Halloween is only nine days away. Here are six cello tricks and treats to help you celebrate.

1. Treats! Enter our Halloween Art Contest for a chance to win a sticker or a notebook!

(Entries due 29 October)

Create an original Halloween drawing, photograph, sculpture, or other visual art (no video), that features the cello. 

Prizes

A panel of judges will choose winners for the following prizes:

• Grand Prize – Notebook
• Winner of each age group – Cello Sticker
• Runner-up of each age group – Laptop Sticker
• All entrants will receive a certificate of participation. (PDF)
• Teachers with the most participants will receive a certificate of participation. (PDF)

Get your download to color and enter here.

2. Tricks! Learn How to Make Halloween Sound Effects on Your Cello

We love this video by Liz, a professional multi-genre cellist in Austin, Texas, from Cellomoji. Watch to learn how to create spooky cello sound effects.

This is a great activity for young cellists and teachers looking for Halloween-themed cello skills. Even if you don’t play the cello, this video is still very entertaining. Which is your favorite? (Please tell us in the comments.)

Cellist Wendy Law makes great cello videos. Here she makes 13 animal sounds on her cello. While she doesn’t explain how to make these sounds, young cellists can watch what she does.

3. Cello Tricks! Costume Time

Have you ever dressed your cello up for the holidays? A carefully chosen hat or accessory can add some Halloween spirit to cello lessons and practice time.

This pirate hat is one example we found this year.

When selecting a costume, use common sense to choose items that won’t harm your instrument. For example, always check to make sure that the costume has no rough pieces that will scratch or rub on the cello. Also, make sure that the costume doesn’t get in the way of playing or tuning.

Cat or small dog costumes, particularly hats or head coverings, are most effective. However, sometimes you have to be creative in attaching the costume, as animal ears and cello scrolls are anatomically different.

Another idea is to make your own. Be sure to share your cello costume photos with us.

4. Treats! Listen to Halloween-Themed Music

Get into the Halloween spirit by listening to Halloween-themed cello music.

The Haunted House by Steven Isserlis, Performed by the Composer and Pianist Stephen Hough

Night on Bald Mountain, Performed by the Rastrelli Cello Quartet

A Stunning Performance of David Popper’s “Elfentanz,” by Gautier Capuçon and the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris conducted by Douglas Boyd

Want to know more about this piece? Read more about Popper’s Im Walde Suite.

Critical Edition for Cello and Orchestra
Critical Edition for Cello and Piano

“Hedwig’s Theme” from the Harry Potter Series, Performed by GnuS Cello

A Cello Cover of Wojciech Kilar’s Love Theme from Coppola’s Dracula (1992) Performed by Cellist James McGonigle

“Cello in a Haunted House,” – Scary Cello Background Music Created and Performed by Jesse Ahmann, the Montana Cellist

5. Treats! Wear a Costume While Playing the Cello*

Have you ever played the cello while wearing a costume? Here are some examples we like:

“Havana” by Camila Cabello Featuring Young Thug – Cover Arranged and Performed by the Brooklyn Duo and Friends

A mask can change everything. Which is your favorite?

“Oogway Ascends” – Theme from Kung Fu Panda – Cover by Tina Guo

Tina Guo plays in beautiful costumes in her Kung Fu Panda cover.

Now We Are Free from Gladiator – Cover by 2CELLOS

The 2CELLOS use beautiful cinematography and wonderful costumes in their Gladiator cover.

“This is Halloween” – Cello Cover by Elenka Cello

There are wonderful costume effects using blacklight in this one!

“Cello Wars (Star Wars Parody) Lightsaber Duel” — The Piano Guys

Steven Sharp Nelson (the cellist of the Piano Guys) channels his inner Jedi in this mashup of Star Wars melodies. (Watch out for that mind trick in the closing credits – it really works.)

* As with the costumes for cellos, please use common sense to make sure your costume won’t scratch or otherwise harm your cello. (I still have nightmares about my show choir’s sequinned uniform and having to wear it for a cello solo in a Cole Porter choir concert. I had to put on a black shirt over the sequins to keep the uniform from scratching my cello. Too bad I didn’t have something to help keep the sequins from scratching me . . .)

6. Treats for Cellists! Halloween Music to Play on Your Cello

Get in the Halloween spirit with music for you and/or your students. Virtual Sheet Music has several options for cello and many other instruments as well.

Our favorites are their Halloween Collection for two cellos, rated for intermediate to advanced players, and their Halloween Collection for cello and piano, which comes in an easy or intermediate version.

Each one has about 100 pages, including both parts and title and end pages.  You can hear and see samples on their website, so it’s easy to determine which choice is right for you. Click the following link to have a look.

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Your Turn

Please tell us about your Halloween-related cello activities in the comments. Have a safe and happy Halloween!

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