Welcome to Let’s Go Mozart!, your guide to the life and music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, designed specifically for elementary educators and their students. This comprehensive resource highlights Mozart’s early years, family, travels, and lasting contributions to music. Beyond exploration of Western music history and traditions, this educator resource introduces students to classical music’s transformative power, citing Mozart as a timeless cultural icon.

This multifaceted resource includes a variety of student activities and teaching aids for educators, covering language arts, music, dance, and visual arts, ensuring a multidisciplinary educational experience.

Including creative lesson plans, ideas, activities, and pedagogy throughout, this resource equips educators to bring Mozart’s world to life in the classroom and invites them to craft their own interactive learning experiences about the beauty and complexities of art from the Age of Enlightenment.

Originating from Canada’s NAC Orchestra’s United States and Mexico Tour in 2003, Let’s Go Mozart! has reached over 20,000 educators and introduced more than a million children to the wonders of Mozart’s music. As part of the NAC’s ongoing commitment to music education, this revitalized digital presentation serves as a gateway to discovering the magic of Mozart, hoping to inspire new generations of musicians and music lovers through immersion and adventure.

Whenever people gather to talk about musical genius, the name Mozart almost always comes up first. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the most sensational Wunderkind (a German word meaning “wonder-child” or child prodigy) in the history of music. He started playing the keyboard at the age of three, and was already composing music while other children were still learning to read: little piano pieces at age five; later on symphonies at nine and complete operas at twelve. Unbelievable, isn’t it?

Let’s find out more about this phenomenal fellow, Mozart!

He was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756. Salzburg today is in Austria, but in Mozart’s time it belonged to Bavaria, a region in what is now Germany. His father, Leopold, was also a composer, but he was best known as a violin teacher. Mozart never went to school. His father tutored him in languages (English, French, Latin, and Italian in addition to his native German), geography, science, history, math – Mozart particularly liked math – and, of course, music!

Mozart came from a warm and loving family. He delighted in playing duets at the keyboard with his older sister, Nannerl, and even wrote a concerto for two pianos for them to play together. He was also very close to his mother, and wrote her endless letters. His father guided him through every aspect of life – teaching him how to manage money, how to deal with people, and how to behave in society.

As a child Mozart was obedient to his father, playful, and full of humour. As a man he was small and rather thin, his head was quite large for his body, and he had a lot of hair, which he was very proud of and took care to powder every day. (Using powder was a fashionable thing to do in those days, just as men and women use gel and hairspray today.) Mozart was always full of energy, often restless, and extremely hardworking.

In Mozart’s day, a musician was considered just another form of servant – you served your aristocratic master, who hired you to write and play music at his court or palace; your job was on a par with the cooks, butlers, maids, and cleaning staff. From the age of about 12 until he was 25, Mozart was in the service of Count Colloredo, Archbishop of Salzburg.

Slowly Mozart grew tired of life in little Salzburg, and in 1781, he left and moved to Vienna. Here he also gave piano lessons, conducted his own compositions, starred in his piano concertos as soloist, and became the talk of the town. During his years in Vienna, Mozart was what today we would call a freelance musician – one who picks up jobs here and there rather than receiving a regular salary from a single source.

Mozart died on December 5, 1791, at the young age of 35. His health had never been good. All those years travelling as a boy took their toll. In addition, he had an intense lifestyle and was always overworked. His death cannot be attributed to a single cause, but during the last few weeks of his life we know he suffered from kidney failure and possibly rheumatic fever, which put a further strain on his feeble body.

Other famous composers who died young include George Gershwin, Felix Mendelssohn (both at age 38), Georges Bizet (at 36), Vincenzo Bellini (at 33), and Franz Schubert (at 31).

Research the life of one of these composers and report back to your class.

The late eighteenth century, the period in which Mozart lived, was relatively peaceful. There were no major wars in Europe, though across the ocean the American War of Independence raged from 1775–1783. Yet there was much discontent in Europe. People were getting fed up with a two-class social structure, in which a tiny group of rich people at the top of the social scale held power over a vast number of poor people at the bottom, people with virtually no rights and no way to climb out of their poverty.

But power was slowly changing hands from the aristocracy to the growing middle class. This middle class came about partly through the Industrial Revolution, which brought a sudden, massive increase in the number of jobs available in mines, factories, and on the railroads. It was an age of invention: from Watt’s steam engine (1775) to the hot-air balloon (1783) and carbonated soda (1785)!

A philosophical movement known as the Enlightenment took hold during this period. People began to believe in the power of human reason to solve social problems, to correct unjust behaviour, and to make their lives better. The rights of the individual, freedom of thought, relaxation of censorship, and the gradual abolition of child labour were just some of the changes that resulted from the Enlightenment.

