In collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, on March 20 and 21, students from the Hands on Stanzas program participated in a presentation of Carnival of the Animals. This special concert designed for schools and families featured poems written by students to accompany the musical suite, Carnival of the Animals. These poems were narrated by CPS students during the concert.
We will be featuring submissions from each participating school, including these poems from 2nd and 3rd graders from Darwin Elementary School. Their poems highlight a number of animals, inspired by the representative movements in Saint-Saëns’ piece. The CSO will also be posting these poems on their “Sounds & Stories” blog.
“Hoppy The Kangaroo” by Jacinda F., grade 3
Hoppy the Kangaroo
will hop all over you
Oh how he just hops,
If he cleans, then he mops
You will really
like him, too!
Hoppy the kangaroo
will come clean up for you!
“The Piano Player” by Ana E., grade 3
I imagine that I
am playing the
piano in an
opera house
I am playing
the piano fast
and slow and
the animals are
playing instruments
The monkey is
playing drums fast
The donkey is
playing the tuba
upside down
The bear is
playing a saxophone
so cool
And I am
playing the piano
very well
“Bunny Piano Player” by Mario H., grade 3
A little bunny
in the water palace
playing the piano,
wearing a tuxedo
When the music
stops he trips
because he jumps
so fast to play
the notes
Bunny plays piano
all day long
he was bored
but now he bought
a piano
“Aquarium” by Jazlee S., grade 2
The fish are in
the school following
the teacher
the fish are
dancing fish
the fish are playing
in the water
the fish get sleepy
in the water
the clownfish dances
in the water
and they sleepy fish
sleep in the water
“Aquarium” by Genevieve D., grade 2
In the water
they are dancing
the music stops
and the fish stop dancing
the fish put on the music
but it stops and starts again
all the fish fly
to the music,
dancing
when they fly
they are happy
the fish are
dancing again
“Aquarium” by Kimberly H., grade 2
Dancing fish,
underwater
fish playing,
underwater
and wiggling,
underwater
the fish are
swimming,
under water
wiggling, they
were playing,
under water
“Kangaroo” by Curtis W., grade 2
Imagine the kangaroo
is clumsy.
The kangaroo is
lonely but he
tries to play so
he wont be.
He sneaks upstairs
in another kangaroo’s
house to eat all
the best food.
He gets caught but
says he sorry and
the two kangaroos
become friends.
He’s not lonely or
clumsy anymore.
“Tip Top” by Yazmin Q., grade 2
Tip top hop hop
sneaking away
no talking
Tip top hop hop
sneaking away
to play piano
Tip top hop hop
sneaking away
to bounce a ball
