Music activity
Classical Listening Spotlight: Bach
Listen to music by Johann Sebastian Bach and draw how it makes you feel.
Materials and setup
- recording device or streaming service
- paper and pencil
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Listen to music by Johann Sebastian Bach and draw how it makes you feel.
Steps
- Sit comfortably. A grown-up plays the 'Minuet in G' (from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach — widely available).
- Listen all the way through with eyes closed.
- Draw a picture of what you imagined while the music played.
- Share your picture with a grown-up.
- Listen one more time and dance gently to the beat.
Learning objectives
- Listen attentively to a full piece
- Express musical response through drawing
- Connect listening to imagination
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Meet Johann Sebastian Bach and listen to two of his short pieces.
Steps
- A grown-up reads 3 facts: Bach lived in Germany from 1685 to 1750. He had 20 children. He wrote music for church, palace, and family lessons.
- Listen to the 'Prelude in C Major' from The Well-Tempered Clavier.
- Listen to 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.'
- Say which one you liked better and one word to describe each.
- Tap along to the beat of the Prelude.
Learning objectives
- Identify Bach as a Baroque composer
- Describe two pieces using one-word moods
- Practice attentive listening
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Explore Bach's 'Little Fugue in G Minor' and listen for the theme repeating.
Steps
- Learn: a fugue is a piece where one melody (called the subject) is stated, then imitated by other voices.
- Listen to the Little Fugue in G Minor (BWV 578).
- First listen: just enjoy.
- Second listen: raise your hand every time you hear the main theme come in on a new voice.
- Count how many entrances you heard.
- In a notebook, write 3 sentences about what a fugue is and how Bach uses the theme.
Learning objectives
- Define fugue and subject
- Recognize thematic entrances by ear
- Summarize a musical form in writing
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Compare two Bach pieces and write a short listening comparison.
Steps
- Listen to 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, 1st movement' and 'Toccata and Fugue in D Minor' (both widely available recordings).
- For each, note: the instruments you hear, the general tempo, and one striking moment.
- Learn that Bach wrote for many purposes — church (Toccata on the organ) and court (Brandenburg Concertos for orchestra).
- Write a 1-paragraph comparison: how does the setting (church organ vs. court orchestra) shape the sound?
- Recommend one of them to a friend and say why in 2 sentences.
Learning objectives
- Compare two pieces by the same composer
- Connect historical context to musical sound
- Write an evidence-based listening comparison
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
Related music activities
Articulation: Staccato and Legato
Sing bouncy (staccato) and smooth (legato).
Body Percussion Beatbox
Your body is an instrument! Clap, stomp, and pat to make a groove.
Call and Response
Echo back whatever the grown-up sings or claps.
Clapping Games Around the World
Learn a simple partner clapping game and sing along.