Trepak (Russian Dance) from The Nutcracker | Music Lesson Plan (AABA Form)

Music Lesson Plan

Step 1
Tell students, "Today you're going to learn about musical form and listen to music from one of the most popular ballets of all time." Ask students, "Can anyone guess what the ballet is called? It's very popular around Christmas. That's right! It's Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker."

Step 2
Tell the students, "The Nutcracker includes many pieces. The one we'll listen to today is 'Trepak.'" Pass out the listening maps. Tell students, "Long before Tchaikovsky wrote 'Trepak,' it was a popular dance in Russia and Ukraine. That's why this piece is also called 'Russian Dance.' It's a very fast dance, usually performed by men who squat and kick their feet out."

Step 3
Ask students, "Has anyone ever seen this dance before? Is there anyone who wants to try it?" Invite a volunteer to try the dance moves while you play a short snippet of the recording.

Step 4
Tell students, "Now let's learn about the musical form of this piece by reviewing our listening map."

A Section
Tell students, "The music begins with two A sections. We'll repeat this part four times. The dancing boy represents accented sounds, which are louder than the rest of the music. The boots represent the beats. We'll tap our index finger on everything as the music plays."

B Section
Tell students, "The B Section is divided into two parts. First, we'll tap our fingers on the candy canes to the steady beat. The second part is filled with dynamic changes. Tap your finger on the accent and slide on the arrow. Next, four accents get larger and larger as the music gets louder. Tap - TAP - TAP! - TAP!!"

A Section
Tell students, "The A Section returns, but this time it's only played twice."

Coda
Tell students, "The Coda is the final section. We'll tap every boot until we hit the final accented note."

Step 5
Tell students, "I'll start the recording. Do your best to follow. If you get lost, look up to see where I am."

Step 6
Start recording.

Step 7
Ask students, "How did you do? Great! This time I'm going to reward the students who stay in the right spot with a piece of candy. I'll start the recording and stop somewhere in the middle. If you're in the right place, and I call on you, you win!"

Step 8
Start the recording. Randomly stop three times, giving students a chance to win.

Step 9
Wrap lesson up. Ask students, "What is musical form?" "What is the form of 'Trepak'?" "What instrument family do you hear most?"