Adventures with Beethoven

Scene Two

Activities

Imagine a school day in 1770s Prussia. 

What would have been the same? What would have been different? Which do you think you would prefer? Write a letter and try to explain what virtual or online school is like to a Prussian child in the 1770s. Do you think they would believe what your school is like? 

Try this Beethoven word search. 

https://thewordsearch.com/puzzle/48143/beethoven/ 

Write a note. 

Beethoven made his first trip to Vienna in 1787. Write a postcard from Beethoven to his family back home in Bonn. 

Ask some questions. 

Pretend you could interview Beethoven. What five questions would you ask him? 

Listen and compare. 

Listen to a piece by each of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Compare and contrast them. Can you hear a difference? Which one do you prefer and why? 

Discover the modes. 

Watch this short video and hear what all the modes sound like. Although they aren’t used as often anymore, some modes are still used in new pieces. This video plays each mode and describes how they work and what they sound like. See what you think of them. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPWQC4pdEco 

Listen across the years. 

Listen to some pieces from a musical style period you are unfamiliar with. Try listening to a selection of chant from the Medieval period. Check out a madrigal from the Renaissance era. Try something from a composer who was born after 1980. There are many more composers from a variety of backgrounds that are just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps you will find a new favorite.