Perhaps you already teach Halloween music to your students each fall. Maybe you'd like to expand your Halloween piano music collection, and want ideas for new pieces. Maybe you're a new teacher and would love to teach some Halloween pieces but aren't sure where to start.
You are in the right place!
I've taught Halloween music to private students for years. In fact, there's actually a "Halloween season" in my Studio that starts each late September. Here's why I teach it, how I do so, and the pedagogical value it holds.
It feels more fun for students. Most kids love Halloween because it reflects so many kid-like qualities: it's scary (in a fun way), gory (same), silly, and dramatic. Halloween piano music reflects the same qualities, so students don't feel like they're playing "lesson" music, but rather "fun" music. We can use Halloween music that feels naturally exciting to students to teach the same concepts (excellent technique, accurate articulation, and so on).
It's great for teaching expressiveness. Because the character of Halloween music is very accessible to students, it's easier to understand and master the expressive qualities of each piece. This also means its easier to help students understand the connection between specific musical elements and how they influence character of the music. For example, they learn that sudden dynamic contrasts make the haunted house scarier; light staccato makes the cat creepier; and legato makes the snake more slithery. Halloween piano music is also generally technically easier, so it's less difficult to master than, say, the technical and subtle expressiveness of a Bach piece.
It's ideal for teaching minor scales and intervals. Most Halloween music is written in minor keys, and many pieces use multiple versions of that key. The piece might start in A harmonic minor, modulate to A natural minor, introduce a quick melodic minor scale, etc. In this way, the character of each minor key is more easily heard and its expressive potential better understood.
It shakes things up! As I mentioned in my recent blog about teacher self-care, avoiding lesson boredom is important for both student and teacher morale. You can use Halloween as an opportunity to focus on a different type of music. By the time November 1st rolls around, both you and the students will likely be happy to return to the regular lesson books.
If you're interested in embracing the musical value of Halloween music for your students, here are some ideas:
Play professional recordings for students. There aren't a ton of professional recordings of Halloween music, but there are some gems that enable students to hear some great playing. Here are a few of my favorites on the YouTube Halloween playlist I created:
The Cat's Fugue (piano duet by Anderson & Roe)
Dance Macabre (Anderson & Roe)
Theme from "Psycho" prelude (Radio Orchestra Berlin)
Dusk on Halloween for Clarinet and Strings (Budapest Scoring Strings)
Build or increase your Halloween music repertoire. Here are some of my favorite pieces for piano, flute and clarinet (all available as instant downloads from sheetmusicplus.com).
Skeleton Dance (piano duet)
This is Halloween (piano)
Goblin Getaway (piano)
Funeral March of a Marionette (flute duet; also available for clarinet)
The Addams Family (clarinet duet; also available for flute)
Happy Halloween and Happy Teaching!
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