They say that music is a universal language. It has the power to cross borders, beliefs, and barriers and unite people from all walks of life. When you think about it, thatâs pretty amazing! To capture the essence of its magnificence, here are some rousing poems about music to share with your students.Â
Quick note: Be sure to read the poems on this list of poems about music before bringing them into your classroom to ensure that they align with the learning environment youâve created.
Our Favorite Poems About Music
I Am in Need of Music by Elizabeth Bishop
âOver my fretful, feeling fingertips âŠâ
The Piano by Gillian ClarkeÂ
âThe last bus sighs through the stops of the sleeping suburb âŠâ
My Lute Awake by Sir Thomas Wyatt
âMy lute awake! perform the last / Labour that thou and I shall waste âŠâ
Suspend, Singer Swan by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
âSuspend, singer swan, the sweet strain âŠâ
I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman
âThose of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong âŠâ
The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning
âHamelin Townâs in Brunswick âŠâ
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
âDroning a drowsy syncopated tune âŠâ
Alexanderâs Feast; or, the Power of Music by John Dryden
ââTwas at the royal feast for Persia won âŠâ
The Banjo Player by Fenton Johnson
âThere is music in me, the music of a peasant people.â
Sonnet 8: Music to Hear, why hearâst thou music sadly? by William Shakespeare
âSweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy.â
Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats
âMy heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains âŠâ
Endymion by Oscar WildeÂ
âThe apple trees are hung with gold âŠâ
A Musical Instrument by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
âWHAT was he doing, the great god Pan âŠâ
The Guitar by Federico GarcĂa Lorca
âThe weeping of the guitar begins.â
Music by Walter de la Mare
âWhen music sounds, gone is the earth I know âŠâ
We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks
âWe real cool. We / Left school. We âŠâ
The Myth of Music by Rachel M. HarperÂ
âIf music can be passed on âŠâ
My Motherâs Music by Emilie BuchwaldÂ
âIn the evenings of my childhood âŠâ
Latin & Soul by Victor HernĂĄndez Cruz
âa piano is trying to break a molecule âŠâ
Elegy by Anne Stevenson
âWhenever my father was left with nothing to do âŠâ
A Poem for Ella Fitzgerald by Sonia Sanchez
âwhen she came on the stage, this Ella âŠâ
The Everyday Enchantment of Music by Mark Strand
âA rough sound was polished until it became a smoother sound âŠâ
A Poem in Which I Try To Express My Glee at the Music My Friend Has Given Me by Ross Gay
âBecause I must not get up to throw down in a cafĂ© in the Midwest âŠâ
Piano by Dan Howell
âHer wattled fingers canât âŠâ
Your Songs by Gwendolyn BennettÂ
âWhen first you sang a song to me âŠâ
apocalyptic lyric by Cintia Santana
âa line break    is a kind of lie    my friend says âŠâ
One Boy Told Me by Naomi Shihab Nye
âMusic lives inside my legs.â
Little Richard by Peter Balakian
âOn a walk past bulldozers and trucks âŠâ
I Was Told the Sunlight Was a Cure by Hanif Abdurraqib
âfor the cloak of despair thrown over our bright & precious âŠâ
The One Mockingbird Only Sings at Night by Hannah Sanghee Park
âFar cars, numerous.â