The Great Composers & Their Music is a flexible music history curriculum designed for use with private piano students, general music students, or homeschoolers.  I use this curriculum with my weekly Homeschool Music History Class as well as with my monthly group classes of private piano students.  I decided to use the lapbooking format for my curriculum because it is a visual, interactive way to learn historical facts and information.  It has been quite a success so far!  I am constantly impressed with how much information my students are able to absorb each week.

Below is an alphabetical listing of all the composers currently available in the Great Composers & Their Music curriculum series.  I have included brief descriptions of the terms and concepts that are covered in each study.  To purchase one or more lapbooks, please visit this page of the Color In My Piano shop.  Stay tuned – more composer studies are forthcoming!

Bach, C.P.E

CPE Bach gave us the perfect opportunity to discuss the evolution of the piano, from the clavichord and harpsichord all the way to the modern piano.  Another term we discussed was Empfindsamer stil – the “sensitive style,” which was a compositional style that was characterized by changing moods within a piece, in contrast to the single “affect” generally found in Baroque pieces before this time.

Bach, Johann Sebastian

In this composer study, students will learn about J.S. Bach’s duties at the various jobs he held throughout his life.  Some of the terms covered include: cantatas, Kapellmeister, Kantor, and the Well-Tempered Clavier.

Beethoven, Ludwig van

We listened to Beethoven’s most famous compositions so that we would be able to identify them by name upon hearing them.  We also talked about sonata form and his three periods of compositional style.

Beach, Amy

Studying Amy Beach gave us the opportunity to discuss the challenges of being a woman composer.  We also learned about the MacDowell Colony and how Beach’s perfect pitch allowed her to write down bird calls in musical notation.

Brahms, Johannes

Studying Brahms gave us the opportunity to talk about concertos, and the difference between monophony, homophony, and polyphony.  Since we had already studied Robert Schumann, we were able to connect the two composers and discuss the relationship dynamics between Brahms and the Schumann family.

Cage, John

I mentioned the John Cage lapbook when I blogged about my October Piano Party.  This composer study is lots of fun to teach!  As an extension, my students and I explored the room to find “found instruments” and experimented with prepared piano.  (No, I didn’t bring screws or bolts anywhere near my piano…but we did try laying pieces of felt and tinfoil on the strings/dampers to see what sounds we could create!)

Chopin, Frederic

Studying Chopin was the perfect opportunity to discuss various types of character pieces and listen to a variety of Chopin’s wonderful oeuvre for piano.  We also talked a bit about Chopin’s background as a Polish composer and his life in Paris, contributing as a musician during salon performances.

Debussy, Claude

I think my students’ favorite part about studying Debussy was seeing some examples of Impressionist artwork and learning how it relates to Debussy’s music.  We also learned about the whole-tone scale.

Haydn, Franz Joseph

When studying Haydn, my homeschool students learned about the popular music forms of the Classical Era (sonata, symphony, string quartet, concerto) and discussed the various places Haydn was employed as Kapellmeister (the Esterhazy palace, in particular).  My students loved hearing about Haydn’s poor and lowly childhood and how his hard work and determination enabled him to become a great composer.

Holst, Gustav

We spent a lot of time listening to Gustav Holst’s most famous work, “The Planets.”  We drew a picture of each planet as we listened to each movement, and talked about how it turned out that Holst was correct not to compose a new movement for Pluto after it was initially discovered!  We also learned that John Williams was influenced by “The Planets” when he was composing the music for the Star Wars movies.

Joplin, Scott

Our study of Scott Joplin brought about a discussing of ragtime music and syncopation.  We also listened to some of Joplin’s most well-known piano rags and analyzed their forms.

Liszt, Franz

In this composer study, students will learn about Liszt’s popularity as a pianist as well as his generous spirit, particularly at the end of life.  Student will enjoy learning about how Liszt managed to “save the day” to erect a monument of Beethoven in Bonn, Germany.

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Students are always excited to learn more about Mozart!  Terms that are covered: prodigy, Alberti bass, and melody versus harmony.

Saint-Saens, Camille

The highlight about studying Saint-Saens, was listening to all the movements from Carnival of the Animals!  My students loved learning about the musical jokes that are embedded in that work.

Schumann, Robert

In this composer study, students will learn about Robert Schumann, as well as a little about his wife, Clara.  Among the terms covered are Romanticism, program music, and character pieces.

Stravinsky, Igor

Studying Stravinsky is the perfect time to discuss the terms “consonance” versus “dissonance.”  In this study, students will learn about 12-tone music, neo-classicism, and Stravinsky’s three compositional periods.

Have you already tried out one of these composer studies?  If so, please leave your review comments below!  You feedback may be useful to other teachers.

*Click here to return to the Great Composers & Their Music curriculum description in the Shop.*