Music activity
Conductor's Baton: Leonard Bernstein
Pretend to be a conductor! Wave your hands big and small to the music.
Materials and setup
- chopstick or pencil as baton
- streaming service
- paper
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Pretend to be a conductor! Wave your hands big and small to the music.
Steps
- A grown-up plays 2 minutes from the overture to 'Candide' (conducted by Leonard Bernstein).
- Hold a chopstick or pencil like a baton.
- Wave big when the music is loud and small when it's soft.
- Wave fast when the music is fast, slow when it's slow.
- Bow at the end — conductors always do.
Learning objectives
- Connect gesture size to dynamics
- Connect gesture speed to tempo
- Learn that conductors lead orchestras
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Meet Leonard Bernstein and watch his famous 'Young People's Concerts.'
Steps
- A grown-up shares 3 facts: Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor and composer, born in 1918. He led the New York Philharmonic. He wrote the music for 'West Side Story.'
- Watch a short clip from a 'Young People's Concert' on a trusted educational site (grown-up picks one).
- Listen to the 'Mambo' from West Side Story.
- Clap on the off-beats (the 'ands' between numbers) — that's where the mambo feel lives.
- Shout 'Mambo!' at the right moment in the song.
Learning objectives
- Identify Bernstein as conductor and composer
- Feel an off-beat (syncopated) rhythm
- Connect a musician to a Broadway show
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Learn a basic 4/4 conducting pattern.
Steps
- Learn the conducting pattern for 4/4 time: down (1), left (2), right (3), up (4).
- Practice it slowly with no music.
- Put on a steady song in 4/4 (pop songs usually are) and conduct along.
- Try to cue dynamic changes with gesture size.
- Watch a short Bernstein conducting clip and copy his pattern for 30 seconds.
Learning objectives
- Execute a 4/4 conducting pattern
- Match conducting gesture to meter
- Use dynamic gesture intentionally
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Study Bernstein's role as a music educator and write your own short lesson.
Steps
- Watch (or read a transcript of) one 'Young People's Concert' episode — 'What Is a Melody?' is widely recommended.
- Note 3 teaching techniques Bernstein uses (demonstration at the piano, comparing examples, asking rhetorical questions).
- Pick a small music concept you understand (e.g., what a scale is, what syncopation is).
- Write and rehearse a 3-minute lesson for a younger sibling or friend using at least 2 of Bernstein's techniques.
- Teach the lesson and ask what was clear, what was confusing.
Learning objectives
- Identify teaching techniques in a real educator
- Apply techniques to a self-authored lesson
- Gather feedback on teaching clarity
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
Related music activities
Articulation: Staccato and Legato
Sing bouncy (staccato) and smooth (legato).
Body Percussion Beatbox
Your body is an instrument! Clap, stomp, and pat to make a groove.
Call and Response
Echo back whatever the grown-up sings or claps.
Clapping Games Around the World
Learn a simple partner clapping game and sing along.