Some characteristics of classical music are;
an alberti bass a very prominent form/structure eg - sonata form, ternary form, binary form...etc even four-bar phrases a cadence to end a phrase...
Some of it is wonderful to work with kids (I taught it for many years). Pieces such as the suite form Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker", and Saint-Saens "Carnival of the Animals" are two good examples.
The word "classical" is used in two different ways in music. The first refers to the style of most music written in the time approx 1750 to 1820 (of course, the change was gradual). Notable composers...
In the mid 18th century, Europe (the heart of art and music) moved into a new "formally elegant" style called Classicism. Classicism actually originated during the Renaissance, but took on a more...