Lesson Plan: A Musical Adventure with Mozart

Student: Kalisto (Age 3)

Focus: This lesson plan introduces the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through multi-sensory, play-based activities. The goal is exploration and creative expression, not memorization. The activities are spread over a few weeks to allow for a gentle and engaging introduction.

Materials Needed:

• Access to the provided Mozart playlist (YouTube, iTunes, etc.)
• Printer for worksheets
• Crayons, markers, or paint
• Child-safe scissors and glue
• Play-Doh or modeling clay
• A piano or keyboard (optional, colored dot stickers can be helpful)
• A clarinet (optional, for exploration)
• Various household items for making sounds (pots, pans, wooden spoons, plastic containers with rice)
• A copy of the film Amadeus (Teacher's Note: This film is rated R and is not suitable for a young child. Please select short, age-appropriate clips online of orchestras playing Mozart's music or animated versions of his stories, such as from the series "Little Amadeus.")

Part 1: Meet the Composer (Week 1)

The goal this week is to simply introduce the name "Mozart" and the sound of his music in a fun, pressure-free way.

Day 1: Listening & Moving

• Activity: Composer Introduction. Say, "Kalisto, today we are going to listen to music made by a man named Mozart! He lived a very long time ago."
• Music Time: Play a few selections from your playlist for about 10 minutes. Choose more melodic pieces first, like "A-Flat" by Black Violin or a traditional version of "Eine kleine Nachtmusik." As the music plays, encourage Kalisto to move! Dance, march, tiptoe, or wiggle. Ask, "Does this music feel fast or slow? Does it make you want to jump or sway?"
• Worksheet 1 (Art): Mozart Coloring Page. After listening, settle down with this simple coloring page. Talk about Mozart's fun wig while coloring.

Worksheet 1 (Art): Coloring Mozart

Description: A simple, bold-lined drawing of a friendly-looking Mozart with his classic wig. The name "MOZART" is written in large, bubble letters at the bottom for coloring.

Day 2: The Letter M

• Activity: Focus on the first letter of Mozart's name. "Mozart starts with the letter M! Mmmm, Mozart. Can you make the 'M' sound?"
• Worksheet 2 (Language): Big M, Little M. Practice tracing the letter M.
• Worksheet 3 (Language): M is for Music. A page with a large capital 'M'. Kalisto can glue pictures of musical instruments (from a magazine or printed cutouts) onto the letter, or simply decorate it.

Worksheet 2 (Language): Trace the 'M'

Description: A page with large, dashed uppercase 'M's and lowercase 'm's for tracing. Include a small picture of Mozart in the corner.

Worksheet 3 (Language): Musical 'M' Collage

Description: A single, large outline of the letter 'M' on a blank page. The instruction at the top reads: "M is for Mozart and Music! Decorate the letter M."

Part 2: Exploring Musical Ideas (Week 2)

This week focuses on basic musical concepts inspired by the playlist: loud/quiet, fast/slow, and the instruments that make the sounds.

Day 3: Loud & Quiet Sounds

• Music Time: Listen to a high-energy piece from the playlist (like "Dies Irae" by Dark Moor or "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco) followed by a gentler, traditional adagio. Use your hands to show the volume: hands wide apart for LOUD, hands close together for QUIET.
• Activity (Science): Sound Exploration. Use household items. Which make a LOUD sound when you tap them (a pot)? Which make a QUIET sound (a pillow)? Sort them into two piles.
• Worksheet 4 (Science): Loud & Quiet. Circle the things that make a loud sound.
• Worksheet 5 (Music): Sorting Sounds. Cut out pictures of a lion roaring, a mouse squeaking, a drum, and a feather. Glue them into two columns: LOUD and QUIET.

Worksheet 4 (Science): What Makes a Loud Sound?

Description: A page with simple pictures: a drum, a baby sleeping, a fire engine, a library, a person shouting, a person whispering. Instruction: "Circle the pictures that are LOUD."

Worksheet 5 (Music): Loud or Quiet?

