4th Grade

4th graders have been listening to and analyzing the well known song "Can Can" by the French composer Jacques Offenbach. It was composed in 1858 as part of the operetta “Orpheus in the Underworld". In this video, you can see two classes performing body percussion that coordinates with the three distinct sections that repeat in this piece of music. An activity like this allows students to build their musical skills through reinforcing the concept of pulse or steady beat, developing gross motor coordination, internalizing the form of the song through critical listening, and requiring cooperation and collaboration with a class of students working to stay together in time to the music.