Music Appreciation Part 8 - Peter and the Wolf
/Explore woodwind instruments by listening to Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev.
Read MoreVideos to help your kids listen to and love classical music. Free worksheets and curriculum are available for each video.
Explore woodwind instruments by listening to Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev.
Read MoreMusic styles like legato and staccato give music a special feel and recognizing them when hear is an important part of appreciating good music.
Read MoreThe "What To Listen To When Listening To Classical Music" all in one place, videos and worksheets.
Read MoreAmong the most beautiful piano music every composed is Chopin's Preludes. In this lesson, you will be able to help your kids listen to these great works and help them understand how music conveys emotion through the concept of mode. Be sure to download the worksheet.
Help your kids learn about the String Instruments of the orchestra with this free, new video and worksheet.
Read More"Sleigh Ride," by American composer Leroy Anderson has become a mainstay of Christmas concerts. One of it's many features is it's use of sound effects to describe specific things. Learn more about these and this fun Christmas song.
Read MoreThis video lesson includes an introduction to the orchestra, a description of musical dynamics, and Haydn's Surprise Symphony.
Read MoreNight on Bald Mountain my Mussorgsky is my favorite Classical Music work for Halloween but did you know that there are three versions to this composition? Read on to enjoy this great classical work and learn about its interesting history.
Read MoreGood music frequently intersects with other art forms. For instance, it's no accident that we have impressionist music and painting. The philosophies that drove the artist to paint scenes with vivid, blurred colors drove the composers to write vivid, colorful sounding scenes rather than tell stories with rigid form.
French composer and musician André Caplet decided to compose a work that intersect with the world of American Literature. In 1908 he decided to compose a musical vignette to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death". Poe's works are often associated with Halloween because of their dark subject matter and suspenseful twists.
You may not have heard of French composer André Caplet before. He won the important Prix De Rome in 1901, beating well known French composer Maurice Ravel. He is also known for his orchestrations of Debussy's works. Sadly he died of pleurisy resulting from the chemical warfare of World War I.
The Masque of the Red Death was written in 1908, which was a monumental year in music history. This is the year Arnold Schoenberg wrote his first atonal piece and forever changed the course of western music. Caplet's work is tonal, but still holds many of the qualities of composers in the first decade of the 20th century. Find a copy of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," read it (here's a cheap digital copy on Amazon), and enjoy this masterpiece of the early 20th century.
Be sure to check out the previous post on Halloween music and explore our composition classes as they offer kids a great way to make music while learning skills like note reading and theory effortlessly.
A scary story and a musical genius make a great combination. Here's a song to help you set a spooky mood for Halloween
Read MoreHere is part 2 of our video series teaching kids how to listen to classical music. Worksheets are now available. Be sure to sign up for our email list to be notified when new lessons are posted. Enjoy.
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Here's my attempt to answer the questions, "What do I listen to when I am listening to classical music." All too often, we only turn on classical music when we are studying or needing to concentrate on something important. But, if you know what you are hearing, classical music actually becomes entertaining.