What to do when kids say classical music is boring

When a child says classical music is boring, the cause is often the setup, not the music. The piece was too long, too slow, or too quiet, or the child had nothing to do but sit. Start again with a fast, loud piece under three minutes. Give your child a job while it plays, and let your child choose what comes next.

Why children say it

• The piece was long, and no one said when it would end
• The piece was slow or quiet
• The child had to sit still
• The music was in the background and no one pointed anything out
• The child had no say in what was played
• Nothing about it was familiar
• It felt like a lesson

Each of these has a fix.

Eight fixes

1. Go short. Choose pieces under three minutes. Stop while your child still wants more.

2. Go fast and loud. Begin with trolls, storms, bees, and cannons. Slow, quiet pieces can wait.

3. Let them move. March, gallop, sneak, and freeze. A child who is dancing is listening. See classical music for kids to dance to.

4. Give a job. “Count the cymbal crashes.” “Raise a hand when the tune comes back.” “Tell me when the trolls start to run.” A task turns hearing into listening.

5. Tell the story first. Many pieces have one. A child who knows that the broom is about to split in two waits for that moment. See classical music that tells a story.

6. Give a choice. Play ten seconds of two pieces and let your child pick. Or use the piece picker and let your child choose the mood.

7. Show the players. Watch a video of an orchestra. Seeing a percussionist race between drums or a row of bows move together changes how a child hears the sound. See how to watch an orchestra concert at home.

8. Link it to music they know. Film and game scores use full orchestras. Cartoons have borrowed classical pieces for many decades. When your child says, “I know this one,” you have a way in.

Fifteen pieces to try first

All are fast, loud, or funny, and most are under four minutes.

1. “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” by Grieg
2. Finale of the William Tell Overture, by Rossini
3. Flight of the Bumblebee, by Rimsky-Korsakov
4. Sabre Dance, by Khachaturian
5. “Mars” from The Planets, by Holst
6. “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo, by Copland
7. Hungarian Dance No. 5, by Brahms
8. “Infernal Dance” from The Firebird, by Stravinsky
9. “The Ride of the Valkyries,” by Wagner
10. Can-Can, by Offenbach
11. “Dance of the Knights,” by Prokofiev
12. Toccata and Fugue in D minor, attributed to Bach, the first minute
13. The last four minutes of the 1812 Overture, by Tchaikovsky
14. “The Typewriter,” by Leroy Anderson
15. Symphony No. 94, “Surprise,” second movement, by Haydn

Pieces with a joke in them

Humor can win over a skeptical child.

• The “Surprise” Symphony, by Haydn. A soft, plain tune, then one loud chord. See the listening guide.
• “The Typewriter,” by Leroy Anderson. The soloist plays an office typewriter.
• “The Elephant,” from The Carnival of the Animals, by Saint-Saëns. A double bass plays a dainty dance tune.
• “A Musical Joke,” by Mozart. Mozart wrote wrong notes on purpose to poke fun at clumsy composers.
• The “Farewell” Symphony, by Haydn. The players walk off the stage one at a time.

What not to do

Do not say it is good for them. Say what you like about the piece instead.

Do not make it a punishment or a chore. Music time that follows a scolding becomes part of the scolding.

Do not force long sittings. Three minutes of real listening is worth more than thirty of waiting for the end.

Do not put down their music. Listen to their songs and ask what they like about them.

Do not expect every piece to land. Adults do not like every piece. Let your child say, “Not that one.”

Let them rate the music

Give each piece a score out of five. Keep a list of the scores on the fridge. After ten pieces, look at the fives together and ask what they have in common. Fast? Loud? Brass? Then find more like them.

Rating gives a child a voice, and it turns “boring” into “a two, because it was too slow,” which is something to work with.

For older children

Start with their instrument. A child who plays the drums may enjoy a percussion concerto. A guitar player may like Spanish guitar music.

Use film music. Scores by John Williams and other film composers are written for full orchestra. Many orchestras play them in concert.

Hand over the search. Ask your child to find three pieces for a mood, such as “music for a chase.” Play them at dinner.

Go to a live concert. A full orchestra in a hall sounds different from any speaker. See first orchestra concert with kids.

Give it time

Tastes change. A child who shrugs at seven may ask for a piece at nine. Keep the music around, keep it short, and keep it light.

Next steps

Build a small daily routine with how to build a family listening habit in five minutes. Pick pieces for your child’s age in classical music for kids by age. Make a game of it with the listening bingo maker.