Playing with the Classics, Volume 2: Book

Bennett has assembled 15 beloved orchestral selections and paired each with movement, storytelling, and listening activities that feel natural and joyful rather than manufactured. Early childhood teachers and novices will find the lessons immediately usable; everything is reproducible, clearly structured, and tested in real classrooms. The book trusts your instincts as a teacher while giving you concrete pathways to help young children internalize the sound and character of canonical works.

Discoveries unfold at a child's pace. A passage from Vivaldi sparks a sudden urge to move like winter wind. Mozart's delicate phrases invite quiet listening and imaginative storytelling. These lessons honor the genuine wonder children feel when meeting masterworks for the first time.

Preschool and primary-grade teachers seeking structured yet flexible ways to introduce orchestral music. This works equally well for experienced music specialists and classroom teachers new to music instruction who want reliable, classroom-tested lessons.

• Download the listening tracks ahead of time so you're not hunting during lesson time. Bennett designed the activities to flow with the music, so familiarity with pacing and dynamics will help you cue movement and stories naturally.
• Introduce each piece through its story or a simple movement exploration before playing the full track. Children connect to orchestral music faster when they have a physical or narrative anchor.
• Repeat the same piece across multiple lessons. Young ears need exposure to build recognition and affection for a work; one listen is never enough.
• Encourage children to create their own movements and stories rather than correcting theirs to match your vision. The goal is engagement with the music itself, not choreographic precision.

Weave these lessons throughout the year as a regular listening component rather than a standalone unit. A piece per week during circle time or music class creates sustained exposure; by year's end, your students will recognize and love these composers. You might also build a spring concert around student-created movements and stories for each work.

• Active listening and attentiveness to orchestral texture and dynamics
• Connecting music to movement, narrative, and emotional response
• Building a foundational repertoire of canonical orchestral works
• Expressing musical ideas through improvised movement and storytelling
• Recognizing instruments and families of instruments within ensemble context