The only other composer of the time who even came close to matching Mozart’s genius was Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809). The two became great friends, learned much from each other, and together created the models that future composers used to write symphonies and string quartets. Then there was Antonio Salieri, an Italian who spent much of his career at the court of Vienna; Johann Christian Bach, one of the leading composers in London; and Christoph Willibald Gluck, noted for his operatic reforms.

In other fields, we find philosophers and writers like Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau in France, Friedrich von Schiller and E.T.A. Hoffmann in Germany, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott in Scotland, and Jane Austen in England. Antonio Canaletto and his nephew Bernardo were famous Italian landscape painters, while Jean Honoré Fragonard and Thomas Gainsborough were their contemporaries in France and England, and across the ocean John Singleton Copley painted portraits of famous Americans.

Does travelling all over Europe – from London to Vienna, from Rome to Amsterdam – sound exciting? Well, maybe for a vacation, but not if you have to travel as a performer.

It’s a very difficult lifestyle, even today, but just think of what Mozart had to endure back in the eighteenth century! There were no airplanes, nor trains, nor even buses – only horse-drawn carriages that were unheated in winter (and were much too hot in summer), which travelled along bumpy dirt roads. They offered little protection from rain and snow, and breaking down in the middle of nowhere was a constant danger. There were only dirty, uncomfortable inns to stay at, which served food that often made you sick. Thieves were everywhere. Yet young Mozart, accompanied by his father and sometimes other members of his family, spent most of his childhood on the road – about 3,720 days, which adds up to more than ten years!

Think of the people Mozart met on these tours! On his first tour, at the age of six, he played the harpsichord (an early form of the piano) at the Imperial Palace in Vienna for the emperor. When Mozart slipped on the polished floor, a little girl helped him back on his feet. This was Marie-Antoinette, who later became Queen of France. Little Wolfgang played for royalty all over Europe, met famous people, and earned great praise (and money!) everywhere he went. He was quite a spectacle. Along with his sister, Nannerl, who was also extremely talented, the Mozarts became a kind of travelling circus.

All this travel was an education in itself. Mozart was exposed to a tremendous range of ideas, thoughts, customs, and lifestyles as he travelled about. He saw plays and read newspapers in several languages, learned how composers in other cities and countries wrote their music, and acquired a vast knowledge of the world that others couldn’t even imagine.

Travel was good for business too. As Mozart’s reputation grew all over Europe, any music published with his name on it was almost guaranteed to sell well (some dishonest publishers put Mozart’s name on inferior music by other composers just to boost sales).

The map below traces Mozart’s famous travels. Vienna, which you can find to the right of the map, actually lies in the heart of Europe, on the banks of the great river Danube. The city was a natural centre for the distribution of goods of all kinds throughout Europe.

Without telephones, fax machines, e-mail, mobile phones, or telegraph, the only way people could communicate across long distances in Mozart’s day was through notes and letters. Since Mozart was very close to his family, he, his mother, father, sister, and wife Constanze wrote a total of about 2,000 letters to each other.

Step 1. Imagine you are Mozart, visiting a great city for the first time.

Step 2. Write to someone you know well and tell him or her about your experience in detail.

Mozart wrote a tremendous amount of music in his short lifetime. In fact, he wrote more than many composers who lived to be twice his age. His compositions number well over 600, amounting to about 200 hours of music. Some pieces last less than a minute; others can take more than three hours to perform. Mozart wrote just about every kind of music there was in his time: symphonies, operas, concertos, sonatas, serenades, divertimentos, masses, and much, much more.

Perhaps you have heard of The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, or The Marriage of Figaro, some of his greatest operas, or of the serenade Eine kleine Nachtmusik, or the incredibly beautiful Clarinet Concerto.

Mozart is often referred to as the most universal composer. This means that people everywhere, of all ages, can enjoy his music. Even if you know nothing about music, you can still enjoy most of it at first hearing. It has that magical combination of lightness, joy, elegance, and rhythmic motion. Mozart seems to be in touch with each one of us, making our hearts and minds feel things in ways words or pictures cannot. The magical effect that Mozart’s music has on us, more than two centuries after his death, has not diminished.

Before Mozart’s time, the symphony was a short, light, entertainment piece. Mozart transformed it into something grand and important, something you really wanted to listen to. One of his first masterpieces was Symphony No. 29, written in Salzburg after he had returned from a trip to Vienna. Until then, Mozart had been content using three movements for a symphony, but now, under the Viennese influence, he started using four. Listen to Symphony No. 29. Does the fourth movement suggest a hunting party to you?

