to classical music is now more important than ever. In today's video, I make a case for why you should play classical music in your home and while you're driving. Of course, it's not the only type of music you should play, but if you introduce it to them while they are young, they will cultivate an appreciation for it now and be able to discern between enriching music and music that leaves a lot to be desired.

Here are some tips outlined in today's video:
- Play classical music in the car and play it in the home.

- Play it whether you feel like listening to it or not. If you only played it when you felt like listening to it, you might not play it very much.

- Regular listening will help them develop a love for it. The only reason why I like classical music is because I heard it in my home growing up and it gives me positive connotations.

- Much of popular music today is dumbed-down with repetitive, simplistic beats. Plus the lyrics are down right wrong in many popular songs. Do we want our children to sing those songs and have those lyrics in their head? While this might not be a popular opinion of mine, it has a lot of merit. Check out the lyrics of the songs on the top 40 lists across the country and truly examine whether you want your children to be saying the words in those songs.

- Not only listen to classical music, but learn about the composer's lives. Many of the great composers like Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Bach were true geniuses who cultivated their musical skills early in life.



Did you know that Mozart was writing his own compositions by the age of 6?! He wrote his first opera, Mitridate Re di Ponto, in 1770 when he was only 14 years old.



Chopin was composing and writing poetry at six, and gave his first public concerto performance at the age of eight. To make money in his early career, Chopin taught piano lessons. He was a big fan of Bach, so he made his students play Bach's compositions.



Did you know that Johann Sebastian Bach had 20 children? (How did he have time to compose? No seriously?)



Your homework is to listen to Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor "Moonlight" Op. 27 No. 2 : III presto agitato. Click the link and listen to it on YouTube for free. I also list an album below which includes the song.

Now please note, before my critics get up in arms, I am not saying that all modern music is bad. Certainly not! I am saying that it is important to hold on to the appreciation of classical music, which has so many beneficial qualities. Playing classical music will instantly relax you. Your children will work and play longer if they are listening to classical music in the background. It stimulates your thinking and can boost your creativity. I have written most of my books while listening to classical music. It is a great motivator!

I am a big fan of Classical KUSC, which is a free public radio station that you can listen to on the radio at 91.5, or online any time of day. They are a listener- supported station, so there are no advertisements. I believe what they do is important, so I am a sustaining member at Classical KUSC.

Of course, you can listen to classical music many other ways, including over iTunes, Pandora, or dig out some old CDs that you likely have in your music collection. Whatever you do, commit to listening to more of it today. It will enrich your life for the better. I promise!

Here are some great albums to get you introduced to classical music:


Beethoven Best-Loved Piano Sonatas This is one of my favorite albums with the famous Moonlight Sonata included. The song I mention in the video, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor "Moonlight" Op. 27 No. 2 : III presto agitato is also number 3 on this album.



Laser Light Classics Ave Maria This is such a beautiful album and every song is truly magnificent.


Joshua Bell Romance of the Violin This album is full of romantic violin classics, beautifully played by Joshua Bell.


The Essential Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma is the world's most famous cellist and in this classic album, he plays a variety of composers, the perfect introduction to classical music.

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Thank you, ladies! I am so happy you have enjoyed the course! I am really enjoying the dialogue in the comments from the ten-item wardrobe community!

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Comment of the Week
Regarding last week's post Let's Talk About Adulting, Life on Huckleberry Hill writes:
Adult privileges and adult responsibilities used to come hand in hand. Having worked in the field of Early Childhood Education for many years, it has been my observation that this is often no longer the case. Privileges that used to be reserved for adulthood are being given at earlier and earlier ages, while responsibility in general seems to be increasingly delayed. I have also noticed a shift in the way adults speak to children about growing up. There seem to be a lot of comments about how children should enjoy their freedom while they can, etc. Rather than looking forward to becoming a grown-up, as children typically used to, they now seem to dread it and delay the inevitable acceptance of responsibility as long as possible.

I thought your comment was very astute! I will be addressing the adulting critics in Thursday's video. I hope to see you all there!

Today I would love to know... what do you think of today's popular music? How do you feel about your children singing lyrics from popular songs? What is your favorite genre of music? Who is your favorite composer? Do you play classical music? How and when? Let me know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog!

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Determined to learn Alla Turca on my summer break. Slowly but surely I'm getting there. When I learn it do you want me to play it for you on YouTube? #Mozart #SeekOutTheArts

A photo posted by Jennifer L. Scott (@dailyconnoisseur) on Aug 4, 2015 at 1:08pm PDT

This summer I asked if you'd like me to play Mozart's Alla Turca for you and you gave a resounding yes! I worked on it over my summer break and today I perform it for you. It's not perfect. In fact, it's a little clumsy, but that is not the point. The point is that it's a great thing to challenge and push yourself. To cultivate your mind and not only seek out the arts but create them yourself. To pick up a worthwhile hobby. This keeps us our minds sharp. It gives us achievable goals and a sense of accomplishment. We better society by bettering and pushing ourselves.

Now without further ado, here is my performance of Mozart's Alla Turca.



If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog or subscribe to my YouTube channel to have the videos instantly emailed to you at www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

If you feel inspired to share your art via YouTube or blog post be sure to let me know! Use the hashtag #MADAMECHIC #seekoutthearts Let's encourage each other to raise our standards and challenge ourselves.

Comment of the Week

Laura B. writes:

Dear Jennifer,

You have little time to read all the letters you receive. I understand as a pediatrician your time is limited and valuable. Quickly, your books and blog have me dressing tastefully for my job rather than wearing scrubs. Thank you (say my patients). Your recent post hit home to me and I must write even if you don't read. I have played piano since very young also, so glad that in college I FINALLY didn't have to take lessons. I have not lifted much of a finger since until now. At 38 I'm realizing (maybe as you) what a special thing this is that I can do... that is a secret and maybe unattainable to most that know me. My grandmother played beautifully; my mother missed the trait. She poignantly says I play like "Tine" (christine) even though I never saw her play (she was paralyzed with Lou Gehrig's dz). 6 months ago I splurged on a used Steinway upright and once delivered, sat down with it and cried at the sound that I had forgotten I could make. I grew up learning Chopin, Bach, and the classics only (which I love). Right now I have pulled 'Laura' from a stack of Tine's favorite movie/show tunes, which happens to be how my name was chosen. Learning the tune- so, thanks for your inspiration and Aspiration to be better than is required.

Sincerely,
Laura

Laura, I loved your message to me. Thank you! Your grandmother would be very proud of you.


Artistic Recommendation

Celia on YouTube writes:

I have a great book to recommend that exposes the reader to great composers and their influence. It's called "THE GIFT OF MUSIC" by Smith and Carlson. Very readable. Enjoy.

Thank you, Celia, for your recommendation!

See you all next week...

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