Famous piano pieces kids know by ear

Children know more piano music than they think. They have heard it on ice cream trucks, in cartoons, on music boxes, and from the older child at the recital. This page names 14 of those tunes, says who wrote each one, and gives a rough idea of when a piano student can play it.

The tunes almost every child knows

1. “Für Elise,” by Beethoven. The most famous piano tune of all. It was found and printed 40 years after Beethoven died. Read who was Elise? To play the opening, read Für Elise for beginners.

2. “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” The tune is an old French song. Mozart wrote 12 variations on it for piano. Read who wrote Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?

3. “Ode to Joy,” by Beethoven. It comes from his Ninth Symphony, where a choir sings it. It is one of the first tunes in many piano books, because it moves by step. Read Ode to Joy for kids.

4. “Chopsticks.” Its real name is “The Celebrated Chop Waltz.” Euphemia Allen, a British girl of 16, published it in 1877 under a man’s name. Read Chopsticks on piano.

5. “The Entertainer,” by Scott Joplin. A rag from 1902. A film used it in 1973, and it became a hit all over again. Read Scott Joplin for kids.

The ones from cartoons and films

6. “Turkish March,” by Mozart. The last movement of one of his piano sonatas. Mozart copied the sound of Turkish army bands, which were in fashion in Vienna.

7. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, by Liszt. Cartoon cats and rabbits have played it. Read classical music in cartoons.

8. “Funeral March,” by Chopin. The slow, heavy tune that cartoons play when something goes wrong. It is the third movement of a piano sonata.

9. “Minute” Waltz, by Chopin. The name means “small,” not “sixty seconds.” It takes most pianists closer to two minutes.

The quiet ones

10. “Moonlight” Sonata, first movement, by Beethoven. Read the Moonlight Sonata for kids.

11. “Clair de lune,” by Debussy. Read Clair de lune for kids.

12. Gymnopédie No. 1, by Satie. Slow, plain, and a little sad. Read Satie for kids.

13. Prelude in C major, by Bach. The same rippling pattern in every bar. It opens a book of 48 pieces that Bach wrote in every key.

14. Minuet in G. For 250 years people thought Bach wrote it, since it sits in a notebook he made for his wife. The real composer was Christian Petzold. Read who wrote the Minuet in G.

When can a student play it?

Every child moves at a different pace, and simple versions exist for all of these. This table sorts the real pieces from easiest to hardest.

Stage	Pieces
Beginner	“Ode to Joy” with one hand, “Chopsticks”
Early intermediate	Minuet in G
Intermediate	Prelude in C major, Gymnopédie No. 1, the opening of “Für Elise”
Late intermediate	All of “Für Elise,” “The Entertainer,” “Turkish March,” the first movement of the “Moonlight” Sonata
Advanced	“Clair de lune,” “Minute” Waltz, “Funeral March”
Concert level	Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Ask the teacher. A teacher knows what your child’s hands and reading are ready for.

A famous piece as a goal

A piece that a child already loves gives practice a point. Ask the teacher which famous piece is within reach next, and write its name where your child can see it.

Games to play

• Name that tune. Play ten seconds of each piece. Keep score.
• Find it in the wild. Listen for these tunes in shops, films, and ringtones for a week.
• Tick them off. Use the 25 classical pieces checklist.

For pieces in order of difficulty, read easy classical piano pieces for beginners and first piano songs for kids. For how long it all takes, read how long does it take a child to learn piano?