During Saturday's assembly and lessons for Patron's Day, pupils learnt many details about the life of Frederic Chopin – the composer whose name our school bears. Who was he, where was he born and what did he do? After these lessons, the children could answer all these questions.
Facts on posters
Pupils noted down everything they remembered on large posters decorated with portraits of the composer and drawings of pianos. As a reminder: Frederic Chopin was born in 1810 in Żelazowa Wola in Mazovia and died in 1849 in Paris. He composed mainly for the piano – his polonaises, mazurkas, nocturnes and études are known all over the world. For pupils at a Polish community school, he is a particularly close figure: in 1830 Chopin left his homeland and never returned, yet his Polishness remained present in his music. In accordance with the composer's wishes, his heart rests in the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw.
The class listened to their patron's music and watched a short Disney cartoon inspired by his work. During the lesson, the children also coloured in worksheets with musical motifs.
‘I Paint Music’
To end the day, pupils used magic multicoloured crayons to create artwork entitled ‘Maluję muzykę’ (I Paint Music). While listening to a piece by Chopin, they made pictures expressing the feelings the music awakened in them. Some works were filled with dense, colourful lines, while others featured drawings of pianos. An exercise like this allows children to express emotions without words, while also teaching them to listen to music attentively.
The finished artwork and posters were turned into an open-air mini-gallery, to which pupils from class A2 were invited. More photos from Patron's Day can be seen in the gallery.
