The Carnival of the Animals

Playing and inventing with Camille Saint - Saëns

by NAUSICAA BOSIO
    School sections
    • Lower secondary school
    Educational subjects
    • Instrumental practice
    • Aural skills (Ear training)
    • Theatre/music
    • Music and…

The Carnival of the Animals

The path was addressed to first-year lower secondary students, from October to May. We started by listening to the original opera The Carnival of the Animals by C. Saint - Saëns and ended with the staging of a musical theatrical performance entirely written, interpreted and played by the students. It was structured according to 4 stages: 1) guided listening and understanding of the musical characteristics of the pieces of the suite, 2) invention of stories and nursery rhymes, drawing inspiration from the animals of the suite, 3) presentation and use of the conventional musical notation, definition of the instrumental technique with the melodic instruments adopted, study of the pieces drawing inspiration from the original ones, specifically adapted to the students’ abilities, 4) writing of the script, rehearsals of actors and musicians, and final performance.

Work tools

- The traditional CLASSROOM, with desks and chairs, a traditional blackboard, an IWB and Internet connection

- The MUSICAL CLASSROOM, chairs, music stands, a traditional blackboard, a digital piano

- MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS: recorder, metallophone, xylophone, keyboard, melodica, guitar, flute, cello

- SCORES: two parts, drawing inspiration from pieces of the Carnival of the Animals, specifically arranged for the instruments at disposal and the students’ abilities

- TWO BACKDROPS that constituted the scenery of the performance

- COSTUMES AND ACCESSORIES: pants and t-shirts of different colors typifying each character of the story, profiles of animals realized with cardboard

- A BLACK SHEET hung on a line fastened to the wall for the puppet theatre

- PUPPETS realized with socks and scraps

- The moment we started rehearsals, we organized a specific THEATRICAL SPACE for the actors or for the puppet theatre.

Educational purposes

The skills, goals and training objectives selected by the teacher for this experience are shown below.

Competences
    Listening
    • Sound perception
    • Interpretation
    • Comprehension
    Production
    • Execution
    Reading and Writing
    • Use of conventional analogic music notation
GOALS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETENCES [...]
    Lower secondary school
    Listening
    • Understands and evaluates events, materials, and musical works recognising their meanings, also in relation to his/her own musical experience and the different historical/sociological context.
    Production
    • Actively participating in music experiences through the execution and the interpretation of vocal and instrumental music pieces belonging to different genres and cultures.
    Reading and Writing
    • Using different notation systems functional to reading, analysis and reproduction of pieces of music
    • Integrating one’s own music experience with other knowledge and practices using appropriate codes and codification systems
Educational targets

Musical educational objectives

The students learned how to:
- develop listening skills
- recognize the melodic aspect of each piece of the suite “The Carnival of the Animals”
- identify the timbre, rhythmic, dynamic and agogic characteristics of each piece
- identify the orchestra instruments
- acquire and develop music reading competences (with conventional notation)
- acquire and develop instrumental performance and ensemble music competences with educational instruments

Interdisciplinary, transversal and citizenship educational objectives

The students learned how to:
- organize, interpret and play a written performance
- develop linguistic creativity and competences in the production of texts in Italian (stories and nursery rhymes) inspired by the musical pieces
- develop mnemonic and expressive abilities in acting
- pay attention and remain concentrated
- respect others when working in group
- be pleased with what carried out and satisfied of the activities completed
- acquire a method of study

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