It’s December, and that means we celebrate the birth of an amazing man, an amazing composer: Beethoven! (Birthday – December 16th)
Over the years, I have featured many ideas about Beethoven and how listening to and studying his works can integrate with other areas.
(Scroll for a FREEBIE at the end of this article!)
Today, I want to focus on some of his quotes. There are many! In fact, I have an entire book on my shelf of Beethoven books that focuses on many things he wrote and said. Beethoven was a prolific writer. He wrote many letters and even wrote many things in a journal he kept with himself for those times when he would ask someone to write down what they were saying. He was going deaf by the time he was in his 20s.
In my ebook, Celebrate Beethoven in the Classroom, I have a couple of pages where students can use some of Beethoven’s quotes as cursive practice. What’s more, these quotes serve as great conversation starters and reflections.
For example, one of my favorites is, “Anyone who tells a lie, has not a pure heart and cannot make good soup.”
Here are some great responses about what students think Beethoven meant:
“Judging Beethoven by his quotes, I bet he himself did have a pure heart.
I know Beethoven went through a lot over the years of his life which gave him experience and made him wiser.”
“I agree with Beethoven cause you should not lie and you should be happy with what you got.
At first I thought he wrote something weird, but now I get it.”
I love when kids really stop and think!
Here’s one final thought from Beethoven and a 10 year old boy:
“Recommend to your children virtue; that alone can make them happy, not gold.” ~Beethoven
“That makes me think I’m rich.”
YAY! I say to that!
Do you want to try this too? This is a great activity to try out in the month of December, Beethoven’s birthday month! Now you can download your own free copy of Beethoven’s quotes to use in your classroom!
Beethoven Quotes Freebie
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