15-Minute Music Lesson of Music Inspired by Horses ~ Music in Nature Series
Welcome to another free lesson from the Music in Nature Series. In May 2021 my kids participated an awesome No Sweat Nature Study Live lesson from Our Journey Westward: all about horses! I thought it would be fun to create a music lesson of music inspired by horses for them to do on the same day. If you’d like, there is a printable pack below with various pages the kids could color or do while listening to the music.
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If you’d like to join No Sweat Nature Study Live, head here:
All past lessons are available by video there, including the horse lesson!
15-Minute Music Lesson of Music Inspired by Horses
John Williams – “Dartmoor 1912” from the movie War Horse
Let’s begin our lesson with some beautiful music from the movie War Horse. John Williams is an American composer who wrote the movie music for War Horse, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and many more movies.
Aaron Copland – “Hoedown” from the ballet Rodeo:
Aaron Copland, an American composer, was challenged to write music for a ballet based on the storyline of a rodeo. Don’t you think this music reminds you of horses and at the same time encourages dancing?
Gioachino Rossini – Overture to the opera William Tell:
Rossini is one of the greatest Italian opera composers ever. This particular piece was also used as the theme song music for the television show The Lone Ranger.
Frank Loesser’s “Fugue for Tinhorns” from the musical Guys and Dolls:
In this song from Guys and Dolls, the men discuss which horse they think will win the race. Can you tell what the horses’ names are?
Equus by Eric Whitacre for orchestra and choir:
Eric Whitacre is a modern American composer. “Equus” is the Latin word for horse. Do you feel the fury and majesty of the magnificent horse through this piece?
(If you’re keeping your lesson at 15 minutes, you might only have a minute or two left to listen to this piece. Maybe you can listen to the entire thing on a different day!)
Music Inspired by Horses Printable Pack
Purchase the Horse Printable Pack
Usually the Horse Printable Pack with 11 pages of coloring pages, activity pages, music lesson and matching, answers, and more! is $2.50 in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
Get the Horse Printable Pack here!
Download a Free 3-page Sample
More Music Inspired by Horses
Had fun with this horse music lesson and want more? Here are some additional pieces of music inspired by horses you can listen to:
- “Ride of the Valkyries” by Richard Wagner from the opera Die Walküre
- “The Donkey” by Camille Saint-Saens from the Carnival of the Animals
- Randy Newman – Selections from Seabiscuit (the movie)
- “Der Erlkönig” a song by Franz Schubert (orchestrated by Hector Berlioz)
- The theme music to the movie Black Beauty by Guillaume Roussel
- Morton Gould – Flourishes and Gallop
- Franz von Suppé – Overture to Light Cavalry
- Jean Sibelius – Nightride and Sunrise
- Aaron Copland – The Red Pony Suite
- Morton Gould – “Saratoga Quick-Step,” from American Ballads
- Jerome Moross’ film score of the 1958 movie The Big Country
Have some other ideas? Please list them in the comments for us!
Learn more about Nature Study here:
- Totally Awesome Nature Study Ideas for Lazy Homeschool Moms!
- 100 Easy and Fun Creative Nature Walks
- Let’s Go On a Nature Walk journal
