ANDONG MASK FESTIVAL!
What a fun time we had today in music class learning about one of Korea's harvest festivals in Andong, the Andong Mask Festival! It was a great opportunity to talk about our emotions, and what faces look like making those expressions.
We learned that Korea holds the festival to celebrate the bounty of their harvest, bring good fortune for the coming year, and enjoy dancing, music, poetry, and fireworks.
Part of the fireworks celebration includes listening to poets that speak in between the fireworks, which are more like "showers of fire" according to sources that say that sparks actually rain down on the crowd's shoulders after poems when the crowd starts shouting "drop the fire!!"
We had fun chanting a Korean children's rhyme that is just nonsense words, and then shouted "Drop the Fire", followed by our fireworks fingerplay!
Younger students also sang "Clap your Hands" and our autumn leaf songs. An additional highlight of the day for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds was dancing with the masks and drums! Four-year-olds also played the "Mouse Mousie" game. Ask your child about it! (And check out the extender questions below!)
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD
1.) What does a happy face look like? What does a sad face look like?
2) Do you remember hearing about the fireworks for the mask festival? Can you tell me about them?