Music of the Day: 4–10 October 2026
From opera and Romanticism to jazz, electronic film scores and twentieth-century classical music, there is another wide-ranging seven days ahead on Music of the Day.
4 October – Akira Miyoshi
A Japanese composer whose music became an important part of the country’s twentieth-century classical tradition.
5 October – Harold Faltermeyer
A German composer, producer and musician particularly associated with the electronic sound of 1980s film music. His instrumental Axel F became an international hit.
6 October – Stanley Myers
A British film composer who wrote scores for dozens of films. His piece Cavatina became especially famous through its use in The Deer Hunter.
7 October – Felix Draeseke
A German Romantic composer whose substantial output included symphonies, operas and chamber music, although his work is much less frequently heard today.
8 October – Clarence Williams
A pianist, composer, publisher, bandleader and producer whose career places him right at the heart of the development of early jazz and blues.
9 October – Giuseppe Verdi
One of opera’s towering figures, responsible for works including Rigoletto, La traviata, Aida and Otello.
10 October – Priaulx Rainier
A South African-born British composer who developed a distinctive musical style during the twentieth century and taught for many years at the Royal Academy of Music.
Music Appreciation: Learning to Listen
This kind of musical variety is also at the heart of the new Music Appreciation Curriculum.
Rather than beginning by teaching pupils about one musical period or genre, Unit 1: Learning to Listen starts with the skills they need to approach any music.
Across four structured lessons, pupils learn to:
Notice → Listen Purposefully → Describe Precisely → Judge and Justify
The intention is to move beyond simply asking children whether they liked a piece and help them explain what they heard, how the music achieved its effect and what evidence supports their response.
It is designed for ages 10–14 and requires no instrumental background.
🎧 Explore Unit 1: Learning to Listen:
https://musicoftheday.co.uk/product/music-appreciation-curriculum-unit-1-learning-to-listen/
And you can continue to discover a different musician every day at MusicOfTheDay.co.uk.
