Classical music for Thanksgiving with kids: pieces for the table and the drive

Thanksgiving has no famous piece of its own, as Christmas has The Nutcracker. It does have a theme: harvest, home, and thanks. These 12 pieces fit that theme. They are sorted by when to play them, from the morning in the kitchen to the drive home.

Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October. American Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November. The list works for both.

While you cook

“Hoe-Down” from Rodeo, by Copland. Fast fiddle tunes for a full orchestra. It gets a kitchen moving. See the Copland listening guide.

“Autumn” from The Four Seasons, first movement, by Vivaldi. Vivaldi’s poem for this music describes country people who dance and sing to celebrate the harvest. See the Four Seasons listening guide.

“The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba,” by Handel. Three minutes of busy strings and two cheerful oboes. It suits the moment when guests come to the door.

At the table

Variations on “Simple Gifts” from Appalachian Spring, by Copland. “Simple Gifts” is a song of the Shakers, a religious community in America. Joseph Brackett wrote it in 1848. Copland starts with a clarinet alone and lets the tune grow until the whole orchestra plays it.

Largo from the “New World” Symphony, by Dvořák. Antonín Dvořák came from Bohemia and wrote this symphony in New York in 1893. An English horn plays a slow, homesick tune. One of his students later added words and called it “Goin’ Home.” Read Dvořák for kids.

“Sheep May Safely Graze,” by Bach. Two recorders or flutes play a calm, rocking pattern over a slow tune.

Humoresque No. 7, by Dvořák. A short piece with a skipping rhythm and a tune that is easy to hum.

A piece about being thankful

“Pastoral” Symphony, last movement, by Beethoven. Beethoven gave each movement of this symphony a title. He called the last one “Shepherd’s song: happy and thankful feelings after the storm.” Play the storm movement first, and then this one. Ask your child how the music changes. Read Beethoven for kids.

Hymns for the harvest

“We Gather Together.” A Dutch hymn from 1597. It crossed to America with Dutch settlers, and in the 1900s it became the hymn many Americans sing at Thanksgiving.

“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.” An English harvest hymn. Henry Alford wrote the words in 1844, and George Elvey wrote the tune in 1858.

“Now Thank We All Our God.” A German hymn from the 1600s. Bach used it in his church music 100 years later. Choirs and brass groups play it at thanksgiving services around the world.

Sing one at the table. The tunes are slow and plain, and children pick them up in two or three tries.

On the drive

For the car, play something long enough to settle into.

• The whole of Copland’s Appalachian Spring suite, which lasts about 25 minutes
• All of Vivaldi’s “Autumn” and “Winter,” which last about 20 minutes together
• Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony, for a longer trip

See classical music for car rides with kids for games to play on the way.

For older children

“Thanksgiving and Forefathers’ Day,” by Charles Ives. Ives was an American composer who grew up in New England. This piece is the last part of his Holidays Symphony. It starts with thick, clashing chords and ends with a choir singing a hymn. It is strange music, and a child of 10 or older may find it interesting for that reason.

Things to do together

Thankful tune. Play “Simple Gifts.” Each person names one thing they are thankful for before the tune comes back.

Storm and after. Play Beethoven’s storm, and then the shepherd’s song. Draw two pictures.

Whose tune? Play the Largo and “Goin’ Home” one after the other. Ask whether the tune sounds different with words.

Find the harvest. In Vivaldi’s “Autumn,” raise a hand each time the full group plays the dancing tune.

Print and play

Use a listening journal page for the two Beethoven drawings. Pick more music by mood with the classical piece picker.

Next comes December. Read Christmas classical music for kids and taking kids to The Nutcracker ballet. For more ways to listen at home, see how to introduce kids to classical music.