Kids Classical Music

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Composer of the month poster

A free composer of the month poster to print: one page for each month, with a composer born that month, a fact, a short story, and three pieces to hear.

Ages 5 and up12 pagesFree to print for home and classroom use

One composer, one month, one page on the wall. Each poster names a composer born in that month, with the dates, one fact to remember, a short story, and three pieces to hear. The composers follow the plan in composer birthdays by month. That plan leaves July open, so the July poster is blank for your child's own pick.

How to use it

Hang the poster where the family eats. Play the first piece in the first week and say the composer's name out loud. Add the second and third pieces in the weeks after. Your child ticks each piece and colors a box at the bottom for each day the music played.

For more on any composer, print the matching composer fact sheet.

Pick a month

The page opens on this month's poster. Choose another month, or show all twelve to print the year at once.

Only the sheet below prints. It fits letter and A4 paper. For a clean page, turn off headers and footers in the print window.

Composer of the month

January

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1756 to 1791 · Salzburg, Austria · Classical era

Born on January 27, 1756

A fact to remember

He wrote his first pieces when he was about five years old.

The story in short

Mozart played the keyboard and the violin as a small child. He traveled across Europe to play for kings and queens. He wrote more than 600 pieces in his short life.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • Variations on Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman

    The Twinkle, Twinkle tune comes back in 12 new ways.

  • Eine kleine Nachtmusik, first movement

    The strings start with a bold tune that leaps up.

  • Rondo alla turca

    A fast piano piece that copies the sound of a Turkish marching band.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Januarykidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

February

George Frideric Handel

1685 to 1759 · Halle, Germany · Baroque era

Born on February 23, 1685

A fact to remember

His Water Music was first played on a boat on the River Thames for a king.

The story in short

Handel was born in Germany and moved to London. He wrote music for kings, for the theater, and for large choirs. At many concerts, the audience stands for his Hallelujah chorus.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • Hallelujah, from Messiah

    A choir sings one word again and again, louder each time.

  • Hornpipe, from Water Music

    Horns and trumpets answer each other in a bright dance.

  • Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

    Fast strings rush along while two oboes sing above them.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Februarykidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

March

Johann Sebastian Bach

1685 to 1750 · Eisenach, Germany · Baroque era

Born on March 31, 1685

A fact to remember

He had 20 children, and several of them became composers too.

The story in short

Bach played the organ and worked as a church musician. For several years he wrote a new piece for church almost every week. He came from a large family of musicians.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • Prelude, from Cello Suite No. 1

    One cello plays alone. The notes ripple up and down.

  • Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, first movement

    Groups of strings pass a busy tune back and forth.

  • Air, from Orchestral Suite No. 3

    A slow, smooth tune floats over a walking bass line.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Marchkidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

April

Sergei Prokofiev

1891 to 1953 · Sontsivka, Ukraine · Modern era

Born on April 23, 1891

A fact to remember

In Peter and the Wolf, each character has its own instrument.

The story in short

Prokofiev wrote his first piano piece at age five. He wrote Peter and the Wolf in 1936 for a children's theater in Moscow. He also wrote ballets, operas, and film music.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • Peter and the Wolf

    A narrator tells the story. The bird is a flute and the wolf is three horns.

  • Dance of the Knights, from Romeo and Juliet

    Heavy, marching steps in the low brass and strings.

  • Troika, from Lieutenant Kijé

    Sleigh bells jingle through a fast winter ride.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Aprilkidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

May

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

1840 to 1893 · Votkinsk, Russia · Romantic era

Born on May 7, 1840

A fact to remember

He wrote three famous ballets: Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker.

The story in short

Tchaikovsky trained for a government job before he studied music. He became the best-known composer in Russia. His ballets are danced all over the world.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

    A bell-like instrument, the celesta, plays the tune.

  • Waltz of the Flowers

    A harp opens, then horns play a swaying tune.

