The day after tomorrow, New York will be, almost literally, a ghost town! That’s because Halloween’s traditional creepy and spooky creatures will take over the city – ghosts, of course, but also monsters, mummies, zombies, witches, goblins, black cats, and other scary apparitions that will go bump in the night. Once the kids are back from trick-or-treating and are getting their sugar rush from all the candy, you can have a Halloween celebration of your own.

It doesn’t require costumes, a witch’s brew, or howling sounds . All you need to create a Halloween-ish environment in your own home is some classical “mood” music!

On the edge of your seat…

Long before the custom of trick-or-treating appeared in the United States in the 1950s, several classical composers wrote some pretty scary music. We can’t think of anything more appropriate for a dark Halloween night! For instance, in 1886, Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky wrote a series of compositions titled “Night on Bald Mountain.” His frightening ghouls wreaking havoc on a mountain village in the middle of the night were depicted in Disney’s 2009 movie “Fantasia” Watch, listen and shudder! Then there is no less scary piece called “Dreams of a Witches' Sabbath” the final movement of “Symphonie Fantastique” written by French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. If you can stomach allusions to witches, sorcerers and monsters assembled at a funeral, this piece is for you! Okay, let’s move on. By some accounts, Hungarian composer Franz Liszt was obsessed with all things macabre, as is evidenced in his ominous-sounding “Totentanz (Dance of the Dead)” . The piece was several years in the making and finally completed in the mid 1800s. Are you sufficiently spooked yet? We hope not, because there are two more pieces of music you absolutely must listen to on Halloween night: Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov’s 1908 work “The Isle of the Dead” and Camille Saint-Saëns sinister tune “Danse Macabre” which the French composer wrote in 1874. We hope all this music will not give you nightmares!

We are harmless!

No matter how frightening it is, Halloween only lasts one night. By the time you wake up on November 1, you will hopefully be fearless! Of course, most classical music is not scary at all; in fact, it is soothing and uplifting. Another thing you should never be afraid of are our teachers. That’s because when they come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale home or office, they will never use scare tactics!

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We always talk about the benefits of music, but let’s be honest –it can be scary too!

And with Halloween just around the corner, prepare to be frightened, because we will share with you some of the spookiest songs on our playlist. As a public service, we are dividing this list into two parts: one (a less scary one) for kids, and the other one, for adults.

So put on your costume and let’s get the party rolling!

A sweet Halloween

Kids like dressing up and trick-or-treating. Make their Halloween a pleasant one (and only mildly scary) with these fun, childproof songs:

Five Little Pumpkins

Ten Little Monsters

Spooky, spooky

Too Spooky for Me

The little ones will have loads of fun with these tunes – just make sure they don’t sing with their mouths full of candy!

Boo!!!

Okay, so kids are now tucked in bed (unless they are hyped up on the sugar rush and are wide awake), and now it’s your turn to party.

Imagine that you are in a haunted house with creaky floorboards and masses of cobwebs hanging from ever nook and cranny. All of a sudden, you hear a ghostly / ghoulish shriek, and a black cat lands on your shoulder. The lights flicker off and on, and the cat morphs into an evil witch clad in black from the tip of her pointed hat to the hem of her dress. The witch points her gnarly hands at you, with sharp nails that have been uncut in several centuries and says: “If you don’t play some good music this very minute, I will put a spell on you!”

So, you have no choice but to bring out your iPod and start playing. For this occasion, may we suggest these frightfully terrific pieces of music?

“Thriller” – Michael Jackson

According to Billboard magazine, this is the most-downloaded Halloween-themed hit of all-time.

“Ghostbusters” – Ray Parker Jr.

This song topped the Hot 100 in 1984, the year when it was first released.

“Runnin’ with the Devil” – Van Halen

This 1978 hard rock hit is a classic Halloween song

“A Nightmare on my Street” – D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince

In 1988, before Will Smith became a mega star he is today, he recorded (at the height of his “Fresh Prince of Beverly Hills” days) this hip-hop tune, which ranked No. 15 on the Hot 100.

Magic in your home

Halloween comes but once a year, but our Manhattan music lessons take place all year long. Whatever type of music you (or your child) want to learn, our teachers will come (but not on a broomstick) to your Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Riverdale (Bronx) home or office for private lessons.

Our instructors are among the best in NYC, but don’t be afraid that they’ll put a spell on you. They WILL, however, teach you some wonderfully bewitching music!

Photo Credit: Pedro J. Ferreira

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