Ludwig Van Beethoven has to be one of the most unusual and interesting characters to ever compose music. Here is a listening activity to help introduce him into the music classroom, which you can include in your next music lesson plan:

“Für Elise” Bagatelle in A minor

Listen to the beginning of “Fur Elise” and sing together the well-known opening melody (the first nine notes). Now play the whole piece, this time counting how many times melody appears. You could work individually or in groups. (For teacher’s reference: The melody appears 16 times.)