Favorite Nutcracker Resources for Elementary Music Class
Nutcracker Through The Years
Since becoming a music teacher I have fallen in love with The Nutcracker ballet. I love the music, dancing, and the fascinating story that hints at magic. I knew pretty much nothing about The Nutcracker when I started teaching. Over the years I have amassed a variety of resources that makes the two weeks after the Christmas program/concert a treat, not a dreaded place-holder between the Christmas concert and Christmas break. The students at my school are always super excited and a little crazy during this time. They know a break is coming, they know Christmas is coming, and the school schedule is filled with Christmas surprises that throw everybody off. Finding fun activities is essential to surviving those two weeks.
I also love the tradition that studying the same concept every year creates. My students know that it is Nutcracker time every year after the Christmas performance. They have fond memories of the different versions we have watched and are always excited to see what the current year’s version will be.
Along with The Nutcracker, I also spend some time talking about ballet in general. There are some wonderful videos of interviews with ballerinas and information on pointe shoes that my students always find fascinating. They are surprised at the strength, practice, and perserverance it takes to be a successful ballerina.
In this post I will share my favorite Nutcracker activities with you. Hopefully you will find some things that you can use in your classroom.
Preschool and Kindergarten Nutcracker
I have two versions for the young elementary students that I alternate between. The first one is an iPad app. I have an adaptor that enables me to hook my iPad up to the Smartboard. I used to do it that way, but during COVID the makers of the app posted a video of the app on YouTube. You can do the app as an interactive “game” or you can have it play the story without the interactive aspect. Here is the video on YouTube:
The other version I use for this age group is a 15 minute YouTube video. I love the mixture of narration, music, and pictures. It is a great introdution to the music without distractions from silly animations. This version seems to hold the children’s attention a little better than the iPad app version.
1st-3rd Grade Nutcracker
I found this wonderful version of The Nutcracker many years ago. It was at my local library in VHS form. I checked it out, really liked it, and then figured out how to make it a digital copy so I could use it for years. I like that it uses a different version of the story than the ballet, and is a combination of ballet, cartoon, narration, and behind the scenes. The narration is nice so the younger students can follow the story a little easier. It is also about 50 minutes long, which is a much more appropriate amount of time for younger elementary compared to the almost 2 hour long ballet.
4th Grade Nutcracker
The 4th graders watch a movie version recorded in 1993 with Macauley Culkin as the Nutcracker. (He doesn’t actually dance.) The movie features the New York City Ballet. It is recorded on a stage, and has all of the music, with a small amount of narration. This is about the closest thing to actually attending a performance that my students are going to get.
Here is a link to this version on YouTube. It isn’t very high quality. The dvd is still available on Amazon if you want a better version.
5th Grade Nutcracker
By the time my students reach 5th grade, they have had 6 years of Nutcracker experiences in my classroom. It’s been a challenge to find something age appropriate that is different from what they have already seen.
I recently found this hip hop version of the Nutcracker. I really appreciate that the music is still the original Tchaikovsky music, but the dancing is hip hop style. Since I do a unit on hip hop with the 5th graders earlier in the year, this version ties in perfectly! Here is a link to the PBS website: Hip Hop Nutcracker.
Nutcracker Interactive Slideshow
I love interactive slideshows! Someone on a Facebook music teacher group shared this interactive page/slideshow. Each picture opens a new tab with a video. There are so many Nutcracker videos linked on this page!
Here’s a link to the slideshow: Nutcracker
Nutcracker YouTube Playlist
I have a YouTube playlist I use when I have a few extra minutes at the end of class. I also use it to show the students what the actual ballet looks like. This YouTube playlist is a compilation of videos I use throughout December. I have included different versions of ballet scenes, accappella versions, line rider, and some informational ballet and pointe shoes videos. You can find that playlist here: Nutcracker and Ballet YouTube.
Other Nutcracker Activities
If you would like to do something more hands-on than a video, I have a few suggestions. The first is from Fun with Composers Volume 1 for ages 3-7 by Deborah Lyn Ziolkoski. I love so many of the activities in this book! The author uses the music, but adds words and a story to each song. Here’s a video of some 2nd graders doing the Russian Dance activity loosely based on the directions in the book.
Artie Almeida has some a fun activity for the Nutcracker March in Parachutes and Ribbons and Scarves Oh My that is really fun to use.
Denise Gagne has a ribbon dance for one of the Nutcracker songs that I used one year in a Christmas program that is a great activity for the younger elementary. You can find that activity in her book K-3 Christmas Concert Ideas.
Nutcracker Fun!
I hope I have given you some valuable resources to use in your Nutcracker unit. Whenever I do Nutcracker activities, I always try to make it a fun experience for each age level. I love the tradition that has developed in my music room, where year after year, students experience the wonder of the Nutcracker Ballet in a different way.
One Comment on “Favorite Nutcracker Resources for Elementary Music Class”
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Making Music Class Fun 
What a wonderful job you have done in collecting all this information! Thank you so much for sharing it and I will surely implement it in my classes.
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