I love being a music teacher because I am confident that, out of all the teachers in the world, music teachers have the most fun! If you need proof, watch the video below. In it, you will witness a typical VPK class moving to one of their favorite musical works, Tchaikovky’s “The Nutcracker.”
While listening to the “March”, we focused on the form by using movement and body percussion in our seats. We analyzed when the music marches to a steady beat, skips to syncopated rhythms, or does neither. The class then transferred those ides to riding a “horse” around a lake. When the music marched, we would trot our horses, and when it skipped, we would gallop. When the music did neither of the two, we stopped to let our horses rest. We learned that horses like to eat hay, drink water, and snack on carrot, apples, and sugar cubes!
Let me pause for a second to acknowledge that I do in fact realize that the children are not riding horses, but rather candy canes and shepherd staves. Why I love being a Lutheran school teacher is that I can weave Jesus Christ into every lesson. We replaced the horses with candy canes because they remind us of Jesus whose birth we celebrate on Christmas. Make sure to ask your child how a candy cane reminds them of Jesus!
So without further adieu, I present, “The Nutcracker!”
Josh Brink
School Music Director
JABrink@TrinityDowntown.com