This site is designed to help you use classical music as part of your daily classroom activities. Classical music not only has the power to stimulate the mind, enrich the heart and soothe the soul; it can also help you meet the educational objectives of your students.

Help us to serve you better Register with us to receive updated information about Classics for Kids and send us your feedback and suggestions. Once you register, you will be sent a Classics for Kids activity book which can be printed in quantity and used in a variety of ways.

The following Classics for Kids® lesson plans provide practical, effective activities for grades K-5 to help you teach the basics of music to your students. Portions of the lessons can also be used by classroom teachers. They are based on national and state standards as well as on Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Each set of lesson plans focuses on an individual classical music composer and a selected piece of music.

The plans were written by Dr. Kay Edwards, Associate Professor of Music Education at Miami University in Oxford, OH. Dr. Edwards earned her bachelor of music degree from Ohio University and both a master of music and a doctor of musical arts in general music from Arizona State University. She has taught at Oberlin Conservatory, UNC-Greensboro and in public schools over the past 20 years and is a specialist in early childhood/elementary general music with special training in Orff, Kodály and Dalcroze.

Here's what you'll find on the site:

Lesson Plans
All-new lesson plans featuring Kodály, Rossini, Haydn and Mozart for grades K-2 and 3-5. Each set focuses on a selected piece of music from the composer. This framework provides a springboard for exploring a wide variety of musical and general classroom concepts.

Training
Resources to help you get acquainted with music education methodologies and musical terms.

Audio
A complete archive of Classics for Kids programs, as well as a selection of classical music pieces.

Resources
Keep up to date on the National Standards for the Arts, plus state education standards, learning outcomes and more.

Visits to Greater Cincinnati schools

• A representative of Classics for Kids® can come to your school and give a 20-minute talk to teachers and parents that outlines the highlights of the program through a Power Point presentation and a question and answer session.

• A representative can come into your classroom and give a half-hour Classics for Kids® program to students.

• The Make Your Own Radio Show project uses a residency curriculum designed by the nationally syndicated radio program From the Top to engage students in grades five and up in the dynamic process of communication and performance through the creation of their own radio show. Classics for Kids® offers this program free to a limited number of schools.

For further information about these opportunities, call Chris Phelps, WGUC’s Education Outreach Manager, at 513-419-7102, or send an e-mail to lthomas@wguc.org.