Carnival of animals

Note: this blog post has been updated (March 2016). Some of the links and resources in the original version were […]

Carnival of the Animals is a set of orchestral character pieces, perfect for exploring classical music at circle time.

I begin by discussing the composer Camille Saint-Saens. We discuss how he enjoyed jokes and wrote this piece to entertain his students. I would ask students to think of a time when they were acting silly with their friends and pretending to be chickens or other animals. Some say that Saint-Saens liked to write songs about his friends and how they acted. This is not bullying because is was good natured humor and his friends knew he was just being silly. We listen to the piece after discussing…

FREE PDF printable for the Carnival of the Animals including 14 teacher cards and posters with movement activity ideas and a set coloring pages for students.

Engaging, interactive games to help reinforce musical concepts and develop music appreciation!

Carnival of-the-animals copy - Download as a PDF or view online for free

I've been enjoying opportunities to create characters for my music education site, MakingMusicFun.net. This listening map is my latest. Worksheets like this one help kids to visually understand elements within a piece of music. This one in particular focuses on pitch and musical form. If you're interested, you can download the worksheet here: Kangaroo from Carnival of the Animals | Free Listening Map

One of my favorite units of study is Carnival of Animals by Saint Saens. I love the music and the way it sparks students' imagination. I love the way they listen so intently on hearing the musical secrets and "finding" the animals in the music. Often I like to have students listen to one of the pieces repeatedly. That is not easy for little listeners to do, so often we will color a picture of the animal we are listening to and with some groups we will make Carnival of the Animal crafts. One…

Lions, swans, donkeys and… pianists? Here are all 14 movements of The Carnival of the Animals, and what they’re about.

Carnival of the Animals activities and resources for young children.