Welcome to your Classical Encounters Membership!
Experience the wonder, beauty and creativity of classical music as a family with curated lesson plans delivered monthly.
Download your welcome packet below, then peruse your curriculum’s materials on the rest of the page! If you are joining mid-year and want to start at the beginning to move chronologically through music history, click the “Previous Months” panel in your Account.
Welcome to Summer Mode!
From June through August, your Classical Encounters membership will shift into a more relaxed, travel-friendly rhythm—perfect for families on the go. Each month, you’ll receive a listening guide designed to fit easily into your summer lifestyle, with one powerful work from the classical canon to discover each day.
For June, you have two beautiful themes to choose from:
🎻 Concerto Fire & Grace — a thrilling journey through virtuosic concertos, complete with a special listening guide on the art of the cadenza.
🕊️ Creatures of Sky & Water — a returning favorite from last year, full of music that brings the natural world to life.
Pick the theme that inspires you—or explore both! Either way, this summer promises rich musical encounters, even in the midst of summer’s spontaneity.
Listening Calendar No.1: Concerto Fire & Grace
Embark on a thrilling journey through the evolution of the concerto—beginning with the rhythmic brilliance of Bach and Vivaldi, and culminating in the modern intensity and heart-wrenching personal expression of Barber and Shostakovich. It’s not hard to see why the concerto rose to become one of the crown jewels of classical music. From its origins in the Baroque era, it became a vehicle for showcasing the expressive and virtuosic power of solo instruments against the backdrop of the powerful orchestra, displaying a dramatic and intimate dialogue between soloist and orchestra—between the individual and the ensemble, the personal and the universal. This listening calendar features landmark works in the concerto genre, with spotlights on the piano, violin, cello, clarinet, trumpet, mandolin, and even one for the entire orchestra. From the elegance of Mozart to the rhapsodic, soul-swooning melodies of Rachmaninov and the jaw-dropping pianistic fire of Prokofiev, this calendar offers a panoramic view of musical history through one of its most exhilarating forms.
PLAYLIST FOR:
Concerto Fire & Grace
Spotify
Youtube
Apple Music
Listening Calendar, Guide & Coloring Pages
Listening Calendar for June
Listening Guide to the Cadenza
Coloring Pages
for Littles
Listening Calendar No. 2:
Creatures of the Sky & Sea
Composers have long been enchanted by the creatures that traverse the skies and seas with such grace and beauty. Birds, each with their own distinct call, are the most musical of the animal kingdom, while other winged creatures such as butterflies dazzle us with their exquisitely designed wings. Underneath the sea, an array of colorful, mysterious creatures navigate a vast metropolis with rippling movements. Composers across all eras have sought to capture the fluttering movement of wings, the transcendent freedom of a bird soaring into the heavens, and the graceful, shimmering movements of creatures swimming deep within the sea. As you listen to music that sings, soars, flutters and ripples, may your spirit take flight with every-flowing aquatic grace!
