When it comes to art music, I’ve never been one to relegate pieces to specific times of the year. So, while In the Hall of the Mountain King may fit perfectly into your spooky October plans, there’s no reason you can’t extend the learning past any special occasions. Today, I’m bringing you another free download and more activities for In the Hall of the Mountain King.
If you haven’t completed the first part of this lesson, read about that HERE.
Timbre
Now that your students are familiar with the rhythm pattern from the last lesson, it’s a perfect time to direct their attention to another musical element, timbre. Before playing the video below, ask the students to pay attention to the instruments they see and hear. Ask leading questions using timbre vocabulary:
- Does this instrument sound dark or bright? Why?
- Would you describe the sound as light or heavy?
- Does the instrument sound smooth or scratchy?
- If this sound were a color, what color would it be?
- Does this sound remind you of something in real life (like an animal, a machine, or nature)?
- Which instrument sounds sharp and pointy? Which one sounds more round and warm?
- Do you think this sound fits the sneaky, creeping mood of the music? Why or why not?
Play the piece again, this time asking students to follow along using their listening guide. I’ve created the following listening guides, which you can use in your classroom. You can point to each instrument/group as it plays or you can ask a volunteer student to do the same. If they hear all the instruments playing together, they should place their entire hand over the listening guide. They’ll have fun trying to keep up as the tempo increases! The worksheets can be used to assess instrument families or instrument names.
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