I would like to share our family’s 2020-2021 Classical Music listening guide. Our family loves listening to music together! Like our own native tongue, we learn to appreciate and understand the language of music through consistent and intentional exposure. Kids are naturally drawn to music and are eager learners and listeners. My husband & I are huge advocates for studying a musical instrument, but before beginning applied lessons, a child must want to study music. And, in my opinion, the best way to foster a love of music is to immerse them in the language of music through listening to great works of music.
our Classical Music listening Guide
Download our free 2020-2021 Classical Music Listening Guide here.
Each year, I put together a Classical Music listening guide for our family {and my dear piano students} to enjoy. It is always a delightful experience for us to travel through a musical style or genre of music together. This year I’ve chosen to use Classics for Kids as a framework for our tour through Classical music. If you haven’t used it before, Classics for Kids is a fantastic music appreciation resource for kids. All of their resources are free and introduce kids to musical periods, famous composers and their works, and musical genres.
This year, our Classical Music listening guide will cover musical works and composers from the 1700’s through the 1900’s over 32 weeks. For each weekly module, I recommend listening to the introductory podcast followed by a selected musical piece. In addition, there is an activity sheet and extra enrichment activity to round out your learning.
how to incorporate music appreciation in your homeschool
Download our 2020-2021 Classical Music Listening Guide here.
I recommend choosing one day each week to listen, discuss, and complete enrichment activities.
1.First, listen to the introductory podcast that describes the composer and their compositional style.
2. Next, play the recommended piece of music and encourage your child to listen actively in a quiet space. They might want to close their eyes or lay on the floor with their head down.
3. After listening, discuss musical elements such as:
- What is the mood of the music?
- Do you hear themes in the music return? The architectural plan of a musical piece is called the form and often includes recurring themes.
- Which instruments do you hear? Learn more about musical instruments here.
- Describe the dynamics (quiet, loud) you hear ?
- What is the tempo (speed of the beat) of the music?
- What type of rhythm patterns do you hear?
4. Next, give your child a piece of paper and art supplies and as they listen a second time and ask them to draw or write about what they hear. You might want to collect your child’s projects and create a notebook.
5. Finally, consider completing the activity sheet and extra enrichment activity on another day to extend your music appreciation studies throughout the week.
If your child is particularly interested in a composer or piece, take some time to dig deeper. Classics for Kids has additional podcasts for each composer and a huge library of recommended books, games, and videos that you can access for free here. Consider going to YouTube or checking out CD’s from the library to listen to the music of each composer in more depth.
I hope your homes are filled with beautiful music this year. Happy listening!
Download our free 2020-2021 Classical Music Listening Guide here.
32-week classical music listening guide with links
Week 1 What is the Baroque Period podcast |
Week 2 Composer: J.S. Bach podcast and quiz Work: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: Movement 1 Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Story of the Brandenberg Concertos podcast and quiz |
Week 3 Composer: G.F. Handel podcast and quiz Work: Watermusic: Hornpipe Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Story of Handel’s Water Music podcast and quiz |
Week 4 Composer: A. Vivaldi podcast and quiz Work: Four Seasons: Spring Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Poetry and Sound Effects in Vivaldi’s Spring Concerto podcast and quiz |
Week 5 What is Classical Music podcast |
Week 6 |
Week 7 Composer: F.J. Haydn podcast and quiz Work: Symphony no. 45 Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Father of the Symphony podcast and quiz |
Week 8 Composer: W.A.Mozart podcast and quiz Work: Piano Sonata No.11: Turkish Rondo Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: What is a Rondo podcast and quiz |
Week 9 What is the Romantic Period podcast |
Week 10 Composer: G. Bizet podcast and quiz Work: L’Arlésienne Suite Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Harmonic Texture in the Farandole podcast and quiz |
Week 11 Composer: J. Brahms podcast and quiz Work: Hungarian Dance No. 5 Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Brahms Hungarian Dances podcast and quiz |
Week 12 Composer: F. Chopin podcast and quiz Work: Polonaise in A Major: No. 1, “Military” Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Famous Pianist-Composers podcast and quiz |
Week 13 Composer: A. Dvorak podcast and quiz Work: Slavonic Dance No. 7 Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Music Nationalism circa 1848 podcast and quiz |
Week 14 Composer: E. Grieg podcast and quiz Work: The Peer Gynt Suite: In the Hall of the Mountain King Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Story of Peer Gynt podcast and quiz |
Week 15 Composer: F. Mendelssohn podcast and quiz Work: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Scherzo Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: A Midsummer Night’s Dream podcast and quiz |
Week 16 Composer: M. Mussorskgy podcast and quiz Work: Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Pictures at an Exhibition podcast and quiz View Hartmann’s Art Pieces from the Jacksonville Symphony |
Week 17 Composer: N. Rimsky-Korsakov podcast and quiz Work: Flight of the Bumblebee Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Tale of Tsar Saltan podcast and quiz |
Week 18 Composer: G. Rossini podcast and quiz Work: William Tell Overture: Finale Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Story of William Tell podcast and quiz |
Week 19 Composer: F. Schubert podcast and quiz Work: Marche Militaire Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Music for Piano Four Hands podcast and quiz |
Week 20 Composer: R. Schumann podcast and quiz Work: Album for the Young: The Happy Farmer Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Clara Schumann podcast and quiz |
Week 21 Composer: P.I. Tchaikovsky podcast and quiz Work: Nutcracker: Russian Dance Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Nutcracker podcast and quiz |
Week 22 Composer: G. Verdi podcast and quiz Work: Aida: Triumphal March Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Story of Aida podcast and quiz |
Week 23 What is Impressionist Music podcast Impressionism Art Slideshow from Slideshare |
Week 24 Composer: C. Debussy biography Work: Claire de Lune Extra Enrichment: Listen to Suite Bergamasque |
Week 25 Composer: Read about M. Ravel Work: Bolero Extra Enrichment: Listen to Pavane for an Infant Princess for Piano |
Week 26 Composer: B. Britten podcast and quiz Work: Simple Symphony: Playful Pizzicato Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Simple Symphony podcast and quiz |
Week 27 Composer: A. Copeland podcast and quiz Work: Appalachian Spring: Variations on a Shaker Tune Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: What is a Fanfare podcast and quiz |
Week 28 Composer: G. Gershwin podcast and quiz Work: Rhapsody in Blue: Andante Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Rhapsody in Blue podcast and quiz |
Week 29 Composer: D. Kabalevsky podcast and quiz Work: The Comedians: Galop Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Comedians Suite podcast and quiz |
Week 30 Composer: Zoltán Kodály podcast and quiz Work: Háry János Suite: Viennese Musical Clock Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Kodály Method podcast and quiz |
Week 31 Composer: S. Prokofiev podcast and quiz Work: Lt. Kijé Suite: Troika Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: Peter and the Wolf podcast and quiz |
Week 32 Composer: I. Stravisky podcast and quiz Work: The Firebird: Infernal Dance Activity Sheet Extra Enrichment: The Firebird podcast and quiz |