# Help children learn more about classical music



## CdL (Aug 18, 2006)

I am a music co-ordinator in a primary school. I have only been in the role for a short amount of time but have introduced to assemblies a game so that the chidlren listen to the music more carefully when they come into assembly. 

What I have done so far is Guess the Animal ( listening to the Carnival of the animals and children guess which animal they think the music is portraying). I have also done guess the planet, and guess the country, and guess what the music is advertising.

I would now like to do themes like the weather, insects, fairy tale characters, nursery rhyme characters or even any other ideas for themes. Please does anybody have any suggestions of what pieces of music I could use for any of these themes.

Thank you for your help


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## rojo (May 26, 2006)

The kids might like these-

Johann Strauss- The Thunder and Lightning Polka
J. P. Sousa- The Thunderer March

The only things that kind of jump to mind about fairytale/nursery rhyme characters are from operas; not sure the kids would like that-

La Cenerentola (Cinderella)- Rossini
Hansel und Gretel- Humperdinck?
Ma Mère l`Oye (Mother Goose)- Maurice Ravel (not opera)

That`s off the top of my head.


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## rojo (May 26, 2006)

Here are some more-

Chopin- 'Raindrop' Prelude for piano.
Debussy- from La Mer, Dialogue du vent et de la mer (Dialog between the wind and the ocean; approximate translation)
Grofe- from Grand Canyon Suite, Cloudburst

I think there are a few piano pieces about butterflies etc....


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## CdL (Aug 18, 2006)

Fantastic! Thank you so much. If you think of anymore please let me know, but that certainly gets me off to a good start.

Thanks again.


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## Mr Salek (Apr 11, 2006)

I remember doing the four Seasons and being asked what we thought was being portrayed. We also did Smetana's Vltava on the same basis in connection with our project on rivers as it encorporated all the major parts of it.


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## rojo (May 26, 2006)

Thought of another one- Rimsky-Korsakov`s Flight of the Bumblebee

How about scary music? Not sure what you could do with that, but there`s-

The Sorcerer`s Apprentice by Dukas
Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky
Danse Macabre by Saint Saens

Maybe for Oct. 31st?


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## Mr Salek (Apr 11, 2006)

You could maybe show them Fantasia? That was one of the earliest musical experiences I had.


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## CdL (Aug 18, 2006)

Scary music around Halloween - they will love that. I shall certainly use the Four Seasons and link it to weather. I also thought of Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty - Tchaikovsky.

Thank you for all your superb ideas.


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## SchubertObsessive (Aug 15, 2006)

Peter and the Wolf, because the narrative and music are linked in a way that is accessible. And it's fun and vivid.

Bit obvious, sorry.


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## Mr Salek (Apr 11, 2006)

Ah yes, I did that too in primary school. We had a tape where it went through each instrument and what it represented. Good for learning the names and sounds of instruments.


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## rojo (May 26, 2006)

Just to say, I stumbled on a piano piece about butterflies as I had mentioned; it`s 'Papillons' by Robert Schumann.


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## rojo (May 26, 2006)

More piano music- Sergei Prokofieff- from Music For Children, op. 65-

No.7 Parade of the Grasshoppers


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## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

Scheherezade by Rimsky-Korsikoff. I wish I had heard that music as a kid. It has a certain magic to it that I'm sure children would love. You could read them the story of the One-Hundred-and-One Nights while they're listening to it.


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## CdL (Aug 18, 2006)

*Thank you*

Thank you all so much for your replies. The children are loving the music and learning lots,
Thank you


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## Hexameron (Oct 7, 2006)

I don't know if you would be interested in this kind of thing, but there's a website that promotes classical music education for children: http://www.classicsforkids.com/

It has an easy-to-understand musical dictionary, it has "radio" programs of shows that teach fun and substantial facts about each composer from Bach to Joplin. Under the games section, there's a composer game that involves listening to these "radio" shows after you select certain composers. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I listened to all of them and learned a thing or two... or twenty!

