One Piece, So Much to Learn!

Edvard Grieg

Students in Grade Two have been studying a piece of music called “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg.  It’s a famous tune, often included in movies, commercials, video games and now, perhaps, even being sung in your very own home!  It is a rich piece of music, and we listened to it over and over.  On each repetition, we peeled back another layer of understanding, examining a new concept or practicing a new skill.  Here’s how our learning unfolded . . .

1. We began by learning a new note called too, which is a rhythmic note that is sustained over two beats.  We practiced clapping, speaking and playing it on instruments. 

Too, a hungry rhythm
that eats up two beats!

2. We learned a rhythmic piece, and noticed that it was in an ABAC form, in which the first and third phrases were the same.  We also noticed that each phrase had four beats, and there were 16 beats altogether.

3. We noticed that this rhythmic piece was repeated over and over again in the song we have been listening to.  We counted 18 repetitions, followed by some different music at the end, which we labeled as the “coda”.

4. We reviewed the term “tempo”, and noticed that the this piece begins slowly and grows faster and faster.

5. We reviewed the term “dynamics”, and noticed that this piece begins quietly and grows louder and louder.

Shaker Eggs

6. We listened again, playing the rhythm on shaker eggs and the triangle, this time very aware now of how the composer changed the tempo and dynamics to create excitement in the music.

7. Finally, we wondered what story was being told by the music and represented our unique ideas with a quick sketch and a few words, and then shared our thoughts with a classmate.

How exciting that one piece of music can hold so many interesting ideas, and how exciting that one piece of music can teach us so very much!  A good piece of music – like a good story – is worth revisiting again and again.  Here is the link to “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edward Grieg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLp_Hh6DKWc