I came across this nursery rhyme one day and immediately knew it needed to be set to music. This original composition tells the story of the old woman sweeping the cobwebs up in the sky, with waltz chord patterns and a mysterious descending chromatic melody. Performs well as a recital piece for Halloween or any time of year.
Any cat lover will have a blast playing this late beginner original composition. Sneaky Black Cat exhibits very cat-like behavior, with unexpected trills, dynamic changes, staccatos, accents, and more. It really feels like a cat walking and pouncing along the piano keys. Sneaky Black Cat is a great beginner piano piece for Halloween or any time of year.
Whether they’re raiding your candy bag or tying your shoelaces together, these mischievous little hobgoblins put the “trick” in “trick-or-treat”! You might feel a little hobgoblin coming out in you when you play this delightfully spooky composition.
What’s that sound?! In a haunted house, you never know what might be lurking around the corner about to jump out and petrify you. This composition will have your fingers taking turns tiptoeing, jumping, and shouting with fright.
Even beginners can entertain! This melody-only arrangement of Joplin’s most well-known rag keeps the performer feeling fun and loose and is just the thing for a first recital piece.
“Soon may the Wellerman come” — A true song of the sea that every modern music lover wants to play! This easy piano arrangement is great for small hands and perfect for mid to late elementary level pianists.
Notes, Rhythms, and Symbols included:
In the dark of the night, the clock strikes: it’s Witching Hour! This spooky, ghostly original piano solo sets the perfect tone for the spookiest holiday of the year. In the music you’ll hear the call from beyond the veil, the casting of magical spells to awaken the dead, the mysteriously eerie movements of supernatural beings, and progressively faster tempo changes until the end, when the dead fall back into their quiet slumber before first light. Set in the challenging key of G-sharp minor with frequent double sharps and transitions between minor and diminished passages, advancing pianists will love the spellbinding twists and turns. “Witching Hour” is an excellent choice for a Halloween performance piece.
This early intermediate piano solo of a beloved French carol is written in classical contemporary style. The accompaniment has a mixture of Alberti bass, open fifths and sixths, and dotted rhythms that make this a lovely Christmas piano solo. Early intermediate pianists will enjoy how the pedal and different octave ranges give this arrangement a full, beautiful sound. Perfect for smaller hands (no intervals larger than a minor 6th).
It was a dark and stormy night — lightning flashes, thunder crashes, pouring rain, pounding hail. Late elementary to early intermediate pianists will love how Stormy Night captures this moody, dark scene, perfect for Halloween music. In this original composition, RH takes on the role of the rain and hail while LH controls the thundering melody. Octave changes and harmonic intervals help with keyboard awareness and reading skills, while the quick tempo and dynamics develop musical expression.
One of the most recognizable and ominous-sounding classical themes, this theme from Chopin’s Funeral March is Halloween ready! Beginners will love the drama of this intense music, arranged here with steady repeating LH minor 2nds and RH melody that occasionally changes octaves or adds a few simple harmony notes. With dynamics ranging pianissimo to fortissimo, this piece helps beginner pianists develop interpretation, expression, and performance skills while having plenty of fun scaring the neighbors.
The memorable Carol of the Bells is arranged here for beginner pianists. Even earlier beginners can thrive learning this arrangement of Carol of the Bells due its repetitive four-note motif and simple LH accompaniment that stays mostly in a 5-finger position. Minimal pedal adds a rewarding fullness of sound at key transition points throughout the piece. This arrangement of the Ukrainian Bell Carol is a holiday favorite among new pianists of all ages.
At the clang of a mysterious ringing bell, spooky spectres slowly rise from the ground… Before long, the tones of their ghoulish delight can be heard in cacophonous chords and swinging staccato singsong, which gradually compounds and accelerates to supernatural speeds until, with a final clang, the bell calls the spectres back to their resting places.
