new fame. They accepted their renown
with good nature but disliked the film’s
portrayal of their nurturing father,
because the play and movie inaccurately
portrayed their loving father as a stern
martinet.
For Maria von Trapp, The Sound of
Music created a limelight that she could
never escape. She wrote books, lectured,
and was a presence at the Trapp Family
Lodge until her death in 1987. She
interacted with guests, sharing stories
of her remarkable life.;“If God can do
so much for the Trapp Family,” she often
said, “He can do the same for you.”
;
THE VON TRAPP CHILDREN
The Sound of Music still captivates
generations. Now in its forty-fifth year,
the movie is periodically shown on the
ABC Family network. The actors who
portrayed the movie children reunited
with Julie Andrews and Christopher
Plummer on a recent Oprah show,
where the current generation of singing
von Trapps joined them. The von Trapp
Children—Melanie, Sophia, Justin,
and Amanda, now teens—are Werner’s
grandchildren. They have toured the
world as a singing group since 2002
(
www.vontrappchildren.com).;
The kids started harmonizing in their
Montana home. Their parents, Stefan
and Annie, encouraged them. Invitations
arrived to sing at church, homeschool
events, and at Ground Zero, after 9/11.
Their repertoire is a mix of gospel, folk,
classical, and spirituals. Songs from The
Sound of Music are audience pleasers.
The von Trapps regularly fill large concert
venues and sing with symphonies.
The children have always been home-
schooled. “I cannot tell you how well
homeschooling worked for us,” says
Annie von Trapp. “Stefan and I supported
the kids’ performing, and it’s been a
success, right along with their home
education. There’s a lot of uninterrupted
study time on a flight to Seoul, Korea, for
example!”
Stefan von Trapp agrees. “Performing
and homeschooling united us as a family,”
he says. “Our children want to learn. They
realize how fun it is.”;Stefan shouldered
most of the teaching responsibilities.
William Anderson
Author and educator William Anderson
has written or edited more than twenty
books, including V Is for Von Trapp:
A Musical Family Alphabet (Sleeping
Bear Press) and The World of the Trapp
Family (
www.trappfamily.com).; Some of
his other titles for children include; M
Is for Mount Rushmore (Sleeping
Bear), River Boy: The Story of Mark
Twain, Laura Ingalls Wilder Country,
A Little House Guidebook, and Laura
Ingalls Wilder: A Biography (all
published by Harper Collins).;He is a
frequent presenter at schools, libraries,
historical events, and homeschool
conferences.;Visit his website at www
. williamandersonbooks.com.
128 Winter 2010/11 HisStory
www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
