Arabian Dance - Coffee

1. Listen for tempo and meter of the piece. How would you describe the tempo? Andante? How many beats are in each measure? 3 – this time signature  is called ¾. Listen again and tap one strong beat on your lap, and clap two weaker beats with your hands per measure. Use your Conducting Patterns and Conductor mini books to review conducting with 3 beats per measure. Practice it with the music!

2. Discuss expression  in music – emotions, feelings. How does this piece make them feel like moving or dancing? Compare to the Russian Dance expression and movement.

3. Social Studies – Find Saudi Arabia  on a map. What clothing is worn? What is the climate like? Etc. about the country.

4. In my music classes, the students also looked for musical intervals  and ostinatos, and played the ostinato on bells.   

    

5. What is the tempo of this piece? Compare it to others you have listened to.

   
   

6. Add any new vocabulary you learned to your Nutcracker Music Vocabulary. 
   

Chinese Dance - Tea

1. Listen for musical qualities discussed with the previous pieces – meter, tempo, tone color, dynamics and any others you want to review. The meter is 4/4 – practice conducting 4 beats per measure while listening.

2. One of the highest pitched instruments is featured in this piece – the piccolo. The piccolo is a member of the woodwind family. How high or low a note sounds is determined by the amount of vibrations in the sound waves per second. It is measured by hertz (Hz): 1 Hertz = 1 vibration / second. Frequent vibrations make a higher pitch; fewer vibrations create lower sounds.

Table of Musical Pitches  This is cool! Click on a piano key to learn its name, octave and frequency in hertz (Hz). Notice that the pitch rises when the frequency increases.

Instrument Ranges  Compare the pitch range of several orchestral instruments.

3. The way sounds are produced is fascinating! Middle and high school students may enjoy studying the physics of sound at the following sites.

Pitch & Frequency at the Physics Classroom Tutorial

Sound Waves & Music  - 5 detailed lessons for: Nature of a Sound Wave, Sound Properties and Perception, Behavior of Sound Waves, Resonance and Standing Waves, Musical Instruments

Hyper Physics

4. Social studies – locate China on a map (China shutterfold) and color a flag (flag of China minit book). Discuss the culture and country. 

Add any new vocabulary you learned to your Nutcracker Music Vocabulary.

Dance of the Reed Flutes (Merlitons)

1. What are “reed flutes”? The song is referring to instruments that use a wooden “reed” in order to make it play – examples are clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, and English horn. The reed is attached to the mouthpiece; it vibrates when the player blows producing sounds.

Recorders, flutes, and piccolos are also a part of the woodwind family. They do not require reeds in order to play. So, why are they woodwinds? 1 - Some were originally made from wood or reeds, and 2 - the note fingerings are similar to the rest of the family.

Fill in the woodwind section of the Instrument Family Book - Woodwinds with research from here - Woodwind Family .

2. Listen to the first eight beats. Can you hear how the pitch changes from high to low? I have younger students stand with knees bent, stand, bend down to ground, stand, and repeat along with the recording.

3. Analyze the sheet music looking for concepts learned with other pieces. Add to your Nutcracker Music Vocabulary.

slur

moderato (m)

grace notes

poco

decrescendo (decres. or >)   = diminuendo

Dance of the Reed Flutes Sheet Music

4. Review 2/4 time signature / meter. Conduct the piece in 2/4.

    5.   Compare rhythmic note values. Duration of the notes depends on

         many things.

                  a)      Does the note have a stem?   w = 4  or      h  = 2

b)      Is the oval filled in or open?   h = 2 or  q = 1 

c)      How many flags does it have on top?  q = 1  or  e = 1//2 or  x = 1//4

d)      Is there a dot (.) after the note?  h = 2   or      h. = 3

e)      Note Values in 4/4 Meter - The value of a note is cut in half every time a flag is added to the note. 

f) Try some music math! Make mini puzzles or flap books of Fractions  or Whole Numbers.

Whole Note = 4 beats

Dotted Half Note = 3 beats

Half Note = 2 beats

Quarter Note  = 1 beat

Eighth Note = ½ beat

Sixteenth Note = ¼ beat

Thirty-second Note = 1/8 beat

6. The way the sections of a piece are put together is called form . This piece has an opening section (called A), a middle section (called B), and then returns to the first section (called A). It is made up of three sections, starting and ending on the same theme. This is called ternary form .

Waltz of the Flowers

1. Listen for the meter of this piece. ¾ - Tap beat one on your lap to feel the strong or accented beat; clap beats two and three lightly to feel the weaker beats.

    2.   What is a waltz? Define it in your vocabulary book.

    3.       Wouldn’t it be grand to dance a waltz! Watch one of the instructional

          videos below, then dress up in something fun and fancy to hold your own ball!

Learn to Waltz!

Learn to Waltz! 2

4. Practice conducting Waltz of the Flowers with a ¾ pattern.

5. Listen for upward and downward melodic patterns in music. Which instrument(s) plays upward patterns? Which plays downward patterns? What other tone colors do your hear? Review instrument families and their members from your book.

Review – The Nutcracker Suite & Peter I. Tchaikovsky

One of my favorite music teaching resources is “The Big Book of Music Games” by Debra Olson Pressnall and Lorilee Maleha. There are tons of file folders game, card games, and much more fun! It is fantastic for learning and reviewing concepts.

As you put your lapbook or notebook together, review everything you have learned together.

Below are some questions to talk about when you listen to the whole suite.

1. Tell at least two facts about Tchaikovsky’s life.
2. Name two or more types of compositions he wrote.
3. Name three Ballets that he wrote.
4. Define ballet, overture, and any other vocabulary you would like your child to remember.
5. Name your favorite piece studied and tell why you liked it.
6. Name at least two movements of The Nutcracker.
7. Tell the story of The Nutcracker.
8. Define time signature, give examples, conduct a 4/4 and ¾ patterns like a conductor.
9. Name some instruments (tone colors) you heard in the Suite – find their pictures – name the family they belong to.
10. Dance or do body percussion to your favorite movement.
11. Play the recorder with the March.
12. Expression in music – color at least one picture you found on the internet or draw one of your own. Share how at least one movement made you feel when you listened to it.
13. Geography /Culture – name two countries that Tchaikovsky chose to highlight, find them on the map, share one aspect of the cultures.
14. Find examples of musical terms in a  score or sheet music. Tell what they mean.
15. Continue to listen to the music in your home or vehicle. You will grow to love it!

Other sites you may want to use with this unit!

Free Powerpoint Presentations

*Nutcracker Study Guide 1

Lesson Plans                                   Vocabulary Lists

Writing Prompts                                Marie versus Clara

Story Map                                        Ballet Costumes

Nutcracker Story                              Ballet Etiquette

Nutcracker Links                              Ballet Expectations

Continued on The Nutcracker Music Unit 3 ....