Welcome to the World’s Greatest Composers Study Volume 2!
Composers Unit Study - Classroom/Co-op License
This item is a digital download product. This license is to be used if you are sharing the curriculum in a class or co-op. This version allows for printing of materials for multiple students as well as teachers in a classroom or co-op setting. If you have multiple children that are your own, i.e. not daycare or co-op, you do not need to purchase the classroom version.
Age Group: These unit studies are intended for elementary students ages Kindergarten - 5th or 6th grades.
This has been a much requested item from everyone, and I’ve finally had a chance to publish volume 2 in my World’s Greatest Composers series!
What’s it all about?
In this series of studies, we will be taking a look at 5 of the world’s greatest composers through a study designed for elementary aged students.
The goal behind the World’s Greatest Composers curriculum is to immerse students in the work of each composer so that they are well familiar with their style, methods and music. Much of your time studying will be through open discussion with students and listening to compositions. Upon completion of this curriculum, your student should be able to easily recognize the pieces from each composer studied. They will also have learned several different styles of music, vocabulary, as well as have gained an appreciation for music in general.
Like the World’s Greatest Artists study, the composers study is written to go with the World’s Greatest Composer Series by Mike Venezia.
-->> While my composer units were written to go with these books, you can also do a simple internet search to get basic biography information for each composer. Then use my unit as is without purchasing the Mike Venezia books.
What is included in the study?
For each day of listening there is an activity for students to complete while listening. This will help them focus on the music, and think critically about what they are hearing. By the end of the study, your student will have a completed composers notebook along with an orchestra and music lap book.
- Introduction to Orchestra
- Johannes Brahms
- John Philip Sousa
- Duke Ellington
- Aaron Copland
- Leonard Bernstein
- Composer Reports
- Instrument Word Scrambles
- Music Bingo Cards
Here are some worksheet samples from the lessons for each composer:
Scheduling The Lessons:
Each composer unit has 10 lessons, I suggest scheduling 1-2 days per week for the composers study. The curriculum will take almost 1 school year to complete at this pace. However, the lessons can be easily adapted to fit your schedule as well.
Each lesson consists of a listening assignment along with an activity to help your student focus on what they are hearing. You will want to have your student materials ready prior to starting each lesson. An internet connection is required for the listening portion of the study because it is through www.naxos.com online.
So I suggest setting up a tablet, laptop, or computer near your student’s work area. An alternative would be to purchase CD’s or songs via iTunes from each composer.
Lap Book:
As you progress through each composer your student will be creating a fun lap book to help them remember what they’ve learned. You will need 2 file folders for each lap book you need to create. Instructions for assembling the lap book are included in the curriculum.
Students will learn about the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras of music, as well as create a composer timeline.
They will also learn about all of the different instruments, their sounds, roles, and seating positions within the orchestra.
As you progress through the composers, you will create mini-books for each composer along with notebook pages as well as a fun puzzle with a pocket to store your pieces in.
Once they’ve learned about the orchestra, instruments, and basic musical terms, students will then dive into the amazing works of some of our greatest composers!
Sound like fun? Ready to get started?
Get the World’s Greatest Composers 2 Study Now!