Another masterpiece Mozart wrote about the same time as this symphony was his Violin Concerto No. 5, K. 219. Its subtitle, “Turkish,” refers to a passage in the third movement where the music suddenly becomes more aggressive and rhythmic. Here Mozart cleverly suggests the sound of instruments associated with Turkish music – cymbals, triangles, bass drum – without actually using them!

The String Quintet in G Minor is one of Mozart’s supreme masterpieces. It is written for two violins, two violas, and a cello. This work has an unusually dark, sombre quality and is full of emotional tension and, at times, deep sadness. It belongs to the category of chamber music: compositions for two to nine instruments to be played at home among friends or in a small concert hall or chamber.

One of the most popular – and beautiful – pieces of chamber music ever written is Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. Mozart simply loved the clarinet (a woodwind instrument) and featured its warm, expressive tone in this composition, which is not, despite its name, a work for five clarinets, but rather for four string instruments plus clarinet.

In 1862, 71 years after Mozart’s death, a man by the name of Ludwig von Köchel published a catalogue listing every single piece of music he could find by Mozart – 626 to be exact. He assigned a number to each composition in chronological order. Beside each Mozart composition we now use a “K.” number (Köchel number) to help identify it.

Find out what K. number Ludwig von Köchel assigned to Symphony No. 29.

What do you listen for when a piece of music is playing? Here are some ideas to help you:

Melody: This is the part of the music you can hum, whistle, or sing to yourself. You might call it a tune. Mozart’s Sonata in A has a beautiful melody you can easily sing or play on your recorder. Some melodies bounce all over the place, which may make them difficult to sing, but easy to play on an instrument like the violin or piano. The very opening of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet is a perfect example of a beautiful melody you can sing or hum.

Meter: This is the part of the music you can tap your foot to. You will usually find that the main pulses fit into groups of twos, threes, or fours. A march is “in two” (ONE-two ONE-two) while a waltz is “in three.” Count a fast “ONE-two” for the last movement of Symphony No. 29; count a “ONE-two-three” for the third movement of the Clarinet Quintet.

Tempo: This is the speed of the music. The speed may vary from very slow to very fast. Most composers use Italian words to describe the tempo: adagio, for example, means very slow; andante, moderate; allegro, lively; and presto, very fast. The first movement of Violin Concerto No. 5 is allegro, the second movement is adagio.

Dynamics: Dynamics refer to how loudly or softly the music should be played. Sometimes the dynamics change abruptly, sometimes gradually. The second movement of the Clarinet Quintet is quite soft, while the third movement is rather loud. The end of Symphony No. 29 is very loud indeed!

Timbre: The specific kind of sound each instrument makes is its timbre. A flute sounds different from a violin, even if it’s playing exactly the same note. Notice at the beginning of the String Quintet in G Minor how the theme sounds when the violin plays it, and how it sounds when the viola plays it a few seconds later. You can mix timbres, just as you can mix colours in painting. If you mix red and yellow, you get orange. If you mix a flute and a violin, you get a particular mixture of timbres. Listen to the difference the clarinet makes when it is added to the four strings in the Clarinet Quintet.

Harmony: Underneath the melody are clusters of notes called chords, each of which sound different. These chords can stand alone, or they can support a melody. Some chords sound gentle and pleasant; some may sound harsh or unpleasant. The composer uses these to create the kind of mood he wants at each moment. At the beginning of Violin Concerto No. 5, the harmony stays the same for a few beats, then abruptly changes at the first loud chord.

This section of the guide provides ideas and lesson starters for use in the classroom. Educators should modify and adapt these materials to fit their teaching contexts (e.g., grade levels, available technology).

Language Arts, Music

Step 1. Read the story aloud to your students.

Step 2. Lead a discussion with the students using the following prompts:

1. How does Roch Carrier portray Mozart? (as a pop star)
2. Why were Buzz and the Bees so impressed with Mozart’s music?

Step 3. Make a “Role on the Wall” by drawing a large outline of a person on chart paper. Inside the figure write in any facts the students already know or think they know about Mozart. Outside the figure write questions the students have about Mozart. Post the chart for ongoing reference.

Language Arts, Social Studies, Geography

A “jigsaw” strategy helps a class to quickly access and share a large amount of information.

Step 1. Divide the class into “home” groups of six. Each member in the home group will become a Mozart “expert” in one of the following areas: Mozart’s life; Mozart’s times; Mozart’s travels; and Mozart’s music.

