Awesome Age Appropriate Music Analysis Activities

Do you know that you don’t need a degree in music to teach your kids music analysis? 

Well, you don’t, and in this post I’m going to explain to you how you can easily select age appropriate music analysis activities for your kids. 

I have even included a comprehensive printable that can be used by kids of all ages. 

So don’t forget to download it. 

Ok, let’s get started. 

3 – 5 Years (Pre-School Years)

This is a wonderful age at which to lay the foundation for music appreciation and that can be done through simple activities such as –

Learning about dynamics (pace, pitch, volume etc).

Listening for dynamics (fast/slow, high/low, loud/soft).

Reflecting on the music (what I like dislike).

For more details on how you can introduce your pre-schooler to music analysis, read my post 3 ‘Super Easy’ Music Analysis Activities For Pre-Schoolers.

6 – 9 Years (Primary School Years)

Even though you may feel that your kids aged 6 – 9 years are too young for something as complex as music analysis, you’d be surprised at how much analysis they can actually do at this age. 

Here are some activities that kids aged 6 – 9 can easily do. 

Listening for dynamics and how it changes the mood of the song. 

Reflecting on how the dynamics affect his or her individual mood. 

Comparing and contrasting the song with another similar song and listening to renditions on different instruments and comparing them. 

For more explanation on how you can introduce your primary schoolers to music analysis read my post 3 ‘Must Teach’ Music Analysis Activities For Primary Students.

10 – 13 Years (Middle School Years)

While you may think that tweens are not interested in music appreciation, you will be surprised at the depth of their knowledge and ability. 

So ask them to – 

Compare and contrast two songs by the same composer in terms of mood and melody and instruments used. 

You can also ask them to reflect on the melody, what they liked and disliked about the song and even compare and contrast two songs by different composers. 

For a more in-depth explanation of how you can introduce your middle schoolers to music analysis read my post 5 ‘Should Not’ Be Missed Music Analysis Ideas For Tweens.

14+ Years (High School Years)

This may be one of the hardest age groups to engage, but trust me, they love music and have a knack for it, so there is no better time to get them into music appreciation if you already haven’t done so. 

You can carry out all the activities that were suggested for the 10 – 13 age group as well as asking your teens to also make suggestions of what other instruments and changes could have been made to a chosen composition. 

However, don’t stop there, you will also have to ask them why they are doing so. 

For a more in-depth explanation of how you can introduce your high schoolers to music analysis read my post 5 ‘Absolutely Fun’ Music Analysis Ideas For Teens.

As you can see, this exercise doesn’t have to be difficult, it just needs some preparation and then you will be ready to go. 

Don’t forget to download the printable that I’ve made available with this post.