Category: Fall/Halloween

A Spooky Classical Freebie!

9/28/2019

October is a great time to introduce a few spooky pieces in your studio--and a great way to introduce your students to Classical favorites that they might hear around Halloween!

Today I am sharing a free, elementary-level arrangement of the opening theme from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. This fun piece includes several concepts that are great for elementary students: playing both hands in unison, listening carefully for dynamic contrasts, crossing finger 2 over the thumb, and moving both hands down an octave.

Click HERE or on the picture above to get your free copy. And don't forget to check my Free Stuff page HERE for more fun Halloween music!

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Free "Falling Leaves" Composition Activity

8/18/2019

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It has been a long, hot summer around here. As my studio gears up for the new school year, my thoughts are turning toward fall--cooler weather, changing leaves, and everything pumpkin spice!

With that in mind, I have created a fun, fall-themed composition activity that can be customized for beginning to intermediate students. Use this activity to jump start creative thinking in your beginners, or to review scales and notation on the staff with your returning students.

Click HERE to get all three pages of the "Falling Leaves" composition activity, including an instruction sheet and staff template page for notating each student's composition.

What do you think? Are you planning any special fall activities for your students this year? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!

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A Classical Music Halloween Listening Activity

10/14/2018

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I am always looking for ways to introduce my students to important composers and pieces from the Classical repertoire. With just a couple of weeks left before Halloween, now is a perfect time to use a few spooky Classical pieces to do just that!

Thanks to YouTube, there are plenty of recordings of well-known Classical pieces that are used often around Halloween--your students might recognize them from movies, commercials, or TV shows.

HERE is a fun YouTube playlist of several Halloween favorites that you can share and discuss with your students. My favorites from the playlist include "Toccata in D Minor" by Bach, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Grieg, "Night on Bald Mountain" by Mussorgsky, "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff, and "Danse Macabre" by Saint-Saens.

Encourage your students to listen to the pieces from the playlist, or listen to portions in your lessons over the next two weeks. Ask your students: do any of the pieces sound familiar? Do you recognize the names of any of the composers? What story do you think the composer is telling in each piece?

Listening to these familiar classics can also give students insight into how composers think. What techniques did the composers use to make these pieces sound spooky? As you listen to each piece, ask students to consider the following characteristics:

Mode: This is the most obvious characteristic of spooky music--the use of the minor mode! For a fun experiment, play for your students the opening motive from Bach's Toccata in D minor, first in the original key (D-C-D, C-Bb-A-G-F#-G), then in D major. Just changing two notes makes a big difference! How many pieces on the playlist are in the minor mode?
Instrumentation: The instrument a composer uses for a piece makes a big difference as well. Going back to our Bach example, what if that famous opening melody were played by the tuba instead of the organ? It would sound pretty comical, wouldn't it? The use of the organ in the piece creates an extra layer of meaning, because we often associate the organ with church, funerals, and other solemn occasions. Listen to the drama that is created by Orff's use of both orchestra and choir in "O Fortuna!"
Articulation: Listen to the opening of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and the use of pizzicato strings. Doesn't this staccato sound create a feeling of anticipation, as if Peer Gynt is sneaking through the halls of the Mountain King's castle? The articulation a composer chooses can help tell the story of a piece more effectively.
Dynamics: Is the piece quiet and suspenseful, or loud and dramatic? Or both, as in the opening of "O Fortuna" by Orff? Does the composer use crescendo and diminuendo to create drama? Grieg does this very effectively in "In the Hall of the Mountain King." As you listen to each piece, talk about what role the dynamics play in contributing to the mood of the piece.

What do you think? Do you encourage your students to listen to Classical pieces like these? What are your favorite Classical Halloween pieces? Let me know in the comments!

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A Spooky Classical Freebie!

Free "Falling Leaves" Composition Activity

A Classical Music Halloween Listening Activity

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