Music and stories are often connected. The timbre of different instruments can represent different characters. Use a listening map to notice and describe the timbre of various instruments in a musical story called The Swineherd’s Suite.
A musical phrase describes a series of notes that communicate a musical idea. Learn about musical questions and answers, and listen to “The Unanswered Question” by Charles Ives.
Use your imagination and transport yourself to the Moldau River as you listen to "Vltava", also called "The Moldau," by Bedrich Smetana.
Composer George Gershwin wrote a piece called Walking the Dog. Internalize steady beat by walking along to this musical promenade.
Students create arrangements of a melody and listen to recordings contrasting in style and genre.
Students brainstorm strategies to guide their listening as they describe and label music of different genres.
What happens when a little man from the Maya city of Uxmal plays the instrument that activates an ancient prophecy? Find out in the latest episode of YourClassical Storytime, The Little Man From Uxmal, featuring narration by Inés Guanchez and Ada Tzab, illustrations by Raul Villanueva and music by Silvestre Revueltas.
Welcome again to YourClassical Storytime. Today's story is one you might know as a Walt Disney movie, The Little Mermaid. But the story is much older than that. It's nearly 200 years old, written by a Danish writer famous for fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen. People who wrote classical music were fascinated by the story of a mermaids, especially those who wanted to become human. A composer named Felix Mendelssohn wrote a musical story called The Fair Melusina. Richard Wagner wrote big operas featuring mermaids, the Rhine Maidens, who lived in a river and guarded magic gold. And Antonin Dvorak wrote music about a mermaid named Rusalka. In The Little Mermaid, the mermaid makes a great sacrifice to explore the human world: She gives up her voice — well, at least for a little while.
What can small critters do when they’re too afraid to venture out into the forest? Find out in The Little Squirrel Who Worried, by Katie O'Donoghue — a special “quiet time” episode of YourClassical Storytime to help young listeners learn to relax, featuring narration by Andrea Blain and music by John Field. This excerpt from The Little Squirrel Who Worried is used with the kind permission of Katie O'Donoghue, an accredited art psychotherapist and author/illustrator based in Ireland, and publisher Gill Books.
This resource is a free, downloadable audio file of short music clips to use for instruction.
This resource is a free, downloadable audio file of short music clips to use for instruction.
This resource is a free, downloadable audio file of short music clips to use for instruction.
This resource is a free, downloadable audio file of short music clips to use for instruction.
This resource includes the sheet music, activity instructions, and audio files for "London Bridge is Falling Down" from the Elementary Songbook.
A young mouse is starting school for the first time! Henry can't wait for kindergarten, where he'll sing songs, play games and learn his ABCs. He has a lot of questions for his mom about what to expect. But when he arrives, a slight case of the first-day jitters curbs his excitement. All is well, though, when Henry starts to see familiar sights and makes a new friend. Nancy Carlson's book Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! is told with delightful charm by narrator Melanie Renate and set to music by Franz Hoffmeister, a close friend of Mozart's in 18th-century Austria.
The silver menorah has been in Reb Noson's family for 400 years, and it’s probably even older than that. But this Hanukkah, it’s gone missing! Find out what happens next in The Lost Menorah, the latest episode of YourClassical Storytime — featuring a story by Howard Schwartz, narration by Theodore Bikel and music by the Eaken Piano Trio. This story is excerpted from American Public Media’s Hanukkah special, Candles Burning Brightly, hosted and produced by Mindy Ratner. The program offers a delightful hour for everyone to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights, including lots of music from Jewish communities worldwide and a hilarious lesson on preparing a classic Hanukkah dish. Listen now!
Thanksgiving is coming, but Lurkey the turkey is nowhere to be found. Can you help the farmer find the wayward bird? Grab paper and crayons and follow along as narrator Melanie Renate and artist Xee Reiter tell the story, with guitar music by Justin Holland, in the latest episode of YourClassical Storytime.
A day 3 lesson plan on Main Idea vs. Theme using songs for the 4th grade.
This resource includes the sheet music, activity instructions, and audio files for "Make New Friends" from the Elementary Songbook.
This resource is a free, downloadable audio file of short music clips to use for instruction.