One of my favorite pieces of music to play in the fall is "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg. Most students recognize the piece from Little Einsteins or from Halloween shows on TV, but they are not familiar with where it originated.
In 2nd grade, we find where Norway is on the map, and then we watch this short story of Peer Gynt.
Many students realize that the moral to the story of Peer Gynt is the same as the familiar story, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."
Next, we learn the rhythm of the main theme of "In the Hall of the Mountain King." I found this great graphic from Beth's Music Notes
Once we learn the repeating pattern, we get out the shaker eggs and play along with the song. Students are then able to feel the pattern becoming faster and faster, louder and louder. This gets really exciting!
After we put away the shakers, I have the students make two concentric circles. The circles alternate walking on the steady beat of the pattern. By the end, they are running and trying to keep up with the music!
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