Something Fishy’s Going On | Carnival of Animals Lesson Plan

Lesson Overview

In this lesson, students explore musical imagery and composition by comparing Aquarium from The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns with the Prologue from Beauty and the Beast by Alan Menken. Through guided listening and discussion, students analyze similarities and differences in musical elements such as instrumentation, mood, and melodic patterns. Students also learn about the unique sound of the glass harmonica—an instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin—and experiment with recreating its sound using water-filled glasses. To connect music with visual art, students create origami fish and optional quilled paper designs to build a collaborative classroom aquarium inspired by the music, reinforcing their understanding of how composers use sound to depict imagery and atmosphere.