Happy Halloween from all of us at the New York Academy of Music! Before (or after) the trick-or-treating, here are five easy Halloween music activities for kids that turn a spooky night into a little music lesson. No instrument needed for most of them.
5 spooky music games for the whole family
- Monster freeze dance. Play In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg. Everyone creeps and stomps while the music plays and freezes when it stops. Notice how the music gets faster and louder: that is called an accelerando and a crescendo.
- Guess the creature. Play a few seconds of Danse Macabre by Saint-Saëns and ask: is this a skeleton, a ghost or a cat? Then explain the story: skeletons dancing at midnight until the rooster crows.
- Haunted sound story. Turn off the lights and build a scary story with sounds: pots for footsteps, a squeaky door, a whistle for the wind. Kids learn that music can tell a story without words.
- Costume concert. If your child plays an instrument, have them perform one piece in costume. Even a beginner’s five-note tune sounds great as a “witch’s spell.”
- Pumpkin rhythm. Clap a rhythm and have your child copy it by tapping on a pumpkin. Make the patterns longer each round.
Spooky pieces worth learning
Many students ask to learn a “scary” piece after Halloween. Good choices, in easy arrangements, include Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King, Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor (the famous opening) and the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata for intermediate pianists. Our teachers are happy to find a version that fits your child’s level.
Music lessons in Flushing, Queens
Private piano, violin, guitar, drum and voice lessons in Flushing, Queens, for children, teens and adults. Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Questions? Call us at (718) 393-2229 or email support@newyorkacademyofmusic.com.