There’s something about October that makes even the most ordinary orchestra sound a little haunted. A rumbling drum becomes distant thunder. A xylophone becomes rattling bones. And composers have been leaning into that for a couple hundred years now, whether they were writing about skeletons at midnight or a mountain full of restless spirits.
This week’s episode is a spooky spin on our favorite guessing game, What Was That Sound? I play a mystery clip, you guess the instrument, and then we talk about why that instrument was the perfect choice for the eerie moment the composer was trying to create. Four composers, four instruments, one very punny host who could not resist a “spook-tacular” joke (I regret nothing).
What You’ll Hear
- Camille Saint-Saëns, Danse Macabre
- J.S. Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
- Modest Mussorgsky, Night on Bald Mountain
- A mystery instrument played without ever being touched
Click here for a full playlist of all the music from today’s episode.
Free Printable: Halloween Listening Tracker
Grab the free printable here to follow along. There’s a spot for your child to guess each instrument before the reveal, plus a few fun facts to jot down along the way. It’s a great one to print for a car ride or a cozy October afternoon on the couch.
Try This at Home
After you finish the episode, put on one more mystery clip (anything works — a video game soundtrack, a movie score, even a commercial jingle) and have your child close their eyes and guess the instruments they hear before you tell them. It’s such a simple game, but it builds real listening skills, and kids love being the one who “got it right.”
If your child plays piano, ask them which instrument from today’s episode they think would be the most fun to imitate on the keys. The pipe organ’s big, sustained sound and the xylophone’s short, bouncy notes are both great starting points for a little creative improvising.
Related Episodes
Want the full story behind the skeletons? Head back to Episode 158, where we covered Danse Macabre from start to finish, including a fun cameo from a certain famous skeleton.
What’s Next
Beethoven is on the calendar for late October — a three-part look at his life and two of his most famous works. Thanks for partnering with me this month, and I hope this one gave you a fun, only-slightly-spooky reason to gather around some music together.
New episodes of Busy Kids Love Music drop every two weeks, wherever you listen to podcasts.