The start of another month means it is time for a new Musicianship Monthly post!
What is "Musicianship Monthly?" Each month, I share links to free resources you can use to focus on a specific musicianship skill with your students. (Want to see past skills we have covered? Click HERE!)
This month, we will be continuing our exploration of music history with resources that highlight the Romantic period! Keep reading for fun, accessible resources you can use to introduce your students to this dramatic period in music history....
What is "Musicianship Monthly?" Each month, I share links to free resources you can use to focus on a specific musicianship skill with your students. (Want to see past skills we have covered? Click HERE!)
This month, we will be continuing our exploration of music history with resources that highlight the Romantic period! Keep reading for fun, accessible resources you can use to introduce your students to this dramatic period in music history....
Let's start with an overview of the Romantic period! Here is a handy information sheet that will introduce students of all ages to the main characteristics of this style period and a few of the most important composers living and working during this time.
Be sure to encourage your students to check out the listening examples at the bottom of the page! How many of these famous Romantic compositions do they recognize?
Download your free PDF copy of this information sheet HERE.
Next, here are a few resources from around the web you can use with your students! I've included resources from my own "Free Stuff" page, as well as a few of my favorite sites for finding free resources: Classics for Kids, G Major Music Theory, and Making Music Fun. Many thanks to the creators of these websites for generously providing these free resources!
Note: There are two important composers that bridge the Classical and Romantic periods: Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. I've included them both in my Classical Period post, found HERE, but you can certainly include them in your study of the Romantic period if you like!
Kid-Friendly Biographies
- Biographies and links to podcast shows for many composers from the Romantic period are all available at the Classics for Kids website HERE.
- Several printable biographies of Romantic composers, along with worksheets and games, are available at the Making Music Fun website HERE.
Activity Sheets and Listening Activities
Since Romantic music lends itself so well to story-telling, there are a ton of activity sheets and listening activities available for this time period! I've chosen several of the best-known Romantic composers below, but you can find many more activity sheets on the Classics for Kids website HERE.
- A practice packet for Antonin Dvorák is available on my "Free Stuff" page HERE.
- Johannes Brahms's "Hungarian Dance No. 5" Activity Sheet from the Classics for Kids website: PDF available HERE.
- Frédéric Chopin's "Military Polonaise" Activity Sheet from the Classics for Kids website: PDF available HERE.
- Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" Activity Sheet from the Classics for Kids website: PDF available HERE.
- Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" Activity Sheet from the Classics for Kids website: PDF available HERE.
- Robert Schumann's "Album for the Young" Activity Sheet from the Classics for Kids website: PDF available HERE.
- Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" Activity Sheet from the Classics for Kids website: PDF available HERE.
Free Sheet Music
Grieg
- In the Hall of the Mountain King (elementary) (Arr. Chrissy Ricker) available HERE.
- Morning Song (late elementary) available from G Major Music Theory HERE.
Robert Schumann
- Pieces from "Album for the Young" (intermediate/original form) available at G Major Music Theory HERE.
Tchaikovsky
- Russian Dance from "The Nutcracker" (elementary) (Arr. Chrissy Ricker) available HERE.
- Several pieces at a variety of levels available from Making Music Fun HERE.
Brahms
- "Lullaby" (early intermediate) available from G Major Music Theory HERE.
- "Lullaby" (elementary) and "Waltz in Ab" (early intermediate) available from Making Music Fun HERE.
Chopin
- "Funeral March" (late elementary) available at Making Music Fun HERE.
- "Prelude in C Minor" (intermediate/original form) available from G Major Music Theory HERE.
- "Prelude in A Major" and "Prelude in E Minor" (intermediate/original form) available from G Major Music Theory HERE.
Finally, here is a short, fun video that gives students a quick overview of the Romantic period: Classical FM's Fast and Friendly Guide to the Romantic Era!
What do you think? What resources do you use to introduce your students to the Romantic period? What are your favorite Romantic-era pieces to teach? I would love to hear from you in the comments!
RSS Feed