PETER & THE WOLF
I show this video on day one of each of my Music Appreciation classes. It’s a great way to get everyone on the same page about what an orchestra is, what some of the instruments sounds like and how to listen for the differences between them.
The Vancouver Symphony performs Peter & The Wolf, by Sergei Prokofiev
Featuring narrator and conductor Bramwell Tovey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfM7Y9Pcdzw
Activity (Option 1): After watching the video (remind the children that this is more about listening than watching), ask them to draw the different characters. After they’re done, everyone can pick a character and re-enact the story (with or without the music/video playing), putting emphasis on the use of facial expressions and body movements to give life to each character.
Activity (Option 2): Before watching the video, have the children draw each character: Peter, the Cat, the Bird, the Duck, Grandpa, and the Wolf. There is also a musical personification of musket fire, if you’d like to include that in their drawings. When the drawings are done, listen/watch the video and use the pictures as visual aids as the story moves along. Afterwards, ask the children if the music changed their mind about what the characters might look like. Maybe the Cat is now purple instead of brown, maybe Grandpa doesn’t have a beard after all. The most important thing to remember is there are no wrong answers.
Many parents might remember this animated version (same music). This particular video is narrated by the legendary rock star, David Bowie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va8Uz6MoKLg
NOTE: If you watch the Bowie cartoon, remind children that what they are about to see is someone else’s interpretation of the piece, and doesn’t mean what they heard and drew is wrong (or right), just different because everyone hears things differently.
