🎼🎼 What Our Students Discovered: Classical Era Music
Last month in the MTMS Music Lab, students explored the elegance and structure of Classical Era music (approximately 1750–1820). Through listening and history stations, they shared thoughtful observations about composers, instruments, and musical style. As a result, we saw some wonderful musical thinking in action.
🎧 First Impressions from the Listening Station
To begin, many students noticed the distinctive sound of Classical music.
Students frequently mentioned hearing piano, organ-like sounds, and full orchestras. For example, Nubung R. observed the presence of “orchestras with different instruments.” Similarly, Ethan L. noted that composers “used a lot of the same instruments.”
In addition, tempo changes stood out. Nubung R. shared that “tempos can vary in a single piece.” Likewise, Ethan L. noticed the music was often “slow to fast and then slow again.” Most notably, Noah G. summed up the expressive range beautifully, saying “every emotion can be expressed in classical music.”
Students also commented on the overall mood. For instance, Beatrice V. said it “gives a tense feeling.” Meanwhile, Haley N. noted it has “no words” and “makes you tired like a lullaby.” Sebastian V. added that the pieces “sound old” and resemble “an organ playing.”
Finally, Freya W. made an insightful structural observation: “Melody for Twinkle Twinkle is 13 minutes because classical music liked to go long because you can do more with instruments than voices.”
🎹 Recognizing Famous Works
Next, students made strong connections to well-known repertoire.
Hayden C. shared that the music felt “familiar and enjoyable.” He also named Turkish March as a personal favorite. In the same way, Owen C. recognized that many selections were by Beethoven. He further noted that a Mozart piece appears in his own lesson book.
Meanwhile, Callan G. identified Für Elise as a piano piece. He also noticed the beginning of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony “sounds like it’s played on drums.” In addition, Kristofer S. connected Mozart’s Ah, vous dirais-je, Maman to “a minute version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
🕰️ What Students Learned About the Era
From the history station, students demonstrated growing understanding of the time period.
To start, Lila P. noted the music was popular in the 1750s–1820s. She also described it as “more serious music.” Deven D. shared key composer facts. He wrote, “Beethoven lost hearing” and “Mozart’s dad taught him music.”
Furthermore, Sebastian V. explained that many composers “started music at a young age.” He also mentioned the historical use of an ear trumpet before hearing aids.
Ekam J. offered a particularly nuanced distinction:
“Classical with an uppercase ‘C’ refers to the traditional music in the period of 1750–1820, whereas classical with a lowercase ‘c’ refers to what is used in things like film scores and western music.”
He also noted that Mozart began composing at age five. Additionally, he shared that Beethoven’s musical path was strongly influenced by his father’s expectations.
🎼 Musical Patterns Students Noticed
Overall, students consistently identified hallmark traits of the Classical style.
For example, Mila J. observed that there are “2 different types of classical.” She explained that sometimes the music is piano-only. However, other times it features multiple instruments, often still including piano.
Similarly, Liam C. noted that Classical music “consists mainly of piano and string instruments.” He also pointed out that “drums can be very intense.” In addition, he noticed the repertoire includes “lots of operatic pieces.”
💜 MTMS Reflection
We love seeing how carefully our students listen. Even more importantly, we love how thoughtfully they share their ideas. From recognizing famous themes to noticing tempo changes, these reflections show real musical growth.
As always, the Wheel of Themes will spin again soon… and we can’t wait to hear what our students discover next! 🎡✨