Music for Little Mozarts: Plush Toy -- Nina Ballerina Cover Image

Music for Little Mozarts: Plush Toy -- Nina Ballerina: Piano Plush Toy

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Music for Little Mozarts: Plush Toy -- Nina Ballerina Cover Image

Music for Little Mozarts: Plush Toy -- Nina Ballerina: Piano Plush Toy

By Christine H. Barden, Gayle Kowalchyk, and E. L. Lancaster

Level: 3 & 4

Item: 00-21229

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Description
Nina Ballerina is a graceful toy ballerina who dances while Beethoven Bear and Mozart Mouse play the piano. Her parents both danced in the Russian ballet many years ago. She's dressed in a traditional pink tutu and dances gracefully on the music staff, pointing to different notes and intervals with her delicate shoes.

Nina Ballerina is a replica of the character first introduced in Lesson Book 3. Suggestions are made in the Lesson Book for integrating the animals into the lesson.

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Additional Details
Series: Music for Little Mozarts
Publisher: Alfred Music
UPC: 038081206431
SKU: 00-21229

More about this title

About the Authors

Christine H. Barden
Christine H. Barden is recognized worldwide as a leading expert in early childhood music education. She co-authored Alfred's Music for Little Mozarts preschool piano method and currently teaches private piano students in Reno, Nevada, where many of her students have won prestigious awards. In addition to her studio teaching, she directs Music for Little Mozarts preschool classes for young learners.

Her professional credentials include a degree in piano performance from San Francisco State University, where she studied under Vladimir Brenner, principal pianist for the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Barden spent four years abroad studying, performing, and teaching in Europe, and was among the first American teachers to train with Yamaha Music Foundation instructors in Japan. She went on to work as a national staff member with Yamaha for 17 years, serving as Director of Curriculum and National Chief Instructor for the Yamaha Music Education System.

As an accomplished clinician, Barden regularly presents workshops for piano teachers at professional conferences across the United States, England, Norway, and Singapore. Her publications through Alfred Music include the Music for Little Mozarts series as well as original piano compositions, notably "Etude Toccata," which was selected as a National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festival piece.
Gayle Kowalchyk
Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk is a pianist and pedagogue who currently teaches class piano, piano, and piano pedagogy at California State University, Northridge. She earned her bachelor's degree in piano performance from Ohio University, a master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy from Northwestern University, and a doctorate in piano pedagogy from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Throughout her career, Dr. Kowalchyk has held faculty positions at Eastern Illinois University, Oklahoma Baptist University, and the University of Oklahoma. She coordinated the class piano program and directed the piano preparatory program at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston. She also spent summers from 1979 to 1982 teaching class piano and piano ensemble at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. Her collaborative work with her husband, Dr. E. L. Lancaster, has resulted in more than 300 published educational piano books, including the widely used Alfred's Premier Piano Course and Music for Little Mozarts.

As a clinician and adjudicator, Dr. Kowalchyk regularly presents at major conferences including those hosted by the Music Teachers National Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the National Group Piano Symposium, and the World Piano Pedagogy Conference. She and her husband operated an independent piano studio in Norman, Oklahoma from 1981 to 1996, teaching students across all age levels. Based in the Los Angeles area, she currently serves as a clinician for Alfred Music in addition to her teaching responsibilities.
E. L. Lancaster
Dr. E. L. Lancaster served as Executive Editor for Piano at Alfred Music and currently teaches piano as adjunct faculty at California State University, Northridge. He holds degrees from Murray State University and the University of Illinois, along with a Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

For nearly two decades, Lancaster was Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, where he founded the master's and doctoral programs in piano pedagogy in 1980. He guided more than 50 doctoral students through their dissertations while teaching piano pedagogy courses and directing the group piano program. Between 1981 and 1996, he and his wife, Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk, operated a thriving independent piano studio in Norman and developed the Piano Pedagogy Laboratory Program for pre-college students.

Lancaster has been deeply involved in music education leadership, serving as National Chairman of Group Piano and National Chairman of Student Chapters for MTNA, as well as 2020 National Conference Chair. His numerous accolades include the University of Oklahoma's Regents Award for Superior Teaching (1984), a David Ross Boyd Professorship (1991), and the Provost's Outstanding Academic Advising Award (1996). In 2013, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia recognized him as a Signature Sinfonian, and Murray State University honored him with its 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Why we love this

Nina Ballerina transforms abstract musical concepts into tactile, visual storytelling. Young students grasp interval relationships and staff positions more readily when a graceful character physically demonstrates them, making theory feel less like rules and more like discovery. The plush toy connects directly to the lesson book curriculum, giving teachers a concrete tool for the integration suggestions already built into their pedagogy.

What to expect

Nina embodies grace and playfulness, her pink tutu and poised stance inviting young hands to explore the keys alongside her. There's magic in watching a beloved character come off the page and into the practice room, transforming routine drills into imaginative journeys. Her connection to Beethoven Bear and Mozart Mouse creates a warm, encouraging musical family that makes learning feel less like work and more like play.

Who it's for

Students in Music for Little Mozarts Lesson Book 3 or 4 will recognize Nina and delight in having her as a tactile learning companion during practice and lessons. Early elementary pianists (roughly ages 5-8) benefit from the visual and spatial cues she provides as they develop note-reading fluency. Teachers using the Music for Little Mozarts curriculum gain an engaging prop that bridges the gap between storybook characters and practical music theory.

How to get the most out of it

  • Use Nina to demonstrate proper hand position and posture at the keyboard by positioning her near the pianist's hands during practice sessions.
  • Let Nina 'point out' specific intervals and note locations as students play passages from their lesson books, reinforcing intervallic reading in real time.
  • Invite students to move Nina along the staff staff as they sight-read new pieces, turning note recognition into a kinesthetic activity.
  • Place Nina on the piano lid during performances or recitals to celebrate milestone moments and encourage confidence in young performers.

How to use it

Introduce Nina during the lesson when students first encounter her in Lesson Book 3, using her as an ongoing reference point for spatial and intervallic concepts throughout subsequent lessons. Display her near the piano during group classes or recitals to reinforce the Mozarts world and maintain narrative continuity across the curriculum. Keep her accessible during practice sessions at home so students can independently use her as a self-checking tool for note identification and interval work.

Skills your students will build

  • Identifying intervals visually on the staff using spatial reference points
  • Locating notes on the keyboard with precision through kinesthetic connection
  • Developing left-to-right directional awareness on the staff
  • Building confidence in music reading through concrete, engaging imagery
  • Understanding the relationship between staff notation and physical keyboard placement

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