Step 2. Assemble the “expert” groups (this means the students will have to leave their home groups for the research portion of the class) and distribute print copies of (or links to) informational pages contained within this resource. Each group reads, discusses, and notes significant information on chart paper.

Step 3. When students have finished their charts, reassemble the home groups. Each student presents information to their home group, using the chart from the expert group. Rotate the charts from group to group. Students can make individual webs with the information they have learned, add information to the “Role on the Wall” chart, or write a reflective piece.

Language Arts, Music

Music and memory are closely linked. In fact, hearing a familiar song can trigger a memory and accompanying emotion almost instantaneously.

Step 1. Ask students to close their eyes and think about a musical memory from when they were very young. Have them think silently as you prompt: Where were you when you heard this music? Who were you with? How did the music make you feel?

Step 2. Students open their eyes and take a few minutes to either write or draw about their musical memory. Ask for volunteers to share their writing or drawing.

Step 3. Read about the life and times of the great composers and watch video interviews with professional musicians. Discuss what kind of impact these experiences may have had on their lives.

There are plenty of ways to use Mozart’s music in the classroom. Frequent listening builds familiarity and enjoyment.

Option 1. Create a template for a listening log and have students record the titles, dates of composition, and the composers’ names. Include a column for describing the music and a rating scale to indicate how well they liked the selection.

Option 2. Play your choice of Mozart’s music from online streaming services (e.g., YouTube or Spotify) when transitioning from one activity to another and want to establish a definite end and new beginning. Give students until the end of the music to get their materials tidied up and books out for the next subject.

Option 3. Much of Mozart’s work is calming to listen to. Listening for a few minutes with eyes closed refreshes students and readies them for learning.

Music, Dance

To prepare for this activity, find a recording of Allegretto theme from the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A +, K.581 using an online streaming service (e.g., YouTube or Spotify).

Step 1. Play the first minute only of the final movement of the quintet. How many different sections of music are there? (two – the first is brisk and march-like, the second is flowing and lyrical).

Step 2. Listen again and map the form: A → B → A → B → A

Step 3. Using a T-chart, list action words (verbs) that describe the character of both the A and B sections.

Step 4. Divide students into small groups. Ask each group to choose one verb from each list (A and B) and then create a movement for each verb.

Step 5. Play the music and try out the student-created movements.

Step 6. Share and compare movement ideas, performing them with the recording. If something particularly appealing emerges, learn it as a whole class.

Music, Visual Arts

To prepare for this activity, find a recording of Andante from Symphony No. 29 in A+ , K. 201 using an online streaming service (e.g., YouTube or Spotify).

Step 1. Play a few minutes of the Andante and ask students to close their eyes and visualize a scene or memory suggested by the music.

Step 2. Invite students to draw their ideas using oil pastels, charcoal, or other materials.

Step 3. Attach a few sentences from each student about their choice of scene and how it reflects the mood of the music.

Step 4 (optional). Repeat the activity another day with contrasting music.

Language Arts, Music

Arts and culture are very important to the Canadian economy and create a significant amount of traffic back and forth between our trade partners. Historically, trade and exchange have always driven artistic development.

Consider how Mozart and composers of his day travelled to major foreign cities like London and Paris to improve their music, assimilate musical styles, and develop their careers. This is much like the troubadours of the pop world today – Canada’s Avril Lavigne, America’s Britney Spears, and Mexico’s Paulina Rubio.

In this web-based lesson, students research Canadian performers who are a part of a thriving cultural exchange throughout the world.

Step 1. Working in small groups, students pick a Canadian performer or performance group to research.

Step 2. Begin with a KWL chart (What do we Know already? What do we Want to know? What did we Learn?). All groups should research:

• How their performer or group first got started;
• Where they are touring in the next few months;
• What they are performing.

Step 3. Students jot down notes in the third column as their research progresses.

Step 4. Write up the findings and present in project form with photographs or drawings. Encourage students to bring in recordings of their selected artists for their presentations.

Language Arts, Social Studies

Trade and travel has always enriched civilization. Think of Marco Polo bringing back spices to Europe, or the influence of Mexican arts and crafts on American architecture and design. Consider how the export of Canadian comedians has influenced American movies and television.

Today’s “virtual travel” takes travel to a whole new dimension. Can you imagine what happens when the exchange of ideas and talent happens almost instantaneously through video conferencing, webcasts, and other broadband applications?

Step 1. Use a web site scavenger hunt to investigate two of Canada’s successful instrument makers. You will see what a wide-reaching effect their talents have had. Divide the students into scavenger hunt teams of two or three students each.

Step 2. Verify answers only after everyone has had a chance to finish.