The Emperor's New Clothes
March 2012
On-line Pre- Post-test click here
Public Performance
Saturday
March 10, 2012
2:00 p.m.
Tickets
For Teachers
Curriculum 2012
Lesson Plans
Resources
Handouts
Pre & Post Tests
Evaluation form
On-line
Pre- Post Tests
The Emperor’s New Clothes, a collaboration between Chamber Music Amici and The Eugene Ballet, The Wildish Theater, and Springfield Public Schools, began with a pilot phase in 2011, for 600 elementary students. In 2012, on March 6, 7, and 8, there will be six 45-minute free performances, including curriculum and busses, for a total of 1,800 third to fifth graders from Springfield, Cottage Grove, and Eugene.
Actor William Hulings presents Hans Christian Anderson’s classic fairy tale before five musicians and a narrator perform Peter Schickele’s hilarious musical update, for the first time anywhere presented with the addition of ballet. The 2012 performances will be introduced by Springfield’s civic leaders, including the mayor, city councilors, and the Police Chief.
Our flexible, five-week curriculum (a collaboration with 10 public school teachers, linked to Oregon Standards and Benchmarks in language arts, writing, social studies, and the arts) includes reading, writing, story-telling, acting, musical performance, and dance.
From pre- and post- tests administered at Riverbend Elementary School last year we learned that the experience had a significant positive impact on students, in terms both of Oregon Standards and Benchmarks, and students’ attitudes and goals.
After the performances kids created artwork filled with dancers, instruments, and colorful details of the story. In hundreds of hand-written thank-you notes they used words like “scoundrel,” “loom,” “pizzicato,” and “pirouette.” They said, “When I grow up I want to work at the Wildish Theater,” or “I want to be an oboist,” or “a cellist,” or “a dancer.” One fourth grader explained, “The music brought happiness to my heart.” Another said with irony, “You should be very vain about yourselves!”
The project will culminate in 2013 with a video of our performances uploaded with our curriculum to this website for teachers worldwide to download for free.