Experience #1:

• Introduce the students to the type of music used in the song that is titled a waltz.
• Discuss with students the key characteristics of a waltz and the rhythmic pattern of a waltz.
• Compare the rhythmic pattern of the music with the rhythmic pattern of the poem.

• How does the rhythm of a waltz match or respond to the storyline and/or title of the poem?

• Ask students to take a position regarding the statement: “The waltz is an appropriate type of music to illustrate the content of the poem.”

Experience #2:

• Provide students with an opportunity to listen to the famous Blue Danube waltz.
• Teach students the basic dance moves for a waltz.
• Instruct students to create a dance movement based on the rhythm of the waltz.
• Compare the movements that the students have created to the videos of famous waltzes.

Experience #3:

• Provide students with an opportunity to research the history of the waltz and its relationships to various countries around the world.
• Play students versions of waltz from different time periods and countries such as the United States, Vienna, and Austria, etc.
  
• Provide students with the following criteria to begin researching the waltz:

• Origin of the waltz
• Relationship of waltzes in movies and paintings to castles, queens and kings, and clothing
• Why waltzes are considered to be “a delicate form of dance”
• Identify the dominant musical instruments to perform a waltz

Notes to Teacher

The major highlight of this section is to introduce the music by Natalie Merchant. This section also introduces students to a specific type of music used by Natalie Merchant.

This section provides students with an opportunity to expand their knowledge of music and dance by becoming both observers and participants.