I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July this week! My family and I had a great day, including a breakfast at our church (where my husband and I played some rousing patriotic songs on the piano - so fun!!), a small-town parade, a barbecue with friends and then watching a few fireworks from our car. I am so grateful for our freedoms and for opportunities to celebrate them with friends and family!
The highlight of this lesson is our musical "fireworks show" activity, which was so much fun at our class! As we listened to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture we went on a musical journey using listening, singing, movement, and storytelling and ended up at an amazing musical fireworks show. I actually think that this song/activity really affected the students - they got so into the story and the movements that when we finally arrived at the fireworks show and heard those cannons go off, it was a really powerful moment. This activity really made the music come alive for these kids, and for me as well! Be sure to crank up the volume so children get the full exciting effect of the fireworks "cannons" at the end of this piece! Here's a little preview of the song we sing and a great recording of this awesome piece.Labels: Lesson Plans, Mighty Musicians, preschool music lesson plans