October Composer Study Bundle | Classical Music Activities

Do you need classical music activities for October? This engaging composer study pack features the music of Franz Liszt, Giuseppe Verdi, Johann Strauss, and Charles Ives. Listening to classical music has been shown to help with self-awareness, empathy, and self-regulation. Since social-emotional learning is important for children, incorporating classical music into your classroom or homeschool is a great way to support their development. Resource guides included.

Composer Birthdays

• Giuseppe Verdi (October 10th)
• Charles Ives (October 20th)
• Franz Liszt (October 22nd)
• Johann Strauss II (October 25th)

Learning Objectives

• increased biographical knowledge of the composer
• familiarity with the composer's works
• ability to recognize, and engage with, popular pieces of music
• identify different instrument sounds
• social-emotional exploration of feelings and moods within the music
• creative expression by drawing and choosing colors related to a musical theme

★ Mindful Listening Sheets - There are no wrong answers! Students listen to the selected music and choose meaningful keywords they associate with what they hear. The emotions and weather page allows students to color their experiences.

★ Biography Pages - Fact sheet (1 or 2 facts provided, a box to paste/draw the composer's portrait, and a birthday box to color in and decorate cupcakes! A duplicate blank page is included for students to do their own research.

★ Composer Research Sheet - Students can use their favorite reference materials to compile a full page of facts about the composer's home country. Some of the research options include capital, continent, population, food, and more.

★ Composer Rating Activity - More options to profile the composer on the rating sheet, including which season and musical style they match.

★ Word Composer Activity - In the classic letter puzzle, students can use all the letters from the composer's full name to create new, shorter words and record their scores. Add a timer for an extra challenge.

★ Listen and Color - Pair art with music! Students color the characters while listening to featured music from The Nutcracker. There are four categories of keywords to circle/highlight that describes their listening experience. Blank lines are for writing in their own words. 

★ Classical Fairy Tale - Storytime! These listening sheets combine music appreciation with a storybook theme! Students compose their wondrous tales by choosing the setting, characters, and familiar fairy tale objects inspired by the music. There is also a drawing box for students to capture a scene from their imaginations.

★ Classical Space Tale - Storytime! These listening sheets combine music appreciation with an intergalactic theme! Students compose their epic space tales by choosing the setting, characters, and familiar space objects inspired by the music. There is also a drawing box for students to capture a scene from their imaginations.

★ Listen and Draw - The Fairy Tale and Space Tale sets have a framed drawing page for listeners to create their own music-inspired pieces of art! Great for younger students or for hosting a classroom art display.

★ Emoji Checkbox Listening - Students can use the checkboxes to note how they feel and what they imagine while listening to a selected piece of music. Choose from musical instruments, nature scenes, colors, and more! Students can also color in the emojis that best describe their listening experience in the emoji grid.

★ Rating Guides - Print one or more copies of the star rating guide to help students choose their rating. Half and quarter stars may be encouraged. Some seasonal activities will have different rating shapes. Emoji rating guides are included in color and black & white.

Charles Ives Listening Sheets (Eight listening activity pages per piece)

1. String Quartet No. 1
2. Symphony No. 1 in D Minor
3. Central Park in the Dark
4. The Unanswered Question
5. Symphony No. 2
6. Piano Trio
7. Violin Sonata No. 1
8. Three Places in New England

Franz Liszt Listening Sheets (Eight listening activity pages per piece)

1. La Campanella
2. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
3. Piano Sonata in B Minor
4. Piano Concerto No. 2
5. Liebestraume No. 3
6. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6
7. Hungaria
8. Orpheus

Johann Strauss Listening Sheets (Eight listening activity pages per piece)

1. The Blue Danube
2. Voices of Spring
3. Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka
4. Kaiser-Walzer
5. Egyptian March
6. Tales from the Vienna Woods
7. Pizzicato Polka
8. Thunder and Lightning

Giuseppe Verdi Listening Sheets (Eight listening activity pages per piece)

1. La Traviata
2. Gloria all'Egitto
3. La Forza Del Destino
4. Di Quella Pira
5. Elle Ne M'Aime Pas
6. Credo In Un Crudel
7. Messa De Requiem
8. Marica Trionfale

► We know you'll love helping students create meaningful connections to classical music, so we are happy to share these free listening activities with you today!