CSO for Kids Teaching Resources
Across years of CSO for Kids: School Concerts, Negaunee Music Institute staff and colleagues have collaborated with teachers from CPS and other Chicago-area schools to develop accompanying Teacher’s Guides of lesson plans, along with Spotify playlists and guides for students (Kidsbook and The Beat). Please find a selection of these below listed by suggested grade range.
Pre-K / Kindergarten
The Boy and the Violin
The Boy and the Violin tells of a boy’s bravery and resiliency through music-making.
Story and Music Lesson
Spotify Playlist
The Bremen Town Musicians
The musicians of The Bremen Town Musicians find the courage to leave their homes and join their voices together to become a wonderful ensemble.
Story and Music Lesson
Spotify Playlist
The Elves and the Shoemaker
The Shoemaker and his wife learn that life is better and richer when they let new people into their lives.
Story and Music Lesson
Spotify Playlist
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Goldilocks and Little Bear both learn to be wise of new places, and to find what’s “just right”.
Story and Music Lesson
Spotify Playlist
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack learns that even though he’s small, he stand up to his fears and be brave.
Story and Music Lesson
Spotify Playlist
The Little Red Hen
The animals learn that, rather than being selfish, they can say “I’m sorry” and help one another to create a caring community.
Story and Music Lesson
Spotify Playlist
Stone Soup
The townspeople learn that everyone has a unique contribution to make to improve their community.
Story and Music Lesson
Spotify Playlist
The Three Little Pigs
The pigs each work at their own speed, and by working together – each how they work best – they’re able to build a strong house of brick that the wolf cannot destroy.
Story and Music Lesson
Spotify Playlist
The Ugly Duckling
We should value people for their inner beauty, because we cannot evaluate others on appearances alone.
Story and Music Lesson
Spotify Playlist
Grades K-8
Bold Voices: Beethoven
Beethoven innovates and expresses emotion through his music.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Carnival of the Animals
Music has the unique ability to depict all kinds of characters and images – including many different animals!
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Don Quixote
Richard Strauss’ symphonic poem uses the full force of the orchestra to tell the hilarious story of a knight errant with the unshakable courage to pursue his dreams.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Downtown Sounds
Music takes us on a tour across the great city of Chicago, from the bustling energy of downtown streets, to neighborhoods around the city. How does music create a sense of place?
Repertoire includes Respighi, Tchaikovsky, Smetana and John Alden Carpenter.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
The Firebird
Dynamic orchestral music and exquisite ballet convey emotion to tell a story of conflict and harmony.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Flash Back, Flash Forward
Celebrating 100 years of the CSO’s concerts for young people, childhood in 2019 may look different from 1919, but children still discover joy and meaning in music in the same way.
Repertoire includes Dvořák, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky and Berlioz.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Friends in Harmony
What is the sound of friendship? Music from across the world expresses the identities of who makes it, and brings people together.
Repertoire includes Bartók, Copland, Coleridge-Taylor and more.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Let’s Explore!
Investigate the fascinating connections between music and the natural world.
Repertoire includes Smetana, Beethoven, Bates and Frank.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Felix Mendelssohn’s inspired music transports us into a magical wood of hilarious fairies and ordinary people.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
The Music of Our Emotions
Discover how music can help us understand and share our feelings. Born of a life filled with joy and sorrow, love and pain, the music of Tchaikovsky pulses with strong emotions. Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser and members of the CSO present the Russian composer’s courageous journey and demonstrate how music helps all of us express our emotions.
Teacher's Guide
Peter and the Wolf
Prokofiev’s music depicts the inspiring story of a boy who risks his own safety to protect his friends.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Pictures from an Exhibition
Modest Mussorgsky’s sonic gallery walk through a set of drawings and watercolors, orchestrated by Maurice Ravel. How can visual imagery be transformed into sound?
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Spanish Rhythm and Dance
Music is an essential part of the celebrations that mark the course of our lifetimes; and what celebration is complete without dancing? This concert celebrates Spanish rhythm, and featured the magnificent Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Surprise Party
Music that celebrates and surprises, honoring the legacy and future of the CSO in its 125th anniversary season.
Repertoire includes Strauss, Haydn, Shostakovich and more.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Symphonic Superheroes
What does courage sound like? Music guides us through the many courageous acts that have helped everyday musicians become superheroes of the CSO.
Repertoire includes Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinksy, Copland and more.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Tchaikovsky Spectacular
Music communicates emotion, and Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a master communicator of all of them: wonder, yearning, anger, love, sadness, joy, and more!
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Benjamin Britten’s iconic introduction to the instruments of the orchestra, paying tribute to 17th Century English composer Henry Purcell.
Teacher's Guide
Kidsbook
Spotify Playlist
Grades 5-12
The CSO Sound
The CSO’s legendary sound results from the dedication and teamwork of some of the world’s greatest musicians – and has for over 125 years.
Repertoire includes Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Rossini and more.
Lesson Plans
The Beat
Spotify Playlist
Composers with Courage
Composers have used innovation and courage to change traditional ideas of orchestral music.
Repertoire includes Sibelius, Cage, Stravinsky, Beethoven and more.
The Beat
Spotify Playlist
Romeo and Juliet: Choice and Consequence
We are all faced with choices every day and, like the characters in Romeo and Juliet, sometimes we think about possible consequences and sometimes we don’t.
Lesson Plans (coming soon)
The Beat
Spotify Playlist
Sounds of Conflict, Sounds of Peace
Music can inspire dialogue and empathy, and support a rising chorus of hope that cements our commitment to living in harmony with others.
Repertoire includes Korngold, Bernstein, Copland and more.
Lesson Plans
The Beat
Spotify Playlist
All Ages