5th Grade Symphony artwork

Since the beginning of the year, 5th grade has been working on learning about the orchestra and instrument families. We have been learning about where the instruments are located in the orchestra, the sounds they make, who people like the conductor and concertmaster are, and how an orchestra prepares for a concert. This is all in preparation for our field trip we will be going on to hear the Grand Rapids Symphony orchestra perform in Holland on Tuesday, March 8.

One of the pieces of music we have studied is by a Russian composer named Stravinsky. He wrote a ballet called "The Firebird Suite." This is based on a very popular Russian folktale about a prince who finds a magic firebird. He catches the bird, but eventually releases it. In gratitude, the firebird gives the prince a feather and says to wave it if he is ever in trouble. The prince continues his adventure by finding a castle in the forest bewitched by an evil magician- King Kashchei. The king has 13 beautiful princesses that he has captured. Of course the prince falls in love with one and tries to help her escape. Unfortunately, the evil magician catches the prince and tries to turn him to stone. At the last second, the prince waves the feather and the firebird rushes to the rescue. The firebird casts a spell over the kind and his servants and causes them to dance frantically. After they are exhausted, the firebird sings them a lullaby to lull them to sleep. While they are sleeping, the prince finds an egg that the king keeps his soul in and smashes it, destroying the evil magician and releasing the princesses. And of course... the prince and princess lives happily ever after!

The students drew pictures depicting the story. We sent these pictures in to the Grand Rapids Symphony where they will choose some to display during the concert on the big screens while the symphony plays excerpts from Stravinksy's "The Firebird Suite." The students did a great job on their artwork! Here is a video showcasing their fabulous drawings!!