Each year after studying, "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra", by Benjamin Britten, I take the 4th graders to see a live orchestra perform. We are fortunate enough to have a symphony nearby that puts on a free children's performance every January. This year, the performance was titled "Animals Galore". Selections included "The Firebird" by Stravinsky, "Spring" by Vivaldi, a piece featuring a high school violinist, the theme from "Jurassic Park", and "The Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saëns.
This is one of the most memorable experiences my students and I have each year. I love watching the reactions the children have when they see a double bass for the first time or when they giggle at the crazy conductor bouncing around on his podium. Some of them get so excited after a piece they want to stand up and cheer (but we've talked about concert etiquette, so they don't!). For most of my students, this is the only experience they will ever have with a live fine-arts performance of any kind.
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| All of the excited 4th graders ready for the show to begin! |
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| The orchestra tuning before the concert |
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