You might want to check this out, CdL.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Thanks for the suggestions folks. I will look into introducing these pieces to my daughter. And I think that she will be happy.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

You can't shove it down their throats. That will push them away.

Best thing one can do, IMHO is by example. Let them hear YOU listening to it. Have it play softly at family dinner time.

If they get it, fine. If they don't, accept it.


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

fairy tales? 
Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture
Any Wagner opera prelude such as: Lohengrin, Tannhauser, Parsifal
Mozart's Magic Flute (opera)


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Excuse the shameless self-promotion but we did do a dvd a few years ago.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I'm going to be the ***hole of the thread here, but I really don't think these type of games are going to help kids learn about music. I'm very interested it music education so this is an important topic to me. Do the kids get the question "wrong" if they don't guess the "right" image? I mean, not only are there going to be kids whose brain doesn't process music in a way that includes elaborate imagery, the kids who do are going to come up with different images from what the composer was thinking. I think it's kind of a dubious aspect to base a music lesson on that doesn't really say much about the music itself (unless you want to teach kids that music should always be "about" something, and those who don't get that lose the game).

Why not come up with a lesson that is more neutral and has more to do with the actual music? Have them clap on every down beat maybe, so they learn about rhythm? Have them identify different instruments in a given piece so they learn about timbre? Teach them basic musical form and have them raise their hand or something when a new section comes up? I think there are lots of lessons like that that will teach them more about music than trying to guess what kind of imagery some composer might have intended their piece to portray, which to me seems very subjective and not very reliable for educational purposes. Though, it might be a fun game to play with your own kids on your personal time (like Albert seems to be thinking about doing).


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

violadude said:


> I'm going to be the ***hole of the thread here, but I really don't think these type of games are going to help kids learn about music. I'm very interested it music education so this is an important topic to me. Do the kids get the question "wrong" if they don't guess the "right" image? I mean, not only are there going to be kids whose brain doesn't process music in a way that includes elaborate imagery, the kids who do are going to come up with different images from what the composer was thinking. I think it's kind of a dubious aspect to base a music lesson on that doesn't really say much about the music itself (unless you want to teach kids that music should always be "about" something, and those who don't get that lose the game).
> 
> Why not come up with a lesson that is more neutral and has more to do with the actual music? Have them clap on every down beat maybe, so they learn about rhythm? Have them identify different instruments in a given piece so they learn about timbre? Teach them basic musical form and have them raise their hand or something when a new section comes up? I think there are lots of lessons like that that will teach them more about music than trying to guess what kind of imagery some composer might have intended their piece to portray, which to me seems very subjective and not very reliable for educational purposes. Though, it might be a fun game to play with your own kids on your personal time (like Albert seems to be thinking about doing).


Thanks violadude, I am definitely avoiding making classical music listening for Izzy seem like a chore. She doesn't have a long attention span yet so mostly it's a matter of letting her do her own thing and have fun with it.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

For very young children, under 7, the main thing is to provide a musical atmosphere; for example, having a mixture of music playing while they're having an art class or PE involving free movement will get them used to the idea that music is a pleasure. I remember that my family had a few classical 78s which they played - Bolero, Operatic Arias, The Ritual Fire Dance - along with the lighter stuff, Perry Como, Nat King Cole and Michael Holliday. (That dates me!) We would have a Gramophone Evening, and my parents and older siblings would be listening or reading, but I would be dancing round the floor. 

For older children, I think Violadude's ideas are fab.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

The storm from Beethoven's Pastoral.
Fairies and the jackass braying in Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream.
The trolls in Pier Gynt
Donkeys in On the Trail from Grand Canyon Suite
March of the Little Lead Soldiers by whomever (not that anyone knows about lead soldiers anymore)
Stravinsky's Circus Polka (also scenes from Petroushka)
A bunch of Leroy Anderson pops pieces (Syncopated Clock, Waltzing Cat, Typewriter, Sleigh Ride)
If they're ready for a story, Til Eulenspiegel.

Then there's Kindertotenlieder . . . oh, never mind


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