Back to school season is in full swing! It’s a busy time of the year for many as we settle back into the school-year routine, and juggle a hectic schedule (and carpool!) of sports practice, music lessons, and other after-school activities for our young ones. 

As busy and hectic as we may feel, for the young student in our lives, it’s also a time for fresh starts and new beginnings, figuring out new interests and hobbies, taking new classes, and possibly even taking up a new instrument!  

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Take Note! logo on paper with pencil

Perhaps you are a teacher and are nurturing these young minds in the classroom, or as a parent, you are supporting and nurturing their passions at home. In either case, if you have a student in your life showing interest in music, consider introducing them to Take Note!, our online educational resource, this fall! It is the perfect time for them to discover the joys of music, as music programs start back up, and a new and exciting season of concerts throughout the area awaits us! 

Take Note! couples the ever-popular podcast format with engaging activities, and it is the perfect supplemental activity for a classroom curriculum, and it can also be a great activity to do together at home on a rainy weekend. No prior music knowledge is necessary to enjoy everything Take Note! has to offer. 

Activities are divided into three main categories: “Let’s Go to the Symphony,” “Meet the Composer,” and “Classical 101.” Each category is populated with related episodes of our popular podcast Classical Breakdown, Your Guide to Classical Music, and an activity sheet that can be applied to any chosen episode in that category.  

The activity requires listening of the chosen episode as the student takes guided notes. The student is then asked to apply what they learned into a creative activity, whether they are imagining what kind of piece they would compose, or writing a review of the piece they just learned about as a music critic, and more.  

As the student completes an activity, it is our hope that they realize classical music is made up of people just like us, following their passions. We also hope that the fascinating stories they hear on the podcast episodes will spark a passion and curiosity for classical music, and that they will find ways to incorporate it into their own lives one way or another. 

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Take Note! activity
Imagine your own musical masterpiece with this activity from Take Note!

You can also browse through our Take Action resource to find ways to include music in your lives (for the young and old!) to any capacity. 

Best wishes for a successful new school-year, filled with joys of music! 

Classical Breakdown

Your guide to classical music.

Join host John Banther for Classical Breakdown, a podcast from WETA Classical that takes audiences behind the music, making the classical music world understandable and accessible.