For the next few weeks, we will begin to learn about the Nutcracker ballet. We have read the story and will hopefully get to watch some video clips of the actual ballet. We will listen to some of the most popular pieces of music from the Nutcracker.
We listened to the very first piece that is played in a production like the Nutcracker. If you went to the theater to see the ballet, you would see the lights dim, then the orchestra would begin to play some music before any dancing happened. This is called the "Overture." First graders love to play "copycat", where the class copies the motions of another student while keeping a steady beat. While listening to "Overture" first graders got to copy the teacher!
We listened to the very first piece that is played in a production like the Nutcracker. If you went to the theater to see the ballet, you would see the lights dim, then the orchestra would begin to play some music before any dancing happened. This is called the "Overture." First graders love to play "copycat", where the class copies the motions of another student while keeping a steady beat. While listening to "Overture" first graders got to copy the teacher!
We have listened to a piece called "March." We practiced moving around the room in three different ways: marching, skipping, and running (slow running like mice). The students had to be detectives and listen to the music and switch their motion when they heard the music switch.
We also listened to "Russian Dance" a very popular one! Many students recognized it right away! For this, we used a listening map to follow along with the music. We then got out the music parachute and every time there was an accent in the music (a louder, emphasized note) we threw our hands up and down with the parachute. We even got to step under the parachute!
Ask your student about the Nutcracker story. See what parts they remember!
Check out these websites for more information about The Nutcracker and Tchaikovsky, the composer.
http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/showdesc.asp?id=93
http://www.bostonballet.org/just-for-kids.html
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
We also listened to "Russian Dance" a very popular one! Many students recognized it right away! For this, we used a listening map to follow along with the music. We then got out the music parachute and every time there was an accent in the music (a louder, emphasized note) we threw our hands up and down with the parachute. We even got to step under the parachute!
Ask your student about the Nutcracker story. See what parts they remember!
Check out these websites for more information about The Nutcracker and Tchaikovsky, the composer.
http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/showdesc.asp?id=93
http://www.bostonballet.org/just-for-kids.html
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!