At this time of year it’s easy to get distracted by all kinds of holiday fun. Decorating the tree, wrapping presents, writing Christmas cards… Or celebrating Hanukkah or just some time off work, as the case may be! But all these fun activities needn’t put a stop to your ear training: Use our new Christmas-themed Unravelling Music track to help you improve your ears and get in the festive spirit.

The new Unravelling Music ear training track March of the Candy Cane Soldiers teaches you about key modulation, chord progressions, rhythmic figures, musical codas and the circle of fifths – no music theory required! Download the tracks below and get in that festive ear training mood:

Click to download “March of the Candy Cane Soldiers” Unravelling Music pack (or right-click and “Save as…”)

Contents

• 14-page liner notes PDF with track-by-track info
• 1 full-length MP3 file, “March of the Candy Cane Soldiers”
• 6 supporting MP3 files teaching you to hear more in the song

Did you enjoy our Christmas special? Have you spotted extra musical details in the track you want to share? Leave your comment below!

Well, it’s coming to the end of October, and all those nice, cheery, wholesome pieces you’ve been using to train your ears… BEGONE! It’s time for something a little more bone-chilling. We’re taking a look at some of the music that’ll help get you in that Halloween acoustic.

Songs for Younger Goblins

If you’re looking for simple songs to play with children, look no further than Listen & Learn‘s Halloween section, with lots of singalong videos. Or pick up some beginner piano music with a Halloween flavour at Music for Music Teachers.

And don’t forget our own spooky song this year:

• Halloween Is Coming Soon! (free download)

WARNING: The rest of this post contains content and some language which may not be suitable for younger visitors… Beware all who read on……

Author Spotlight

Site author Sabrina Peña Young is not just a talented composer, but an innovative intermedia artist too. If the short film and startling modern piano score above don’t get you in the Halloween mood, try this longer scary animation, featuring lots of those scary sound effects, recording techniques and minor chords and scales you’ve been learning about!

Click to read the rest…

Try fun Halloween ear training activities for kids using spooky music songs. Teach young ears to recognize major and minor chords and scales using the free song “Halloween is coming soon!”

“Halloween is coming soon!”

Learning about Minor and Major chords for Beginning Piano and Voice

Make ear training easy this Halloween with a spooky song that explores major and minor scales in the key of C. Even if a child doesn’t know the difference between major and minor scales, most students can recognize a “spooky” sounding song in minor.

Before you sing “Halloween is coming soon!”, play a major scale, a minor scale, and chords on the piano. You can discuss chord progressions with advanced students.

Ask students:

1. What do you feel when you hear a major scale?
2. What do you feel when you hear a minor scale?
3. Do you think a major scale or a minor scale is spooky? Why?

Then you can sing the special Halloween ear training song below that compares major scales and minor scales in a fun way. Beginning piano students can practice playing major and minor scales and rhythms like eighth notes and quarter notes.

Download sheet music for “Halloween Is Coming Soon”:

Click to read the rest…