DECEMBER MUSIC LESSON RESOURCES PART 2 for 2024

composers music education

This is the second part of a two-part post on music lesson teaching resources for December.

You'll find 'DECEMBER MUSIC LESSON TEACHING RESOURCES PART 1 for 2024' HERE.

17 December is Ludwig van Beethoven's Baptismal Date

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. He wrote classical music for the piano, orchestras, and different groups of instruments.

Beethoven set new standards for the symphony, creating longer pieces that expressed important ideas and deep feelings rather than just serving as entertainment.

When he was around 30 years old, Beethoven started going deaf. Even though he could no longer hear well enough to play the piano, Beethoven composed some of his best music after becoming deaf!

Ludwig van Beethoven is considered one of the greatest musical geniuses who ever lived.

You can access the BEETHOVEN resources by clicking on the image below, or you can see all the resources HERE.

This YouTube video is an easy-to-follow story about Beethoven's life.

Download this question sheet for your students to complete as they watch the video. It will help them focus on the main points.

BEETHOVEN SHEET DOWNLOAD

18 December is Christina Aguilera's Birthday

Christina María Aguilera is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. She emerged during the teen pop explosion of the late 1990s and experienced almost instant commercial success.

Aguilera is recognized as one of the world's best-selling music artists, with estimated sales of around 75 million records.

Christina's accolades include five Grammy Awards and one Latin Grammy Award.

Learn more about Aguilera and her music with these MTR resources:

21 December is the Start of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere

Winter is an excellent time to lay on the couch with comfortable clothes, drink hot cocoa, and browse winter-themed music resources for your classes!

The top sellers include:
$Winter Music Math Worksheets - Print and Digital$

Preview ALL the WINTER resources HERE Winter Themed Music Resources.

22 December is Teresa Carreño's Birthday

María Teresa Gertrudis de Jesús Carreño García was a Venezuelan pianist, soprano, composer, and conductor.

Carreño was a pianist of great power and spirit, often called the "Valkyrie of the piano." She had a 54-year concert career.

She composed approximately 75 works for solo piano, voice and piano, choir and orchestra, and instrumental ensembles.

Listen to Teresa's piano piece, Pequeño Vals (Little Waltz) and use this LISTENING FOLDABLE for students to respond.

22 December is Giacomo Puccini's Birthday

Giacomo Puccini was the most famous Italian opera composer after Giuseppe Verdi.

His characters are very human, and the stories in his operas are easy to follow. Hence, Puccini became one of Italy's most beloved operatic composers.

Puccini's genius lay in his ability to write beautiful melodies.

Puccini wrote 16 operas, most of which are performed very often today.

It isn't easy to choose a favorite Puccini aria; however, the most recognizable is possibly Nessun Dorma. After Pavarotti's version stormed the pop charts in 1990, this famous aria became a pop hit!

Learn more about Puccini and his music with this Word Search and Research resource.

24 December is Ricky Martin's Birthday

Enrique Martín Morales, known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, as his discography spans multiple genres, including Latin pop, pop, dance, reggaeton, and salsa.

Dubbed the "King of Latin Pop", the "King of Latin Music", and the "Latin Pop God", he is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the world.

This MTR word search and research activity will help your students learn more about Ricky Martin's life and music.

25 December is Annie Lennox's Birthday

Annie Lennox is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She has made a name for herself with her powerful voice and ever-changing appearance. Her vocal range is contralto.

At age 17, Annie won a scholarship to London's Royal Academy of Music, where she studied the flute, piano and harpsichord.

During the 1980's Annie and fellow musician, Dave Stewart went on to achieve international success in the music duo, Eurythmics.

Lennox has won four Grammy Awards and received a Billboard Century Award in 2002, the highest accolade from Billboard. She has been named one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2012, she was rated No. 22 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music!

Introduce your students to ANNIE LENNOX and her music with these resources!

Look at these two very different versions of the song, 'Must Be An Angel'. The Eurhythmics performs both; however, the performances are more than twenty years apart.

This performance is from 1985. It's how the song originally sounded - typical 80's synth-pop.

This performance was in 2009.

I often discuss how important it is for students to listen to music from all styles and genres. A song's elements can be changed to match the time/era, audience, or style you want.

25 December is Christmas Day

Feel the joy and happiness of Christmas in your classroom and ease down gently to the holiday break with these MTR Christmas-Themed Music Resources!

The most popular resources include:
$Christmas Music Activities - Christmas Rhythm Worksheets -$
Preview ALL the CHRISTMAS resources HERE Christmas Themed Music Resources.