50 Awesome Resources for Teaching about the Orchestra

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I don’t know anything about classical music!

I only know a handful of composers!

I’ve never been to a symphony performance in my life!

My kids don’t care about instrument families, let alone a bunch of music written five hundred years ago!

I can barely cover math, how can I add in orchestra?

If you’ve ever said any of these things, I’ve got you covered. Below are links to 50 of my favorite resources for bringing the orchestra and all of its beauty into our homeschool. From general resources— like unit study publishers and symphony sites— to specifics on instrument families, composers, and where to find local, live performances, you’ll find everything you need to bring your study of classical music to life!

50 Awesome Resources for Teaching About Orchestra

 

General Resources/Unit Studies/Websites To Bookmark

Books

Year of Wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day by Clemency Burton-Hill— Use as the basis of your morning basket’s study, or as personal enrichment. This book is beautiful, broad, and a great resource.

Other Resources

Maestro Classics Collection by London Philharmonic—These cds are of impeccable quality, and cover many of the most popular and recognizable composers and pieces. If you can’t buy the whole set (which comes with an activity book), consider at least a few. Peter and the Wolf is our favorite.

SQUILT Music Appreciation— Homeschoolers love these studies, which are reasonably priced and of great quality.

ArtsAlive— An educational arm of the Canadian National Arts Centre, this site has an instrument lab, composer info, pdf booklets, coloring pages, and a host of other resources. Definitely a treasure trove!

MusOpen—Looking for a specific piece, or work by one composer? This is your site.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra— This site has an incredible set of resources and lesson plans, many themed to well-known pieces your child will recognize!

The Lancaster Symphony’s Classroom Resources— Start by printing off the History of Classical Music Timeline for handy reference, then explore the other printables and goodies.

Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces— You remember Bugs Bunny in coat and tails sitting down at a piano, right? Well, your kids will, too. This dvd collection includes more than just classical music, but it brings home the fact that the music of the past is still very alive today.

Classics for Kids podcast—Themed podcasts introduce music, musicians, history, and more.

 

 

Orchestra

Books

The Story of the Orchestra: Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music, and the Composers Who Wrote the Music by Robert Levine is the first book I use to formally introduce my children to classical music. The accompanying cd has selections that follow the text, and the humorous illustrations and witty tie-ins keep even kindergarteners engaged.

Welcome to the Symphony: A Musical Exploration of the Orchestra Using Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 by Carolyn Sloan is an interactive, guided tour to your first orchestra experience. Kids love listening closely, waiting for their turn to hit the buttons that punctuate the tour!

The Philharmonic Gets Dressed by Karla Kushkin—Emergent readers will enjoy this unique view of the orchestra, which follows the musicians as they prepare for “work.”

Other resources

St. Louis Symphony lessons and cut-outs—A great way to give a hands-on element to your study!

Nashville Symphony’s Let’s Go To the Symphony video—Clips of musicians on stage performing and discussing their roles in the symphony make this an educational and fun watch. Approximately 20 minutes long.

George Meets the Orchestra— George is adorable, enthusiastic, and curious about instruments. This is a professional production, geared more towards the younger elementary set.

List of Symphony Orchestras in the US—Not sure if you have a live orchestra near by? Start here to see if you might be able to attend a performance.

Instruments

Books

The Music of Life: Bartolomeo Cristofori & the Invention of the Piano by Elizabeth Rusch— A whimsical picture book that follows the dream of one passionate man in search of the perfect sound.

Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood— The true story of how music belongs to— and enriches— everyone, even the poorest of the poor.

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss— The youngest children can enjoy this fun romp through the unique sounds of an orchestra.

88 Instruments by Chris Barton and Louis Thomas— A giggle-a-minute read that will help your preschoolers and early elementary kids learn the instruments.

Other resources

Making Music Fun’s Hey Kids! series— Meet each instrument and learn a bit of its backstory.

Study.com Orchestra Instruments Lesson for Kids—A deep dive into instruments for older kids.

Instruments of the Orchestra Listening Test—This is a fun way to test your skills at identifying instruments simply by their sounds!

Khan Academy Instruments of the Orchestra—Full course for older kids, or video segments for youngers interested in a bit of history and description.

 

Composers

Books

The Gift of Music: Great Composers and Their Influence by Jane Stuart Smith—This is my favorite book of biographies of composers. A great source for read-aloud information, or to assign to older students.

Classical Music for Dummies by David Pogue and Scott Speck— If you need an easily accessible, broad textbook of information broken into bite-sized bits, this book is for you! It covers pretty much everything, and and includes a cd as well.

The Story of the Orchestra series— Each of these books focus on a specific piece, and use a sweet fiction tale to engage the imagination. The hook on these is the small music note on each spread of pages that plays a clip of the featured piece. Titles include Four Seasons in One Day (Vivaldi), The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky), and Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky).

Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull— A funny look at the real lives of some of the greatest composers, with a definite slant towards the absurd. Middle school kids find this one hilarious.

Why Beethoven Threw the Stew (and Lots More Stories About the Lives of Great Composers) by Steve Isserlis— This was, hands down, one of my kids’ favorite books on composers for years. My older children still recant the tales told here as if they are part of family lore… which, in a way, I guess they are! Middle school range reading. A sequel by the same author, Why Handel Waggled His Wig, is also available.

Becoming Bach by Tom Leonard— A beautiful picture book tale so lavishly illustrated, you might enjoy it even more than your kids!

Mozart: The Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts by Diane Stanley— Another picture book, but so original and rich it speaks to all.

The Who Was series— Many composer are covered in this popular book series.

 

Other Resources

The Classical Kids Collection— These audio stories are punctuated with the music of the composer being followed. Beethoven, Handel, Vivaldi, and Mozart are just some of the featured composers. Sold individually or in two sets, these are among the most treasured cds in our collection.

Beethoven’s Wig: Sing Along Symphonies— These are outrageously silly… and catchy. Be warned: you’ll never forget the names of the pieces or who composed them, but you’ll also never be able to lose the lyrics, either! There are four volumes in this series, but the first is definitely the best.

Composer Trading Cards— Free printables!

Composers Unity Study— Amanda Bennett’s unit studies are known for their thoroughness and fun learning.

Making Music Fun’s Hey Kids! Composer units— Nearly every great is covered here!

Biography Pages—Great templates with a color photo, a few facts to fill in, and space to write or draw what you’ve learned.

NPS’s Great Composer podcast—an up close and personal listen to the life and times of some of the greatest composers ever.

The Great Composers Podcast— This one is for teens or adults, as the personalities of a good many of the greats were well, colorful. Give a listen first, then green light episodes as you feel led.

Khan Academy’s Masterpieces Old and New Course—A wonderful, full immersion in some of the best of the best for teens.

Composer Card Game— Easy play for all ages, with nice artwork to boot!