The Best Resources for Learning about the Orchestra and Composers
There are many fun resources for learning about the orchestra and composers. (This post contains affiliate links.) Here are my top choices.
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The Composer Detective
At Jus’ Classical, we have our own course to lead you through learning about the orchestra and composers because we believe that learning about the orchestra and classical music should be a fun and engaging experience! In The Composer Detective, a music appreciation course for elementary students, composers will “come to life” as the host, George Frideric Handel, interviews nine composers from different periods of classical music and introduces the orchestra, orchestral periods, and some of the famous works of these composers. Children will not only learn about the orchestra and composers, but they will also learn history and geography in the lessons.
While geared towards elementary-aged students, this course will be fun for the family and groups of multiple ages.
Do you want your children to have a music education but you’re not sure where to start?
Now you CAN help your child learn about classical music and great composers without hours of planning, even if your only experience with music is playing the radio!
INTRODUCING The Composer Detective: Helping homeschool moms and kids investigate the lives and music of some of the world’s great orchestral composers!
Top four auditory choices for learning the orchestra families and instruments
1. Benjamin Britten’s A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
If you want free online interactive websites using this wonderful work, check these out this and this.
2. Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.
3. Camille Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals.
4. The Constellations – A Guide to the Orchestra by Jonathan Peters.
It is narrated and introduces not only the instruments of the orchestra, but the constellations and some of the Greek myths related to the constellations. I found it a great way to appreciate astronomy, Greek mythology and music all at once! There is an accompanying book called Meet the Orchestra with a CD download of The Constellations or the CD by itself.
Other audio favorites:
1. The Classical Kids series
A series of fictional stories about various composers, which are not accurate historically and do contain some mystical elements, but they expose children to a variety of each composer’s works with the beautiful soundtracks. Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery, Mr. Bach Comes to Call, Hallelujah Handel, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Mozart’s Magic Fantasy, Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage, Tchaikovsky Discovers America.They also offer “the best of” for some of the composers. The Best of Vivaldi , The Best of Bach, The Best of Handel, The Best of Beethoven, The Best of Mozart, The Best of Tchaikovsky.
2. Maestro Classics series
Maestro Classics offers a series of narrated audio stories with orchestral accompaniment by the London Philharmonic, like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Peter and the Wolf, The Story of Swan Lake, and My Name is Handel: The Story of Water Music. The music is excellent and the stories are fun.
Books for exploring the orchestra:
1. The Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine
This is a colorful book full of information in small pieces that kids can come back to many times and see something new. It includes an introduction to each instrument, stories of many composers, and a summary of the different periods of orchestral history. It also has a great CD. This is recommended for elementary aged children.
2. Welcome to the Symphony: A Musical Exploration of the Orchestra Using Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 by Carolyn Sloan
This book has a sound panel of 19 sound buttons which allow children to hear the instruments and sections of Beethoven’s symphony as well as teaches the basic grammar of classical music and the orchestra. This is recommended for children ages 3-8.
3. The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket
This witty story is a new favorite of mine with its stereotyping of instruments and those who play particular instruments. It is set up as a murder mystery – an inspector interviews the different instrumentalists of the orchestra to find out who killed the composer. Getting the version with the audio CD is a must to enjoy Nathaniel Stookey’s fitting musical accompaniment. This is recommended for all ages.
4. Zin Zin Zin a Violin by Lloyd Moss
This fun introduction to the instruments of the orchestra is a rhythmic, rhyming poem which also teaches about numbering of small ensembles of instruments: duo, trio, quartet, etc.
5. Meet the Great Composers by Maurice Hinson and June Montgomery
There are two books in this series, which provide short biographies, interesting information, a game or puzzle in each unit and musical excerpts on CD for 12 famous composers in each book. It could easily be used as a self-directed unit, each composer taking about 15-20 minutes to complete. This is for upper elementary aged students.
Composer Biographies:
I also love these biographies by Mike Venezia.
Videos:
And then, of course, there are the Jus’ Classical videos and The Composer Detective course! Learn about some of the orchestra instruments and sing along in The Orchestra Song.
If you want a parody on sports viewing versus orchestra concert viewing, check out the P.D.Q. Bach version of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, 1st Movement.
Hear as “baseball” commentators give a play by play since it is too dark to read the program notes at a concert.
For video biographies of Great Composers and more, enroll in our course, The Composer Detective!
Do you want your children to have a music education but you’re not sure where to start?
Now you CAN help your child learn about classical music and great composers without hours of planning, even if your only experience with music is playing the radio!
INTRODUCING The Composer Detective: Helping homeschool moms and kids investigate the lives and music of some of the world’s great orchestral composers!
Projects, Sites, Games:
If you’re interested in a project, this site (from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra) has some make-at-home instruments.
For older kids, this is a more in-depth site.
If online games are your thing, check out this site.
For those who may enjoy a hands-on project (a lap book), especially if you are in Classical Conversations, Karen at Wisdom and Righteousness has created three wonderful orchestra lap books (which match the cycles of Classical Conversations) featuring a period of the orchestra (Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Modern) and three composers in those time periods. What I really love about Cycles 1 and 2 are the timelines of orchestral music. Here are the links.
A music timeline is available here.
This is an interesting general music website.
The most valuable way to enjoy classical music is to go to live concerts. Most symphony orchestras offer children’s programs or youth concerts for public or home school groups. Many even offer programs for toddlers and preschool age children. Check out your local orchestras for concerts!
Music Memberships
Music and art memberships are an affordable and longer term way to be able to learn about the orchestra and composers (and other types of music) as you include music in your homeschool.
Music in Our Homeschool Plus is a buffet-style membership for music classes to serve the whole age-range of a family – from preschool to high school.
It includes access to 17 elementary courses, 6 multi-level singing courses, and 7 high school courses so you’ll be able to pick and choose exactly what you want to teach.
Jus’ Classical Fine Arts Membership is the specialty menu of memberships. It features both music and art courses geared towards elementary and middle school students and walks you through five main music and art courses in bite-sized pieces.
Through the courses, Jus’ Classical Fine Arts Membership will walk you through four different aspects of learning about music and art so that you have the knowledge and confidence you need to teach your children in music and art studies.
It will help you avoid becoming overwhelmed and give you the knowledge and confidence you need to teach your children in music and art studies as well as show you how to cover four aspects of music and art education:
- Music appreciation
- Music fundamentals and performance
- Art appreciation
- Art participation
For a review and comparison of the two memberships, read Music Membership Comparison: Music in Our Homeschool Plus and Jus’ Classical Fine Arts Membership.
Jus’ Classical is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
