We Viewed a Film, Listened to the Film's Music. What Next?
Updated: May 5
How can we move forward after identifying our favorite EARWORMS (music that plays over and over in our heads) in films? Let's use the film Fantasia as an example of how we can create intergenerational activities after watching a film with memorable music.
Books
In the previous blog post, I mentioned reading books that relate to the film. We can conduct a From Page To Screen Intergenerational Club, either on-site or through distance delivery. The books 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),
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
The Rite of Spring - Stravinsky
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)
Piano Concerto No. 2 - Dmitri Shostakovich
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, 2020d; Carnival of the Animals by John Lithgow, 2004; The Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky, 2010
Pomp and Circumstance - Edward Elgar
Firebird Suite - Igor Stravinsky
Night on Bald Mountain - Modest Mussorgsky
Film Clips
Here are free links to film clips of stories from Fantasia:
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/film-tv/fantasia-disney-music/
Rite of Springs in Fantasia
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 share 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
Here are free YouTube links to ballets in the Fantasia film:
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 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")
Elders/youth draw/paint a collective picture or quilt of a scene from the film
Elders/youth 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 asThe Sorcerer's Apprentice & Mickey & the Beanstalk
Legos
Elders/youth 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
Games
Ceaco - Thomas Kinkade - Disney Dreams Collection 300 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
Physical Fitness
View Rite of Spring, then move like a dinosaur.
Here's a 3 1/2 minute video of an ntergenerational Dinosaur Dance and Dino Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSkVgH-4PKw
Today in my Gyrokinesis Zoom class, I sat on the floor, legs in front and "clunking" like a dinosaur.