All about Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a famous composer and musician from Germany. He was born a long time ago, in 1770. Even when he was a little boy, he loved music. His father taught him to play the piano, but he was very strict. Ludwig practiced a lot and became very good at playing music.

When he grew up, he moved to a big city called Vienna, where he started to write his own music. People loved his beautiful melodies and he became very famous. But something sad happened when he was still quite young: Ludwig started to lose his hearing. This was very hard for him because he needed to hear to make music.

Even though he couldn't hear well, Ludwig didn't give up. He kept making music and some of his best pieces were written after he lost his hearing completely. He used other ways to feel the music, like feeling the vibrations through the floor.

Ludwig van Beethoven is remembered today as one of the greatest composers ever. His music is still played all over the world, and it makes people very happy. He showed everyone that even when things are tough, you can still do great things if you work hard and don't give up.

1. Where was Ludwig van Beethoven from?
2. What instrument did Ludwig's father teach him to play?
3. What happened to Ludwig that made it hard for him to make music?
4. Why do you think Ludwig van Beethoven is remembered as a great composer?
5. How did Ludwig continue to make music even after he lost his hearing?

Symbols and Traditions

Hi, my name is Tim and I am 8 years old. I want to tell you about my amazing trip to Vienna! Vienna is a really cool city in Austria where a famous composer named Ludwig van Beethoven lived. My family and I went to a special place called the Beethoven Museum. It was so interesting to learn about his life and music.

In the museum, we saw lots of old things that belonged to Beethoven, like his piano and some of his music sheets. There was also a room where we could listen to his music. It was really beautiful, even though some parts were sad. My favorite part was seeing the big statue of Beethoven outside the museum. It made me feel like I was meeting him in real life!

I had a lot of fun in Vienna and learned so much about Beethoven. I want to go back again someday and maybe even learn to play one of his songs on the piano.

1. Who is the famous composer mentioned in Tim's blog post?
2. What special place did Tim visit in Vienna?
3. Why was Tim's favorite part of the museum visit the big statue of Beethoven?
4. How did Tim feel when he listened to Beethoven's music in the museum?
5. Can you think of another famous place you would like to visit and why?

Profile of Ludwig van Beethoven

A Timeline of Ludwig van Beethoven to another Festival

After learning all about Ludwig van Beethoven, your job is to create a timeline of their life. You should add all the important events in their life but you can be inventive and add some interesting things that people might like to read about. You can make it as simply as you like with pen and paper or you can be very inventive and create a 3D diorama or hanging banner. The sky's the limit - go for it!

Slideshow - Ludwig van Beethoven
A full set of teaching plans for Ludwig van Beethoventeaching.