Building Background Activities
Activity One: A Musical Introduction
The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the music of Mozart.
1. Play Mozart’s "Piano Sonata in C Major" 1st movement for your students.
When you are finished, ask the students the following questions:
- What did you like about this music?
- How did this music make you feel?
- What kind of mood did the music have?
- What kinds of sounds did you hear?
2. Show the students the image of Amadeus from the program website at www.little-amadeus.com. Tell the students that Amadeus was a “wunderkind.” Write the word “wunderkind” on a board in the center of a circle. Ask your students to brainstorm meanings for this word. Record students’ ideas. When the class is finished brainstorming, provide the students with the following definition of a wunderkind:
- A person of remarkable talent or ability who achieves great success when he or she is very young.
Write the name “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” at the top of a piece of chart paper. Ask the students to add the names of additional wunderkinds that they might be familiar with to the list. As a homework assignment, have the students ask their parents and family members for additional suggestions. Add students’ responses to the class list, and post it in the classroom to use as a shared resource.
