Learn About 8 Famous Composers with FREE Unit Studies and Printables

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is being able to incorporate the fine arts into our homeschool days. 

Studying about specific composers and listening to their music throughout our days has been such a fun and relaxing time in our homeschool. There is just something about classical music that sharpens the mind and calms the house! If you are a Charlotte Mason homeschooler you will incorporating composer study into your days. 

If you are interested in composer study, it is really quite simple: All you need to do is pick a composer to study, find some great living books about them and listen to the music often! I also like to incorporate coloring sheets, worksheets and even notebooking while they are listening to the music. This can turn it into a full subject in itself! 

You may also enjoy the Composer Units at Enrichment Studies.

Our Favorite Recommended Resource:

There are so many different composers you can choose to study, I have picked 8 of our favorites to highlight for you:

Bach:
Bach Biography and Bach Quiz from Enchanted Learning
DSO Kids has a Listen and Learn Composer section with a Bach biography and music samples.
Johann Sebastian Bach Homeschool Music Lesson Plans from Making Music Fun
Bach’s Big Adventure Unit and Printables  from Homeschool Share
Toccata in D printable sheet music for beginners with a link to listen and see the beautiful piece being played from Music for Music Teachers.
Patterns in Bach is a lesson plan for highschoolers to use an experiment to Determine the mathematical patterns in JS Bach’s two movement preludes and fugues. 
J.S. Bach’s Youtube channel – this is free! Just turn it on and let it play all the time, during your weeks of studying Bach.

These books are great to read during a Bach composer study:

Becoming Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers)
Sebastian Bach, The Boy from Thuringia

 

Mozart:

DSO Kids has a Listen and Learn Composer section with a Mozart biography and music samples.
Mozart Biography from Enchanted Learning
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Homeschool Lesson Plans from Making Music Fun . There is a free printable music biography, create a writing assignment, word searches and other worksheets, and free printable sheet music.
FREE Mozart Unit, Lapbook and Notebook Printables from Homeschool Share
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Coloring Page
Mozart Staggered Printable Book
I love these Famous Musician Biography pages from Practical Pages. Mozart is included as well as blank composer notebooking pages.

These books are great to read for a Mozart Composer Study:

Mozart, The Wonder Boy (Great Musicians Series)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers)
Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

 

Vivaldi:
Vivaldi Biography History Lesson and Printables
Vivaldi Biography with art, photographs and links to his music from 52 Composers.
Famous Musician Printable Pages from Practical Pages – Vivaldi is included.
FREE Vivaldi Notebooking Page
Vivaldi Worksheet for 4th Grade 
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi Coloring Page
Vivaldi Notebooking Page
Meet Vivaldi  – biography and printables, worksheets and sheet music from Making Music Fun.
Here is a beautiful set of Composer Notebooking Pages from Blessed Beyond a Doubt. Vivaldi is included.
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons You Tube Channel played on an 8 hour loop.
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Guide for Kids

These books are great to read for a Vivaldi Composer Study:

Poppy and Vivaldi: With 16 musical sounds!
I, Vivaldi
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

 

Tchaikovsky:

Tchaikovsky in a nutshell biography from 52 Composers
Tchaikovsky Biography and Understanding the Music of Tchaikovsky
Meet Tchaikovsky from Making Music Fun – Biography and printables, worksheets, sheet music and more!
Famous Musician Printable Pages from Practical Pages – Tchaikovsky  is included.
Tchaikovsky Printable Notebooking Page from Homeschool Helper
A Day with Tchaikovsky – FREE Living Book
Tchaikovsky Printable Unit Study from Year Round Homeschooling

Tchaikovsky is known for his famous ballets, if you are interested in learning more check these out:
Nutcracker Unit Study from Home Grown Learners
Montessori Inspired Music Appreciation: Swan Lake

These books are great to read for a Tchaikovsky Composer Study:

Peter Tchaikovsky (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers)
Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet
The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky

FREE Composers Notebooking Set – $4.99 value

Chopin:
Frederic Chopin Biography from Biography.com
Chopin in a Nutshell Biography from 52 Composers.
Chopin Meet the Composer from Making Music Fun! There is a free printable music biography, create a writing assignment, word searches and other worksheets, and lots of free printable sheet music so your children can try to play Chopin.
I love these Famous Musician Biography pages from Practical Pages. Chopin is included as well as blank composer notebooking pages.
Frederic Chopin Composer Study Packet from Year Round Homeschooling
Chopin Coloring Page
Frederic Chopin Musical Appreciation Lesson from Piano Lessons 4 Children

These books are great to read for a Chopin Composer Study:

What’s So Great About Chopin?: A Biography of Frederic Chopin Just for Kids! 
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Early Years (
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Later Years  

Handel:
George Handel Biography from 52 Composers
Handel Meet the Composer from Making Music Fun! There is a free printable music biography, create a writing assignment, word searches and other worksheets, and lots of free printable sheet music so your children can try to play Handel.
Handel Lesson Plans, Biography and History Lesson with Printables from Instructor Web.
Handel Biography and videos of famous works from Kids Music Corner.
My Name is Handel Crossword Puzzle
Handel Coloring Page
Handel Composer Unit Study Pack from Year Round Homeschooling

Maestro Classics has so many free unit study resources on Handel and Water Music:
History Curriculum Guide
Science Curriculum Guide
Geography Curriculum Guide
Language Arts Curriculum Guide
Art Curriculum Guide
Baroque Music Guide

These books are great to read for a Handel Composer Study:

George Handel (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers)
Child’s Own Book of Great Musicians: Handel (Illustrated)
Handel at the Court of Kings

 

Stravinsky:

Igor Stravinsky Biography from 52 Composers
Stravinsky Biography with lots of historical information along with videos of his famous works from Kids Music Corner.
The Soldier’s Tale by Stravinsky Curriculum Guide by Maestro Classics 
Igor Stravinsky Online Quiz
Classics for Kids has an online audio show of Igor Stravinsky and his Firebird ballet. There is also an online quiz you can take after listening to the show.
Igor Stravinsky Notebooking page from Homeschool Helper Online.
The Best of Stravinsky Music Channel on You Tube – this is great to play during your homeschool days.

These books are great to read for a Stravinsky Composer Study:

The Firebird Level 2 Reader
The Firebird in Full Score (Original 1910 Version) (Dover Music Scores)
Igor Stravinsky (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers)

 

Wagner:

Wagner Biography from 52 Composers
Meet Richard Wagner Printable Biography from Making Music Fun
Richard Wagner Biography and history from DSO Kids
Richard Wagner Coloring Page
Richard Wagner Composer Word Search

TLSBooks has a Music Worksheet page with tons of free printables! Scroll down to Printable Music Books and you can instantly download a Wagner composer book. This book includes a quiz and writing exercise. Instructions for printing and binding your book are located in the file.

I love these Famous Musician Biography pages from Practical Pages. Wagner is included as well as blank composer notebooking pages.

The Best of Richard Wagner You Tube channel is perfect to play during your homschool days.

These books go along great with a Wagner composer study:

Adventures of Richard Wagner
Child’s Own Book of Great Musicians: Wagner (Illustrated)
Wagner The Story of the Boy Who Wrote Little Plays