  • Dance of the Little Swans, from Swan Lake

    Bassoons bounce while oboes play a quick, neat tune.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Maykidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

June

Edvard Grieg

1843 to 1907 · Bergen, Norway · Romantic era

Born on June 15, 1843

A fact to remember

He wrote music for a play about Peer Gynt, a boy who meets trolls.

The story in short

Grieg grew up in Bergen, on the coast of Norway. He used the sound of Norwegian folk tunes in his music. His home, called Troldhaugen, is now a museum.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • In the Hall of the Mountain King

    It starts quiet and slow. It ends loud and fast.

  • Morning Mood

    A flute and an oboe trade a tune like a sunrise.

  • Wedding Day at Troldhaugen

    A piano piece that sounds like a happy parade.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Junekidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

July

Your pick

Composer
Lived fromto
Born in
A fact to remember

Three pieces to hear this month

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Julykidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

August

Claude Debussy

1862 to 1918 · Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France · Modern era

Born on August 22, 1862

A fact to remember

He wrote a set of piano pieces called Children's Corner for his young daughter.

The story in short

Debussy entered the Paris Conservatory at age ten. His music often sounds soft and dreamy. He wrote pieces about the sea, the moon, and falling snow.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • Clair de lune

    Soft piano notes that sound like moonlight.

  • The Snow Is Dancing, from Children's Corner

    Light, quick notes fall like snowflakes.

  • The Girl with the Flaxen Hair

    A short, gentle tune for piano.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Augustkidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

September

Antonín Dvořák

1841 to 1904 · Nelahozeves, Czech Republic · Romantic era

Born on September 8, 1841

A fact to remember

He loved trains and went to the station in Prague to watch them.

The story in short

Dvořák was the son of a village innkeeper. He used the rhythms of Czech folk dances in his music. He lived in the United States for three years and led a music school in New York.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • Humoresque No. 7

    A skipping tune, then a smooth one, then the skip returns.

  • Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 8

    A fast, stomping dance for full orchestra.

  • Largo, from Symphony No. 9

    An English horn plays a slow, homesick tune.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Septemberkidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

October

Camille Saint-Saëns

1835 to 1921 · Paris, France · Romantic era

Born on October 9, 1835

A fact to remember

He wrote Carnival of the Animals as a joke for his friends.

The story in short

Saint-Saëns gave a piano concert at age ten. He played the organ at a large church in Paris. He wrote symphonies, operas, and a musical zoo.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • The Swan, from Carnival of the Animals

    A cello sings while two pianos ripple like water.

  • Aquarium, from Carnival of the Animals

    Shimmering notes sound like light under water.

  • Danse macabre

    A clock strikes twelve, and skeletons dance to a violin.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Octoberkidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

November

Aaron Copland

1900 to 1990 · Brooklyn, New York, United States · Modern era

Born on November 14, 1900

A fact to remember

He used cowboy songs and folk tunes in his ballets.

The story in short

Copland grew up above his family's store in Brooklyn. He studied in Paris and came home to write music that sounded American. He wrote ballets about cowboys and pioneers.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • Hoe-Down, from Rodeo

    Fiddles race through a barn dance.

  • Fanfare for the Common Man

    Drums boom, then trumpets call out.

  • Simple Gifts, from Appalachian Spring

    A clarinet starts an old Shaker tune. More instruments join each time.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Novemberkidsclassicalmusic.com

Composer of the month

December

Ludwig van Beethoven

1770 to 1827 · Bonn, Germany · Classical era

Baptized on December 17, 1770

A fact to remember

He lost most of his hearing and kept writing music.

The story in short

Beethoven moved to Vienna as a young man and became a famous pianist. He began to lose his hearing in his late twenties. He wrote nine symphonies.

Three pieces to hear this month

  • Symphony No. 5, first movement

    Four notes, three short and one long, start it all.

  • Für Elise

    A gentle piano tune that keeps coming back.

  • Ode to Joy, from Symphony No. 9

    A simple tune that moves by steps. A choir joins the orchestra.

Color a box for each day you listened

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Composer of the month: Decemberkidsclassicalmusic.com

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