Elementary Music and Classical Composers: A Match Made in Heaven

“I just wanted to let you know, my daughter came home tonight and told me all about Beethoven; more than I ever knew about him. I had no idea he was deaf.”

Bingo! As an elementary music teacher, receiving emails like this one from the parent of a third grader might as well compare to winning the lottery. When my students start talking about classical composers at home and teaching their families something new, I know I’ve done something right. It makes me feel like they’re buying into what I’m selling in music class—in this instance, teaching my young students all about composers and how relevant they still are to our society today.

From Novice to Teaching Composers with Confidence

I once shied away from studying classical composers with my elementary students. After all, there is so much to focus on throughout the school year already: rhythm, melody, tone color, form, classroom instruments… the list goes on. And early in my teaching career, I felt like I didn’t know enough about these composers to teach about them with any authority. When I stepped back into an elementary classroom after coming from a high school chorus position two years ago, I determined I was going to add composer study into my lessons, even if I had to take myself back to school. The results have been remarkable as I’ve watched my students catch the excitement I carry when I talk about Bach or Mozart.

Maybe you find yourself wanting to introduce more composer study into your own elementary music classroom, but you’re not sure where to start or even if you can do it successfully. I will set your mind at ease: Yes, you can teach your students about classical composers, and you can capture their interest. Turns out, these guys and gals who lived centuries ago led pretty fascinating lives. What’s more, their lives can still inspire our own stories and music making today. After all, there’s a reason their music has endured; their legacies deserve to be heard.

Here are six best practices I’ve successfully used to teach my elementary students about classical composers. I hope they will convince you to incorporate these composers into your own teaching practice. Teaching classical composers in elementary music really is a match made in heaven!

Six Best Practices to Teach About Composers in Elementary Music Class

1. Create an immersive experience for your learners. The best way I know to introduce my young students to a composer is to provide them with a total experience that appeals to all learning modalities. For instance, if you were beginning a series of lessons on Mozart, have his music playing as the students enter the music room. Poll the students to find out who has heard a particular music selection and who hasn’t. You’ll probably be surprised at the number of students who recognize the most well-known works of popular classical composers. Show your students images of the composer. Explain to them that since cameras weren’t yet invented, we only have paintings of composers who lived hundreds of years ago, which is why some of those images are so vastly different. It’s always fun to watch the students think about life before cameras and other electronics that blend so seamlessly into our society today.Next, encourage some time travel.
2. Go back in time and set the scene. I love teaching about classical composers in my music classes because I really enjoy history. Encourage the students to step back in time with you as you introduce the time frame in which a composer lived. I always turn a composer’s lifespan into a simple math problem. For instance, if Mozart was born in 1756 and died in 1791, how many years did he live? When students figure out that he was only 35 at his untimely death, they’re always intrigued. Equally important is discussing the setting where a composer was born or lived while creating their music. Visual learners will enjoy searching for a composer’s hometown on a globe or map. You can go as in depth as you wish when setting the scene. Create a picture of what life was like when the composer was alive: What did they wear? What did they eat? What did they do for fun? I also invite the students to ask questions. Of course, someone will inevitably ask a question I don’t know the answer to, but I’m honest with them when I don’t know and either hit up Google right there or tell them I’ll get back to them during the next music lesson. You can tell that students are starting to buy into composer study when they ask questions.
3. Focus on one composer per grade level. One primary goal we as educators always have in the back of our minds is for students to actually retain what they’ve learned. The key to this with composers is by teaching students just enough to keep them intrigued but not so much as to overwhelm them. The best way I’ve found to do this is to focus on in-depth learning about one composer per grade level per year. I know many music teachers will feature a Composer of the Month, but that feels like a lot of information—plus extra frontloading work on the teacher each month. By focusing on just one composer per grade level, the students have the opportunity to engage in deep learning about one person, which is more likely to stick with them as they advance through grade levels. They will even begin to compare composers from year to year, and naturally, they will choose a favorite. Students creating informed opinions on their prior and current learning: yes, please! This is a win. Here is an example of the composers I cover with four different grade levels during the span of a grading period:
   • • 2nd grade: Johann Sebastian Bach
     • 3rd grade: Ludwig van Beethoven
     • 4th grade: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
     • 5th grade: George Frideric Handel

   This list has worked well for me the past two years. Feel free to switch composers around or add different composers to your list. Make it work for you.

