BBC Proms launches The Carnival of the Animals Project for children
Harriet Clifford
Monday, July 19, 2021
Ahead of the Family Prom in August, five creative educational videos based on the Saint-Saëns suite are available to watch online.
The BBC Proms Learning team has announced a digital education project for ages 5-11, created in partnership with arts organisations from around the country.
Five videos are now available to watch online ahead of the Family Prom on 29 August, in which author Michael Morpurgo will join the seven Kanneh-Mason siblings and others for a performance of Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals.
Through poetry, music, arts and crafts, and dance, the activity videos aim to encourage families and schools nationwide to get creative in response to the music.
The films are:
- Craft a cuckoo poem with Mandy Coe. (Z-arts)
- Stomp like an elephant with Stewart Wilson and Konya Kanneh-Mason. (Sistema Scotland (Big Noise))
- Dance around the aquarium with Strictly’s Janette Manrara. (Step Change Studios)
- Create an animal mask with Ricky Martin the Art Ninja. (Children’s Scrapstore)
- Draw a tortoise with Rob Biddulph. (Rosetta Arts)
Rashmi Becker, Step Change Studios founder, said: ‘Dance and music are proven to have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing and can be enjoyed by all ages and abilities. We are excited to support the BBC Proms to engage more people across different communities to enjoy dance. Our activities will promote creativity, imagination and curiosity, inspired by The Carnival of the Animals.’
The Family Prom will be performed at 2:30pm and 7pm on 29 August and broadcast on BBC Four at 8pm.
The videos can be viewed here, and families can upload their creative responses here.
