7 ‘Super Cool’ Ways To Help Your Kids Appreciate Music & Learn About The Planets
See below for a Free Printable Pack to go with the post.
There is nothing that I love more than to blend two subjects together.
I have found that when kids learn music through other subjects, like history, geography or science, the learning becomes more natural and also really fun for them, thus, increasing their curiosity as well as attention span.
In this post, I will be explaining how you can introduce music to your kids through the study of planets.
Yes, you can do this irrespective of their age and here I will make suggestions and recommendations of activities, which will be suitable for kids of different age groups like pre-schoolers, primary school aged kids, tween and teens.
I have also created a printable with worksheets for different age groups, which you can download.
Ready to get started?
Listen
Have you heard of Gustav Holst?
He composed an orchestration named the Planets with eight movements, one for each planet.
Find the orchestration online and listen to it many times.
You can have this playing in the background in your homeschool, you can even discuss the differences in tune and the emotions it invokes and much more.
Even with younger kids you can start up a discussion asking them which one of the movements they like the most and why? Which one sounds the scariest or saddest and so on.
With older kids you can discuss the dynamics and how it affects the mood of the piece.
Composer Study
While older kids can carry out a research study of Gustav Holst, with younger kids, you can just introduce the composer in terms of his country of birth, year of birth, his other compositions etc.
Use the printable I have made available to engage the little ones.
Research
Did you know that many other composers like Vivaldi and Beethoven for instance were also inspired by the planets and other heavenly bodies in our solar system?
Have you heard the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven or Vivaldi’s Four Seasons?
Ask older kids to research and find other compositions that were inspired by our solar system and create a playlist.
Once they’ve created the playlist, even younger kids can benefit from it, because they will automatically learn these pieces and be able to recognize it.
Take An Online Course
My course the Solar System Symphony is a 12 Unit Online course, that focuses on the Sun, Moon, all eight planets, plus Pluto, and asteroids and more.
In the course, I not only introduce your kids to the music that was inspired by our solar system but also the planets themselves and the course is for kids between ages 4 – 17.
Why not take a course like this? And have at least a semester worth of music appreciation material for your kids?
You can own the course for life, use it with as many kids and for as long as you want?
Check out the preview unit and use the 50% off coupon to get this course at the sale price.
Compare and Contrast
Another great activity for older kids is to compare and contrast two movements or two compositions about the planets or the solar system with one another.
Again, please look at the printable I have made available expressly for this purpose, with younger kids you can just discuss two movements and contrast them orally.
Critically Analyse
Older kids can take the comparison a step further by selecting just one movement or one composition to critically analyse in depth. They can discuss the instruments used, the dynamics of the piece, how the dynamics and instruments used came together to portray the planet, how it made them feel, did they like it or not, if given the opportunity what would they change and why?
Planets And The Movements
Another great activity for older kids would be to learn about the planet in depth, and how it is portrayed in Greek mythology (see you’ve now blended a whole new subject).
Next, go back to the previous activity and critically analyse the movement and compare it to the scientific profile of the planet and then again compare it to the Greek mythological profile of the planet.
Doesn’t that just sound like fun?
Can you think of more ideas on how you can combine the study of science and music?
Please comment below.
Karen Cadera
Founder/Creator
Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.
My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.
This program reminded me (and allowed me to teach my son) how to read music. To me, that was the most important thing that we learned together. Of course, it was very rewarding for me to watch my son play the piano with both hands at the same time, while reading sheet music. His favorite parts of the course were actually playing the songs and doing the worksheets provided.
Download the FREE Solar System Symphony Worksheets
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