One of our classes devoted its Saturday session to the school's patron – Frederic Chopin. It was a day filled with music, dance and creative work.
A conversation about our patron
The lessons began with a conversation: the teacher asked the children whether they knew who Chopin was and what they associated him with. The pupils then learnt about the composer's life and listened to several of his pieces, paying attention to their mood and character. A map of Poland was also displayed on the interactive whiteboard, and portraits of the composer decorated the class board showing the date of the lesson.
A polonaise with the ‘Karolinka’ group
During the next lesson, the class went to the Theatre Hall, where they danced to music together with the ‘Karolinka’ group. The pupils could also admire professional performances of traditional Polish dances, including the polonaise – a musical form in which the school's patron also composed. The polonaise is a stately processional dance in triple metre that traditionally opens balls and studniówki (school-leavers' balls). Chopin composed his first polonaises as a small child, and in his mature work the polonaise became a concert piece – examples include the famous Polonaises in A major and A-flat major.
A test, painting and Karolcia's adventures
Back in the classroom, the pupils completed a short test on the life of Frederic Chopin. Then, to the composer's music, they painted pictures together inspired by their imagination and the emotions the pieces stirred in them – a long black sheet gradually filled with colourful drawings. To end the day, the class listened to more adventures of Karolcia, the heroine of Maria Krüger's novel ‘Karolcia’.
Photos with the dancers in traditional costumes are also a keepsake of the day. More pictures can be seen in the gallery.
