Peter and the Wolf

A Classic Tale using Language Arts, Musical Arts, Dramatic Arts And Expressive Movement

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Preparing for the Symphony Experience


Donna Wissinger delights in creating a lasting memory of the dynamic language arts and musical lessons of Peter and the Wolf for Florida students of all ages.

  • Donna helps students build upon their knowledge of the instrument families by learning to compare and contrast the sizes, shapes, and science of instrument sounds, and to associate their timbres with the Prokofiev melodies.
  • Students become an orchestra by holding instrument signs and standing in correct orchestra seating.  They warm-up as Donna plays the character’s themes that each instrument with represent.
  • Donna then acts and plays the story with students, costuming them in puppet heads of Peter, the bird, duck, cat, grandfather, wolf and hunters, using all of the musical themes of the characters.


Students will have experiences and exercises using:

  • drama, movement, and other non-verbal expressions to describe the personalities of the characters in the Peter and the Wolf narration
  • language arts exercises developing the descriptive language that is paramount in the elementary curriculum and part of life-long success in communication.


MU.K.C.1.In.b Recognize selected sounds from various sound sources.
MU.1.0.3.Su.a: Respond to a variety of music
MU. Describe changes in tempo and dynamics within a musical work
MU.3.C.1.3 Identify families of orchestral and band instruments
LAFS.4.L.3.AP.4a Use context to determine the meaning of unknown or multiple-meaning words, or words showing shades of meaning
LAFS.5.W.1.AP.2f Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Students will never forget the fun and musical imagery in Prokofiev’s brilliant work and will be able to listen to the orchestral story with attentiveness to the brilliant musical descriptions in this Prokofiev classic.

Who can forget the foot stomping, finger shaking grandfather, the brave, self-confident Peter, and the wolf, walking ‘round and ‘round looking up at the treed characters with greedy eyes?