Creating Intergenerational Activities from Classical Music
A good place to start is by viewing excerpts from the film "Fantasia," such as Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers."
We know that, as we age, music is the last sense to leave. Music, especially classical music, is also a wonderful way to expand our minds, from womb to tomb. When integrated with the senses (i.e., sound, movement, sight, touch) music can enlighten our spirit and emotions. In this post, I share resources that could be the basis of classical music activities for all ages.
Classical Music Resources
Activities based on the following classical music resources could be conducted on-site or through distance delivery or we can engage one or more person/s, from pre-schoolers, on up to elders. In addition, we can add age-appropriate activities based on other media, such as books and sheet music, and appeal to our multi-senses through dance, read-alouds, art, games, and body movements.
Books
Books that relate to a film that features classical music could include the following:
Fantasia Paperback, 1991. (Easy Piano Songbook) that includes arrangements of 13 famous classical pieces from the film.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Little Golden Book),
Welcome to the Symphony: A Musical Exploration of the Orchestra Using Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (Board Book with Sound) by Carolyn Sloan,
When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky: Two Artists, Their Ballet, and One Extraordinary Riot (Hardcover - picture book) by Lauren Stringer (Author)
Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin (book: Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, 2006; The Music in George's Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue, 2016)
The Carnival of the Animals - Camille Saint-Saens (book: The Story Orchestra: Carnival of the Animals, Press the note to hear Saint-Saens' music [Volume 5] by Jessica Courtney-Tickle, 2020; Carnival of the Animals by John Lithgow, 2004; The Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky, 2010
Pomp and Circumstance - Edward Elgar (Novel by Noel Coward for adults)
Firebird Suite - Igor Stravinsky (Firebird: Hardcover Picture Book by Misty Copeland)
Film Clips
Here are links to film clips of stories from Fantasia:
Night On Bald Mountain - Fantasia (1941) (Theatrical Cut)
Rite of Spring in Fantasia
Fantasia - The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Part 1)
Ponchielli Dance of the Hours from the 1940 Disney movie Fantasia
Commonsensemedia.org editors recommend Fantasia 2000 as delightful, but may scare more sensitive kids, age 6+. I have shared scenes from Fantasia with pre-schoolers, as well as school-age children.
Sheet Music
Sheet music is available through YouTube and many other sources for a variety of musical instruments used in the film, especially piano.
Dance
Following are free YouTube links to ballets in the Fantasia film:
Ponchielli Dance of the Hours from the 1940 Disney movie Fantasia
Disney Fantasia-Nutcracker3 - Dance of Mirlitons/Flowers Ballet Sequence
Night on Bare Mountain by Mussorgsky (Drake Primary School)
Rite of Spring, composed by Igor Stravinsky, and so beautifully portrayed in Disney's Fantasia film, has been featured in many ballet performances. My favorite is "Rhythm is it," featuring children from all over the world dancing to the Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
Read Alouds
Elders and older children can create their own read alouds (narrators reading story) or we can share the following read-alouds recorded on YouTube:
Art
Backdrops (do an Internet search for "Disney Fantasia backdrop" image; in front of the backdrop, program individuals to share personal life stories related to the film}
Coloring book (do an Internet search for "Disney paint or coloring book")
Draw/paint a collective picture or quilt of a scene from the film
Draw a scene/image from the film or a memory stimulated by a scene/image from the film
How to draw Mickey Mouse in the 1940s: Follow instructions to draw a scene from Fantasia, such as The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Mickey and the Beanstalk
Legos
Build a Lego display based on the film
View Sorcerer Mickey Mouse from Disney's Fantasia New LEGO Display at Disney Springs LEGO Store 2021
Play Game of Bricks
Games
Ceaco - Thomas Kinkade - Disney Dreams Collection 300 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
Physical Fitness
View Rite of Spring, then move like a dinosaur.
Following is a 3 1/2-minute video of an intergenerational Dinosaur Dance and Dino Song:
Sit on the floor, legs in front, "clunking" like a dinosaur.
Programming Activities
We can create our own intergenerational activities related to classical music or we can build on existing activities, such as the following:
Explore BBC Ten Pieces Night on Bald Mountain Modest Mussorgsky Primary Classic Lesson Plan. Check out Night on the Bare Mountain, featuring Dan Starkey : from BBC2’s ‘Play On!’
Identify what musical instruments you hear at each point in the musical selection.
If participants feel like dancing, give them an opportunity to dance like witches at the point in Night on Bare Mountain when the witches dance.
Make Your Own Music
My interest in music developed mostly in my later years, when I hopped off the career roller coaster. I discovered I have an ear for music, probably inherited from a great-uncle who trained a college prodigy pianist and owned the only record store in town. His brother played violin with a city orchestra.
Recently I picked up The Music Maker Lap Harp, a stringed instrument simple enough for children, on up, to pling tunes. Thanks to A Child’s Delight, (retail is still alive!) for featuring musical instruments for all ages and stages! Easy-to-follow song sheets fit under the strings. . . or you can make your own!