Film music for kids: 10 scores to hear with an orchestra

Film music is orchestra music that many children already know. A child who can hum the Star Wars theme has learned a tune for full orchestra by heart. These ten scores are a way in. Each one has a theme to find and an instrument to listen for.

Check each film’s rating for your child’s age. The music can be played on its own at any age.

What a film score does

A score is the music written for a film. It tells the audience how to feel, and it gives each character a tune. That tune is called a leitmotif. The composer Richard Wagner used the idea in his operas in the 1800s. When the character comes back, the tune comes back. Read what is a motif? Themes and leitmotifs for kids.

Ten scores

1. Star Wars (1977), by John Williams. The London Symphony Orchestra recorded it. Listen for: the trumpets in the main title, and the dark march for Darth Vader in the second film. Read John Williams for kids.

2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), by John Williams. Listen for: the “Flying Theme,” where the strings lift the tune higher with each phrase.

3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), by John Williams. Listen for: the celesta that plays “Hedwig’s Theme” alone at the start. Read the celesta for kids.

4. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), by Erich Korngold. Korngold was a child prodigy from Vienna who wrote operas before he wrote for films. This score won an Academy Award. Listen for: the brass fanfares. Read Korngold for kids.

5. The Wizard of Oz (1939). Harold Arlen wrote the songs, and Herbert Stothart wrote the music between them. Listen for: the way the orchestra quotes “Over the Rainbow” when Dorothy thinks of home.

6. Fantasia (1940). This film works the other way around. The music came first, and the artists drew pictures for it. Read the Fantasia music list.

7. My Neighbor Totoro (1988), by Joe Hisaishi. Hisaishi has written the music for most of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. Listen for: the bouncy march of the main theme. Read Joe Hisaishi for kids.

8. The Lion King (1994), by Hans Zimmer. Elton John and Tim Rice wrote the songs. Zimmer wrote the score, and the South African musician Lebo M led the choir. The score won an Academy Award. Listen for: the voices of the choir.

9. Up (2009), by Michael Giacchino. One waltz tune tells the story of a whole marriage in four minutes. The score won an Academy Award. Listen for: how the same tune sounds happy, then sad.

10. How to Train Your Dragon (2010), by John Powell. Listen for: “Test Drive,” where the boy and the dragon fly together for the first time.

Classical composers who wrote for films

• Saint-Saëns wrote one of the first film scores, in 1908.
• Prokofiev wrote the music for the film Lieutenant Kijé and later made it into a suite. Its “Troika” is a sleigh ride.
• Copland wrote the score for The Red Pony.
• Vaughan Williams wrote the music for a film about a journey to the South Pole. He later turned it into a symphony.
• Shostakovich wrote the music for more than 30 films.

Hear it live

Many orchestras now play film concerts. The film runs on a big screen with the talking and the sound effects. The orchestra plays the whole score live, in time with the picture.

A film concert is a good first concert for a child.

• The child knows the story already.
• Clapping and cheering are welcome.
• There is a break in the middle.

Film concerts can be loud and long. Read how long is an orchestra concert? and ear protection for kids at concerts.

Games to play

• Name that theme. Hum a film theme. The first to name the film hums the next one.
• Turn off the sound. Watch a scene with no sound, then with it. Talk about what the music added.
• Find the tune. Count how many times a character’s tune comes back in one film.
• From film to concert hall. Play “Mars” by Holst after the Star Wars battle music. Read The Planets listening guide.

For music from games, read video game music and the orchestra. For cartoons, read classical music in cartoons.