Description: A T-chart with "LOUD" on one side and "QUIET" on the other. A separate section at the bottom has simple cut-out pictures (e.g., alarm clock, cat purring, balloon popping, book page turning).

Day 4: Counting the Music

• Activity: Clap along to the beat of a song. Count your claps: "1, 2, 3, 4!"
• Worksheet 6 (Math): Count the Notes. A simple counting worksheet with musical notes.
• Worksheet 7 (Math): Musical Patterns. A basic pattern recognition sheet.

Worksheet 6 (Math): Count the Notes

Description: Several boxes are on the page. The first box has 1 musical note, the next has 2, up to 5. Below each box are the numbers 1-5. Kalisto circles the correct number of notes in each box.

Worksheet 7 (Math): What Comes Next?

Description: Simple A-B patterns using musical symbols. Example: [Whole Note] [Half Note] [Whole Note] [Half Note] [ ____? ]. Kalisto circles the correct picture to complete the pattern from two choices.

Part 3: Making Our Own Music (Week 3)

This week is about hands-on creation and connecting feelings to music.

Day 5: Art & Feelings

• Music Time: Listen to "Requiem in D Minor." Ask, "How does this music make you feel? Is it happy, sad, sleepy, or energetic?" There's no right or wrong answer!
• Worksheet 8 (Art): Color the Music. Give Kalisto crayons and a blank piece of paper. Play a song and let him draw whatever the music makes him think of. Use different colors for different sounds.
• Worksheet 9 (Language): Mozart's Story Path. A simple maze/path for pre-writing practice.

Worksheet 8 (Art): Music Feelings

Description: Four large boxes on a page, each labeled with a simple emotion face: HAPPY, SAD, SLEEPY, ENERGETIC. Instruction: "Listen to the music. Draw how it makes you feel in each box." (The parent can help switch the music for each box).

Worksheet 9 (Language): Help Mozart Find His Piano!

Description: A simple maze. A picture of Mozart is at the start, and a piano is at the end. Kalisto traces the path with his finger or a crayon.

Day 6: Let's Play!

• Activity: Instrument creation. Make shakers from plastic bottles and rice. Use pots and pans as a drum kit. Create a "band" and play along to one of Mozart's pieces.
• Worksheet 10 (Math): Big & Small Instruments. Sorting instruments by size.
• Worksheet 11 (Music): Match the Instruments. A picture matching game.
• Worksheet 12 (Science): Wood or Metal? An introduction to the materials instruments are made from.
• Worksheet 13 & 14 (Music): My First Mozart Music. Use these simplified sheets for exposure. For the piano, you can put colored stickers on the keys that correspond to the notes. For the clarinet, it's about seeing the notes and pretending to play. It’s about the experience, not proficiency.

Worksheet 10 (Math): Big Instruments, Small Instruments

Description: A line divides the page. On one side is a picture of a large tuba, on the other a small flute. Below are cut-out pictures of a piano, a violin, a triangle, and a cello. Kalisto glues them on the correct side.

Worksheet 11 (Music): Instrument Match

Description: A classic matching worksheet. A column on the left has pictures of a piano, violin, and clarinet. A column on the right has the same pictures in a different order. Kalisto draws a line to connect the matching instruments.

Worksheet 12 (Science): What Is It Made Of?

Description: Pictures of a wooden recorder, a metal trumpet, and a wooden/metal piano. Below are two boxes labeled "WOOD" and "METAL." Kalisto can try to draw a line from the instrument to the material it is mostly made of.

Worksheet 13 (Music): Mozart for Piano - "Twinkle Twinkle"

Description: A large, single staff with oversized notes. The letter names (C, G, A, F, E, D) are written inside each note head. The notes can be colored to match stickers on a keyboard. The first line would be: C C G G A A G.

Worksheet 14 (Music): Mozart for Clarinet - "Twinkle Twinkle"

Description: Identical to the piano sheet, but titled for the clarinet. The purpose is for Kalisto to see the music and connect it to the instrument he is interested in. You can point to the notes as a traditional version of the song plays.