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Musicianship Monthly #19: Fall and Halloween Composing Activities

9/30/2022

10 Comments

 
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October is the perfect time to get your students' creative juices flowing! From the spooky sounds of Halloween, to the changing colors of the trees, there is plenty of inspiration this time of year that you can help your students channel into composing and improvising their own original music.

In this month's edition of "Musicianship Monthly," I will be sharing composition worksheets and improvising templates that will have your students creating their own original music all month long! 

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!

Read on to check out the free resources! 

Fall-Themed Composing and Improvising Resources
Click on the images below to download any of these free worksheets in PDF format.
"The Pumpkin Waltz"

This brand-new resource is a no-fail way to help your late elementary and early intermediate students succeed at creating a pleasing composition!

​Students roll the dice to create their melody, then choose chords from the key of D minor to complete their piece. Includes a staff template page (not pictured) with extra activities to help students expand upon their composition.
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"Falling Leaves"

A tried-and-true resource that can be customized to work for elementary through intermediate level students.
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Halloween-Themed Composing and Improvising Resources
Click on the images below to download any of these free worksheets in PDF format.
"The Haunted House"

A brand-new story-based improv activity for beginners!
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"Spookify" a Familiar Piece

This fun resource walks elementary to late elementary students through the process of "spookifying" a familiar tune by changing the mode, pitch, tempo, dynamics, or articulations.
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"My Halloween Song"

This worksheet gives elementary students the opportunity to create a melody using the D minor five-finger scale to fit the given rhythm and harmony.
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"Witches' Brew" Composing Template

A fun worksheet that helps late elementary and early intermediate students create a jazzy-sounding Halloween composition.
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What do you think? Do you have any creative activities planned for your students this month? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments!
10 Comments
AsheLee link
10/4/2022 08:22:23 am

Thank you for these! I love using composition activities in lessons and they also work great as video makeup lessons for students to do on their own at home.

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
10/4/2022 08:43:26 am

You are very welcome! Using activities like this for your video makeup lessons is a great idea--thanks for sharing!

Reply
Anna
10/5/2023 07:28:35 am

I can't wait to try the composition activities. Thank you. It's so fun to see students get excited to create their own music.

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
10/5/2023 08:55:05 am

Thank you for your comment, Anna! I hope your students have fun with these resources!

Reply
Frida
10/5/2023 10:17:47 am

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing 🌷

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
10/5/2023 02:02:19 pm

You are very welcome!

Reply
Heidi
10/5/2023 11:01:59 am

So fun! Thank you

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
10/5/2023 02:02:39 pm

Thank you! Hope these are helpful!

Reply
Becky channell
10/7/2023 06:31:02 pm

Excited about this Halloween music!

Reply
Chrissy Ricker
10/8/2023 04:15:59 am

Thank you! I hope you and your students have fun with these resources!

Reply

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    Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. These are her thoughts on teaching, composing, and all things music.


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