Music and art can help process feelings surrounding difficult issues. In 2020, Sphinx Virtuosi recorded Herbert’s piece, In Memoriam in remembrance of George Floyd, Stephen Lawrence and many other victims.
Composer Jessie Montgomery was influenced by listening to a lot of records as a child. Look back historically on various devices used to capture music from the record player to the smart phone, and learn about some of the composer’s influences.
Composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was inspired by the sounds of little trains that travel through the Brazilian countryside. Use literacy and art skills to engage with the music. Make your own sandpaper blocks to create your own train sounds.
Composer Gustav Holst wrote a collection of musical pieces called The Planets. Explore the movement about Mars.
Listen and respond to one story from this collection. Students will listen to one movement from Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite.
Listen and respond to string instruments and soloists how improvise, in this lesson featuring Mason Bates’ “Mothership.”
Dan Nass composed "One-Dog Canoe" based on the book by Mary Casanova. Utilize the included coloring activity while listening to the narrated story.
Follow along with a listening map and use movement to respond to part of Aaron Copland’s ballet, "Rodeo." Great for all ages.
Practice finding the STEADY BEAT in this listening lesson for Elementary ages. Students will practice steady beat while listening to John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine.
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.
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.
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.
Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941) was born in upstate New York, and lives and composes in Virginia. Get ready to learn about Adolphus Hailstork and listen to some of his music.