Musical compositions for Halloween
- Monique Poirier
- Feb 16
- 2 min read
Hello! I invite you to listen to the short audio file included in this blog (in French). You will hear some excerpts of compositions and the description of the process used to stimulate musical creativity for the celebration of Halloween. The English translation of the audio file can be found below.
Inspiration: Halloween
For several years, I have been interested in the creative aspect of musical learning, particularly in improvisation. As a pianist, I have developed creative activities that I integrate into my piano teaching.
In traditional teaching, we often move from sheet music to a sound outcome—a musical result. But it is also possible to do the reverse, that is, to start with sound exploration and, if desired, end up with a written trace, such as sheet music.
Over the years, as Halloween approached, I suggested that my students use the Halloween theme to musically translate the spirit of this celebration. To help them, I suggested certain typical Halloween images or themes: the witch, the black cat, the haunted house, the fog, ghosts, etc. I also proposed certain musical parameters, in the form of questions, to help them organize their ideas:
"What rhythm inspires you? What melody or motif translates the atmosphere or character? What range do you want to use? Would dynamics help give it character? Can we create suspense by incorporating silences?"
Since they were already interpreting a piece written by various composers for this holiday, I encouraged them to listen closely and observe the writing, the style in Halloween pieces, identifying some of these compositional techniques.
And, since it is sometimes challenging for less experienced students to write down their composition, I transcribed the music they played for me. Sometimes, a composition develops as a team activity, as is the case for the second excerpt you hear in the audio file,The Haunted House. The primo part of this duet was developed collaboratively by the student and teacher.
I encourage you, teachers and students, to use different celebrations or life events as ways to inspire composition or improvisation, as ways to bring a creative touch to learning.
Happy discovery!
