Fall classical music for kids: 12 pieces for autumn days

Autumn in music means harvest dances, hunting horns, wind, and falling leaves. These 12 pieces work from the first day of school to the first snow.

Play one after a walk in the leaves. Tell your child the title first, and ask what they expect to hear.

Back to school

1. Academic Festival Overture, by Brahms. A university gave Brahms an honorary degree, and he wrote this as a thank-you. He filled it with songs that students sang. It ends with the biggest one, played by the whole orchestra. Game: march to the last two minutes. Read Brahms for kids.

The harvest

2. “Autumn” from The Four Seasons, first movement, by Vivaldi. Country people dance and sing because the harvest is in. Vivaldi’s poem for the music says some of them fall asleep by the end. Game: dance, then slow down and drop to the floor. See the Four Seasons listening guide.

3. “Merry Gathering of Country Folk” from Symphony No. 6, by Beethoven. A village band plays for a dance. Listen for the bassoon that seems to know only a few notes. Game: stomp on the heavy beats.

4. “Autumn” from The Seasons, by Glazunov. The last part of his ballet opens with a wild dance. Game: spin with a scarf, and freeze when the music stops.

The hunt

5. “Autumn” from The Four Seasons, third movement, by Vivaldi. Hunters ride out at dawn with horns and dogs. The violins copy the sound of hunting horns. Game: gallop.

6. Horn Concerto No. 4, last movement, by Mozart. The horn began as a hunting instrument, and this tune bounces like a rider on a horse. Game: play an air horn with one hand in the bell. Read the French horn for kids.

7. “September: The Hunt,” by Tchaikovsky. A piano piece from his set of 12 months. The chords ring out like horn calls.

Leaves and wind

8. “October: Autumn Song,” by Tchaikovsky. Slow and sad, from the same set. Game: let a tissue fall, and try to catch it before it lands.

9. “Dead Leaves,” by Debussy. A quiet piano piece. Soft chords drift downward. Game: draw the leaves as you hear them. Read Debussy for kids.

10. “Autumn,” by Chaminade. A piano piece with a calm tune at the start and the end. A storm of notes blows through the middle. Game: hold up a hand when the wind arrives. Read Cécile Chaminade for kids.

11. “Autumn in Buenos Aires,” by Piazzolla. Astor Piazzolla wrote four tangos for the seasons in his city in Argentina. The seasons there are reversed, so autumn begins in March. Game: walk a slow tango across the room.

The first frost

12. “November: Troika,” by Tchaikovsky. A troika is a Russian sleigh pulled by three horses. Bells jingle in the middle of the piece. Game: shake keys when the bells start.

A week of fall listening

Day	Piece	When to play it
Monday	Brahms, Academic Festival Overture	The drive to school
Tuesday	Vivaldi, “Autumn,” first movement	Making supper
Wednesday	Mozart, Horn Concerto No. 4	Tidy-up time
Thursday	Tchaikovsky, “October”	Quiet time
Friday	Glazunov, “Autumn”	Dance break

What to ask

• Is this piece about the start of fall or the end of it?
• Which instrument sounds like a hunting horn?
• Are the leaves in this piece falling fast or slow?

Print and play

Fill in the Four Seasons listening page for the Vivaldi. Draw the other pieces on a listening journal page.

For the rest of the season, read spooky classical music for Halloween and classical music for Thanksgiving. For the other seasons, read winter classical music for kids and spring classical music for kids.