Grade: Elementary
Subject: Music

#3326. The Dancing Flute

Music, level: Elementary
Posted Sat Jan 8 15:28:54 PST 2005 by Warren Ainley (wgainley@hotmail.com).
Lacamas Heights Elementary, Camas, WA USA
Materials Required: In lesson plan
Activity Time: 30 minutes
Concepts Taught: Movement

The Dancing Flutes Primary

Key Concept: Intro to Ballet Labors: Dabbing, Gliding, Pressing

Objectives: To use Movement (Labors) and listening as an introduction to Ballet

Materials: "The Dancing Flutes" from "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky, scarves, laminating
Tubes, fish puppets


Procedure Play "The Dancing Flutes" (Use tube as a prop)

Dabbing 0:00-0:33 "This is the story of the dancing flute. He loved to dance
where ever he went. He would dance on his way to school, he
would dance in the school........ (improvise) Sometimes he would
Jump high into the air (hold) (listen for upward melody)

Gliding 0:33-0:45 Maybe I don't want to be a dancing flute, maybe I want to
be an ice skater, an air plane (gliding things)... No! I want to be a
dancing flute"

Dabbing 0:45-1:17 Same as above

Pressing 1:18-1:49 (with a little anger) (press flute in many directions and levels)
"I don't want to be a dancing flute I want to be baseball player, Santa Claus, etc....

Dabbing 1:50-end I want to be a dancing flute. He would dance on the way home
He would dance into his house. He would dance into his room
and take a nap". Freeze

Students perform with teacher (with words)
Each child having their own flute (tube)
Now perform with out any speech and with scarves tucked
into each end of the tube.
Perform without teacher assistance

Evaluation: Were the students able to: perform the story without teacher
assistance. The students were able to answer questions concerning
the story and ballet.

Show students the portion of the "real" Nutcracker ballet


©Warren Ainley 2003