In December, we are busy putting the finishing touches on our preparation for the Winter Concert and refining skills we have worked on all year.
In December, we review all of the skills we have learned so far and bring them together to enjoy The Nutcracker Ballet. Students explore grade-level appropriate activities to learn about the story of the Nutcracker and its beautiful music composed by Tchaikovsky. The unit begins with a read-aloud of the story, a recap of the key elements of the tale, and then an exploration of musical themes which includes the different instruments used in the music, musical contour and expression, and musical form. Students explore this through listening, exploring a scarf dance, movement, and playing on percussion instruments. Second Graders will watch excepts of the Ballet.
Did you know? Mrs. Gill's first teaching position was serving as a Teaching Artist for the New York City Ballet Nutcracker Project!
Musical notation and mallet practice is reviewed and explored with Carol of The Bells. Students made connections to other performers both student and professionals in a variety of examples of this classic Ukrainian folk song.
We can't wait to share our music with you - and thank you for your support!