How do we reach younger students with Classical Music?

As a music educator this is a question that one must constantly come up with ways to answer.  In the past I've liked having students close their eyes and sway as they listened to a classical piece, then asked them after for some "mood words" and what kind of story they saw in their head as they listened.  We would then listen to some of the piece again and they would take turns picking out elements of the piece (such as timbre, tempo, dynamics, pitch, rhythm, melody) and explaining why the composer might have chosen to use their chosen element.  Later we would talk about the composer and the circumstances really surrounding the piece we studied (title, intended affect, etc.).  This approach gives students the freedom to form their own ideas, while still exposing them to the classics and teaching them about the composer (whether they realize it or not!).  Just telling a group of young students "Now we are going to listen to and learn about classical music!" might put some of them off.

I'd like to share with you a video that I recently stumbled upon that involves setting students' familiar lyrics to the melody of some very famous and important classical pieces by prominent composers.  This is a method that I hadn't yet thought of, and the kids in the video are pretty comical.  Please feel free to discuss, and enjoy!