Spooky Season Listening Picks for Elementary Music

Teaching music to elementary music students can be a challenging task, especially when it comes to finding a way that they can enjoy it. By choosing listening exemplars thoughtfully and finding lesson extensions to go with the listening activities, it is easier to engage my students. 

October is usually when we do our first formal listening unit. It seems that this music is easy for them to connect with, likely because it all sounds spooky. Additionally, some great composers wrote music that is perfect for spooky season, allowing us to conduct composer studies on them as well. 

To simplify my listening curriculum, I have all of my students listen to the same song and complete different activities to go along with the song, depending on their grade. So each year in October I will generally do one of these songs as a formal listening activity, we might listen to others and do stick figures or movement cards, but we only dig into one of the songs. 
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Here are some of my go-to examples for October listening. If you're looking for more listening examples and activities to use throughout the year, be sure to check out the Year of Listening bundle in my TPT store!​

In the Hall of the Mountain King
In the Hall of the Mountain King is arguably one of the most popular and well known classical songs that is perfect for October and spooky season. It’s full of music elements with contrasting tempos and dynamics- making it a good open to teach with music vocabulary. Especially accelerando and sforzando. It is also played by a full orchestra creating an opportunity to review or introduce the instruments of the orchestra.

This is very popular classical music song, so with a simple YouTube search you can find numerous percussion play along, boom whacker play-a-longs, and body percussion videos to extend your lesson. 

I like to have my students look at Peer Gynt Suite as a whole. We talk about the other movements and the story behind the music.  Having students compare In the Hall of the Mountain King with other movements of the Peer Gynt Suite is a great way for them to practice their music vocabulary. My students are often shocked that Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King are pieces of the same musical work.  

If you’re looking for a printable and projectable resource to guide your teaching for In the Hall of the Mountain King, check out the mini unit in my TPT store. It provides you students with some basic information about Edvard Grieg and Peer Gynt Suite. You’ll also get printable listening response sheets that can be used for students in grade 1- grade 6 which make quick and easy assessments.

​Toccata and Fugue in D Minor 
In my opinion, this might be one of the spookiest songs out there, making it great for October. However, there are numerous possible extensions for these listening lessons, which can greatly enhance the musical value of presenting this as a listening example to your students.

• First off, it serves as an introduction to JS Bach and his music. You could have your student compare Toccata and Fugue in D Minor to one of his very contrasting pieces of music, such as Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. A personal favourite of mine! 
• You can discuss the form of Toccata and Fugue and see if a student can think of any music that might follow a similar form.  
• The song features an organ, which may be an uncommon instrument for some students, creating the opportunity to discuss the different ways that the organ was and still is in use while creating and performing music. 
• And if you want to stick with a spooky music theme, have your student analyze how JS Bach used only one instrument to create such haunting music. 

To help guide the listening experience, I put together a set of resources that includes simple response sheets, a listening checklist, and a few coloring pages—perfect for helping students stay engaged while they listen. These tools have really helped my students focus their ears and reflect on what they’re hearing in a meaningful way.

If that sounds like something that would be helpful in your classroom too, you can find the full pack in my TPT shop. Whether you're introducing the pipe organ, the Baroque era, or just want a high-impact listening activity for Halloween season or anytime, this pack makes it easy and effective.​

Autumn by Vivaldi
One could argue that Vivaldi’s Autumn composition should be played in September to coincide with the first day of Autumn, but I start teaching for the year in September, and we are still playing getting-to-know-you games. I often move Autumn into October. This piece is a great option if you teach in a building where many students don’t celebrate Halloween. 

With Autumn, we discuss whether Vivaldi did a good job (in the minds of 4th and 5th grade students) portraying Fall and what musical elements he used to create a fall feeling. Some years, we will listen to each of the movements from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons during the corresponding season. This song is also great for introducing and discussing the instruments in the string family.​

​Hedwig's Theme by John Williams 
This might be my favourite song to listen to and explore in October. First off, I am a big John Williams fan, and the kids get really hooked on his music. This past year, I had a grade 5 boy ask me each music class for almost a month if we would get to listen to more of his music. To me, that’s a big deal. Even without knowing that Hedwig’s Theme is part of the Harry Potter soundtrack track students will often describe it as movie music. I think that they find John Williams' music to be relevant to them, and it really helps them to see that “classical” music can still be fun and have a purpose.

There is so much that you can do with the song. This was the song that I most recently used as my October listening example for all my students, Kindergarten to grade 6 

• Kindergarten to Grade 2- I incorporated it into my high and low unit. The beginning of the piece is effective in demonstrating that high and low sounds can coexist simultaneously. We showed the highs and lows with scarves and music opposite paddles. Then we had high and low freeze dance, where we would only move when the music was high or low.
• Grade 3 and 4- We talked lots about how the dynamics, instruments, and tempo contributed to the mood of the music and practiced using music terminology to describe the music. I also included a mini-composer study on John Williams. 
• Grade 5 and 6- With my older students, we investigated the purpose of music and practiced comparing music. We compared Hedwig’s theme to the Olympic Fanfare as a class, then as partners, students chose a different John Williams composition to compare. Learning about John Williams was naturally woven into the lessons as well. 

I’ve created an engaging mini listening unit centred around Hedwig’s theme. This resource is packed with thoughtful activities, projectable slides, and printable worksheets—all organized to save you time and help your students dive into the world of film music and hopefully get hooked in the process!

Shop the Hedwig’s Theme Mini Listening Unit Here!

October is one of my favorite times of year to dig into listening lessons. The music naturally sparks curiosity, the themes are engaging, and students are more than ready to connect what they hear to what they feel. Whether it’s the eerie opening of Toccata and Fugue, the sneaky build of In the Hall of the Mountain King, or the magical spark of Hedwig’s Theme, these pieces open the door for deep listening and meaningful musical conversations.
By using a shared listening piece across grades and adjusting the activities by level, I’ve found that I can keep planning simple while still meeting students where they are. It also creates a sense of cohesion in my classroom—something that’s especially helpful during a busy season.

If you’re looking to build or refresh your October listening plans, I hope these examples and ideas have given you a helpful starting point. And if you’re looking for resources to support your lessons, I’ve shared a few that have worked well for my own students—ready to go and easy to adapt.
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Happy listening this spooky season!
Jayna​