Spooky Spectres is a delightful Halloween piece that explores a wide range of musicality for the intermediate pianist, including meter changes, tempo changes, LH melody, precise articulations, and more. It combines the best of a full, advanced musical sound with the spooky fun of the Halloween season. A real crowd pleaser, Spooky Spectres is a great piece to perform, teach, and play just for fun!
Full moon tonight… look out! This delightfully spooky Halloween waltz warns unsuspecting souls to beware the bite of the werewolf! The beginner-friendly melody line is accompanied by waltz style minor chord patterns and is a great way to get into the Halloween spirit while teaching minor chords and notation. Performs well as a recital piece or can be used as a fun seasonal supplemental piece.
A Christmas favorite arranged with jazzy flair! First- or second-year students with a solid grasp of rhythm and note reading will love learning this performance-ready rendition filled with syncopation, staccatos, and mini chromatic passages. Jingle Bell Jazz is an excellent choice for beginner students performing at a Christmas recital or for their families during the holiday season.
In this traditional arrangement, the heavenly hosts can be heard in joyous salute heralding the first Christmas. Perfect for a first-year student as a solo recital piece or simply to celebrate the season.
One of the most well-known Christmas carols in the modern world, Jingle Bells is played at almost every Christmas piano recital anywhere. With the verse in Middle C Position and the chorus in C Major Position, this classic take on Jingle Bells is ideal for beginners learning to navigate their way around the keys.
Very few people haven’t heard this classical Beethoven theme (incredibly, composed after he had lost his hearing). This arrangement combines the marvelously simple stepwise melody with dynamics, a black key crossover, and triumphant harmonic thirds to allow beginner pianists to experience the grandeur of this masterful composer’s music.
As the monsters, bats, ghouls, and more come out to roam, this composition will get you right in the October spirit. Skips, thirds, and Left Hand/Right Hand unison teach valuable fingering techniques in a fun-spirited way through this song filled with Halloween rhymes for Halloween-times.
Chromatic passages in the right hand feel like a spider spinning its web while supported by ominous three-note chords in the left hand. (Just keep an eye out for those tricky passages that look chromatic but aren’t!)
This Halloween rag by Hans Engelmann is tons of fun! This arrangement is an adaptation of the main minor key theme across different octave ranges for a fully minor Halloween experience. It has also been simplified for intermediate level players (shorter LH jumps, smaller chords, etc.). It’s a delightfully fun ragtime piece and a great choice for a Halloween performance or party.
Accessible for smaller hands: Includes stepping open octaves in LH, but all jumps and chords have been adapted/condensed for reachability (all chord harmonies are 6ths or smaller).
Tarantula Tango is a dramatic tango intermediate piano solo in E minor. Classic tango LH rhythms and moving RH passages, harmonies, and chords combine to create a fun and memorable piece. Intermediate pianists will love the triplets and chromatic passages. Great for a Halloween performance or recital piece.
“Come, listen closely to the secret I will tell about a sorceress who’s casting magic spells…”
Enjoy this spellbinding witchy tale for beginner piano! Beginners will love the lyrics and learn to extend beyond 5-finger position with this bewitching melody that will make any listener fall under the sorceress’s spell.
The monster under the bed takes on a whole new concept with Mister Pumpkinhead, whose attempts to scare the little ones are met with offerings of friendship and candy. Beginner pianists will love hearing his story and playing his bouncy original song filled with repeating patterns and spooky-sounding minor thirds and seconds. This is a fantastic choice for a beginner performance piece at an autumn or Halloween piano recital.
Kids look forward to going trick-or-treating every year. The costumes, candy, and spooky atmosphere are always a hit! Beginner pianists who are just getting used to on-staff reading will do well with this Halloweeny 5-finger stepwise melody. Each hand gets the chance to play individual melody lines. Finger numbers are included at the beginning of each line only to help students learn to recognize steps and when notes go up, down, or repeat on the staff.
Rainbow Sherbet