1. Medieval Times — castles, knights, princesses
2. Fantasy — same as above, plus dragons, wizards, etc.
3. Mystery — detective, private eye, clues, magnifying glass, footprints, fingerprints, evidence
4. International / Around the World — choose a specific country, or give a survey of a few different countries  (Egypt, Africa, etc.) world music, cultures. For example……
5. Fiesta — sombrero, maracas, dances
6. Tropical — surfing, luau, grass skirts, steel drums, Caribbean/hawaiian music, palm trees
7. Winter — snow, icicles, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, cold, mittens, scarves, snowmen
8. Carnival / Circus — ringmaster, tightrope walker, elephant, tickets
9. Art — colors, brushes, make connections between art and music. Activity: compose songs named after colors.
10. Roller coster park — use this theme to study musical forms (e.g., ABA), or musical styles.
11. Animal Planet — animals galore!  Activity: try matching animal characteristics to how different music sounds.
12. The Great Outdoors / camping — campfire, singing, woods, lantern
13. Under the Sea — ocean, waves, fish, jellyfish, dolphins, sharks, seaweed, treasure, sunken ship, scuba diver
14. Barnyard — farm, farmer, animals, fields, crops, harvest, tractors, seeds
15. Construction — bulldozers, dump trucks, CAUTION tape, hard hats, orange cones, STOP, GO, workers
16. Jungle Safari — lions, giraffes, jeep, binoculars
17. Wild West — cowboys, saloon, ghost town, cowboy hats/boots, bandanas, sheriff, horses, saddles, lasso
18. Pirates — pirate ship, pirates, buried treasure, treasure maps, scavenger hunt
19. Desert Oasis — cockroaches, oasis, palm trees, sand
20. Olympic Games — fitness, games, exercise, practice
21. Going Green — recycle, be efficient (with practice time)
22. Splish Splash — water bottles, droplets, river, brook, ocean, puddle, rain, hydration, summer, squirt guns, pool.  Listen to Debussy’s La Mer.
23. Outer Space — stars, moon, sun, rocket ships, astronauts, aliens, ufo’s.  Natalie is doing a space theme in her studio this year and it looks fabulous!
24. Futuristic / Time Travel — contemporary music, technology in music
25. Race cars — finish line, car, tires, gasoline, checkered flag, trophy.  Activity: do timed worksheets for naming note on the staff.
26. USA / Patriotic / Stars & Stripes — USA history, fireworks, wear red, white, and blue, or wear stars/stripes! Activity: learn about American composers.
27. The magic of music — magician, magic tricks, deck of cards, top hat, magic wand, rabbit, gloves. Activity: discuss how music has the power to affect your emotions, change your mood, influence you to do something, etc.
28. Blast from the Past — choose an era of music history: Classical, Romantic, Baroque, etc.  Dress old-fashioned, eat popular treats from back then, etc.
29. The Great Composers — choose a specific set of composers, and focus on one each day/week/month.
30. Musical Instruments — learn about the parts of the piano, or the instruments of the orchestra.  Discuss timbre, register, range, tuning, etc.

Please share any additional ideas you have, or any resources you’ve found to be helpful for planning a themed event for your music studio!

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• Links to YouTube recordings, organized by Beethoven’s early, middle, and late compositional periods – click here and scroll down.
• A pdf worksheet about sonata form, to be filled out while listening to Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata – click here and click “pdf” under Sonata Form.

These resources would be perfect for a summer camp or a group lesson!

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Just added to the Printables > Lesson Plans page:

• Lesson Plans: Analyzing & Composing Music in the Romantic Style (also take a peek below)
• Also see the accompanying handouts here.

A few months ago, I used these lesson plans during a piano camp where I taught Theory & Composition classes.  This camp is unusual in that it gives the students a chance to work on ensemble music with their fellow campers.  In addition, all the ensemble music are original compositions — composed just for our campers.

In the lesson plans I made, I tried to incorporate both the emphasis on composition and the topic of the Music History classes (taught by another instructor; this year, focusing on the Romantic Period).  So, this year’s lesson plans are all about learning how to compose music in the Romantic style.  By the end of the week, the class had created a Class Composition for piano which was performed for all to hear at the camp recital!  The pieces were humorous, yet surprisingly sophisticated.  Perhaps later on, I’ll post an example of a composition they created, if that would be helpful to anyone.

The lesson plans are designed for classes of 4 – 6 students ranging in ages about 9 to 15, but I’m sure they could be adapted to suit other ages and groups of students.  Enjoy!  Let me know how they work for you.

[gview file="http://colorinmypiano.com/wp-content/files/CompRomStyle_LessonPlans.pdf"]

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