25 classical pieces to hear: a checklist
A free checklist of 25 classical pieces for kids. Tick each one off as you hear it, color the stars, and write down your top three.
This is the list from best classical music for kids: 25 pieces to know, on one page. The pieces sit in five groups: short and fun, stories, big tunes, dances and marches, and calm.
How to use it
Put the page on the fridge. Play one piece a day, in any order. The article says what to listen for in each one. After the piece, your child ticks the box and colors one, two, or three stars. A piece with one star is worth a second try in a few months.
When all 25 are done, fill in the top three at the bottom. Then play those three again.
Only the sheet below prints. It fits letter and A4 paper. For a clean page, turn off headers and footers in the print window.
25 pieces to hear
Tick the box when you have heard the piece. Color the stars to show how much you liked it.
Short and fun
- 1. "Flight of the Bumblebee"Rimsky-Korsakov
- 2. "In the Hall of the Mountain King"Grieg
- 3. "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"Tchaikovsky
- 4. William Tell Overture, the finaleRossini
- 5. Can-canOffenbach
Stories
- 6. Peter and the WolfProkofiev
- 7. The Carnival of the AnimalsSaint-Saëns
- 8. The Sorcerer's ApprenticeDukas
- 9. "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks"Mussorgsky
- 10. "Spring" from The Four SeasonsVivaldi
Big tunes
- 11. Symphony No. 5, first movementBeethoven
- 12. "Ode to Joy"Beethoven
- 13. Eine kleine Nachtmusik, first movementMozart
- 14. "Hallelujah" chorus from MessiahHandel
- 15. "Jupiter" from The PlanetsHolst
Dances and marches
- 16. Hungarian Dance No. 5Brahms
- 17. "Waltz of the Flowers"Tchaikovsky
- 18. "The Blue Danube"Johann Strauss II
- 19. "Hoe-Down" from RodeoCopland
- 20. Radetzky MarchJohann Strauss I
Calm
- 21. "Clair de lune"Debussy
- 22. "Air" from Orchestral Suite No. 3Bach
- 23. Canon in DPachelbel
- 24. LullabyBrahms
- 25. "Morning Mood"Grieg
My top three
25 classical pieces to hearkidsclassicalmusic.com
Goes well with
- Best classical music for kids: 25 pieces to know
- Classical piece picker
- Listening journal page
- How to build a family listening habit
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Where each group sits in the orchestra, with a blank copy to label.
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Seven character cards and seven instrument cards to match and hold up while you listen.