4. Expose students to various professional recordings of a composer’s works. If you have access to YouTube at your school, search for specific compositions from the composer you’re studying. I love to show my students deconstructed piano scores where the pianist is playing at the bottom of the screen and the notes are scrolling above. The kids are fascinated by these videos. Also, look for orchestras that have been filmed performing compositions. Often, the students are so engaged by watching the way the different instrumentalists play, they’ll watch an entire piece being performed without complaint. Hint: This is also the perfect time to sneak a sip of your coffee before it gets cold!
5. Play favorites! Show your own passion for the composers you’re discussing. I’m honest with my students when they ask me who my favorite composer is (Mozart, in case you were wondering). I explain why I like him, and part of that reason is that his music is still so powerful and well-known today. I also use composer study as an opportunity to grow in my own music skills. As a pianist, I always try to challenge myself to learn a piece of music for each composer I’m teaching my students. Yes, that means I’m practicing four different pieces. But my students love it when I perform a piece by a particular composer they’ve been studying. Even when I make mistakes, I want my students to know that they’re not the only students in the room. We can all learn something new and get better with practice!
6. Challenge students to take their learning outside of the classroom. I like to call this “each one, teach one.” Once you’ve spent a few class periods studying a particular composer, challenge the students with this Exit Ticket: “Tell me one thing you’ve learned about (name of composer) this week.” Then challenge them to take that fact back home to share with a family member or a friend at the dinner table that night. I also hold them accountable by asking for a show of hands of kids who shared their composer fact outside of school the next time I see them in music class. Even if students forget, this prompt may trigger them to share another time. Sharing their learning gets many students talking about your music program in a positive way, which is always a great thing. Your students essentially become mini music program advocates! We can always use more of those.

Make It Relevant: Adding the Connection to Contemporary Composers

“Is Taylor Swift a composer?”

I love to ask my students this question, and I usually receive more than a few puzzled looks as the students think about it. After students debate their answer, I usually respond with, “Yes, she is a composer, and a very rich one at that. After all, a composer is just a fancy word for someone who writes music.” It’s great to have a discussion about contemporary composers alongside famous classical composers of the past because this provides real-world relevance to the importance of studying music. Yes, there are people who earn their living as composers, even today.

If your students don’t consider themselves to be “Swifties,” think about other contemporary composers you could discuss in music class. Every kid in 5th grade will instantly snap to attention if you start playing those two iconic notes in the bass register of the piano that make up one of the most famous movie motifs of all time (Jaws, by the incomparable John Williams). There’s also Eric Whitacre, who is famous for his virtual choirs, and Jacob Collier, who gives unparalleled live performances. How about piano prodigy and young composer Emily Bear, who received accolades for her original music in Moana 2? Exposing your students to living composers helps them see the connection from the past to the present. Who knows, a student in your class could become the next renowned composer.

Reflecting on Teaching about Composers

Each year as I’m teaching my students about classical composers, I end up learning something new myself. One year, my lessons on Mozart coincided with a concert at a local venue where one of my favorite (living) composers was conducting Mozart’s Requiem. I talked my husband into attending at the last minute, and the performance was so rich and rewarding for me because I knew the backstory of the music when Mozart was composing it.

I hope this post encourages you to step out of your comfort zone, dig up some new facts on classical composers, and share that knowledge and incredible music with your students. After you’ve taught about composers, remember to reflect on those lessons. What went well? What material might you need to add the next time you teach them?

Many students will remember learning about composers in your music class. Later in life when they sing the opening phrases of Mozart’s moving Lacrimosa or play the opening strains of Beethoven’s soaring Ninth Symphony on an orchestral instrument, they will have a wonderful memory of when they first learned about that composer or heard that piece in elementary music. And you, fellow music teacher, get all the credit for that accomplishment!