--- title: Explore Carnival of the Animals with MusicplayOnline description: Build listening skills while exploring instrument timbre, tempo, dynamics, and pitch. This week we’re sharing teaching tips, our storybook of poems, and a new stretchy band routine to try with your students! image: https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Carnival%20of%20the%20Animals%20-%20Front%20cover%20copy.jpg --- [![musicplay-logo](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/musicplay-logo-2.png?width=2701&height=877&name=musicplay-logo-2.png "musicplay-logo")](http://musicplay.ca) Open main menu Close main menu # Explore Carnival of the Animals with MusicplayOnline ![Stacy Werner](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/529321003_10171907439470332_5222755718152529359_n.jpg?width=45&name=529321003_10171907439470332_5222755718152529359_n.jpg) [Stacy Werner](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/stacy-werner) [Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://blog.musicplay.ca/explore-carnival-of-the-animals-with-musicplayonline) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.musicplay.ca/explore-carnival-of-the-animals-with-musicplayonline) ![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Carnival%20of%20the%20Animals%20-%20Front%20cover%20copy.jpg) [Note: This newsletter is best viewed in your browser for full access to all content.](https://blog.musicplay.ca/how-to-teach-an-orff-arrangement) Bring *Carnival of the Animals* to life in your music classroom! This listening unit helps students explore **instrument timbre, tempo, dynamics, and pitch** through Saint-Saëns’ imaginative music. With poems and music videos, listening maps, worksheets, professional instrument demonstrations, animal videos, concept slides, and movement demonstrations, you’ll have everything you need to turn each listening selection into an active and meaningful musical experience. [![Carnival of the Animals - Front cover copy](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Carnival%20of%20the%20Animals%20-%20Front%20cover%20copy.jpg?width=263&height=341&name=Carnival%20of%20the%20Animals%20-%20Front%20cover%20copy.jpg)](https://musicplayonline.com/units-list/the-carnival-of-the-animals/) **Scroll down for teaching tips, storybook ideas, and a NEW stretchy band routine we’ve added to the unit!** **[Carnival of the Animals Listening Unit](https://musicplayonline.com/units-list/the-carnival-of-the-animals/)** --- ### Teaching Process and Suggestions: 1. **Meet the Animals:** Display all the animals featured in the listening unit using the storybook cover, or animal stuffies or puppets if you have them. 2. **Listen & Guess:** Listen to the music and have students guess which animal Saint-Saëns was portraying. 3. **Read the Poem:** Read the accompanying poem and make connections to what students heard. 4. **Listen Actively:** Explore the music through movement, listening maps, or other active listening activities. 5. **Reflect:** Discuss the listening selection as a class or complete the accompanying worksheet. 6. **Optional – Create a Center:** Set up a listening center where students can independently explore and practice the musical concept focus. --- ### Active Listening Example [***Pianists - Stretchy Band Routine***](https://musicplayonline.com/units-list/the-carnival-of-the-animals/) [***![Stretchy Band Demo](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Stretchy%20Band%20Demo.png?width=645&height=329&name=Stretchy%20Band%20Demo.png)***](https://musicplayonline.com/units-list/the-carnival-of-the-animals/) Arrange students in a circle holding the stretchy band and repeat the movement sequence: Pat knees to the steady beat – 8 times Up – 2 beats, Down – 2 beats, Up – 2 beats, Down – 2 beats Up (move higher) – 8 beats, Down – 8 beats Hands rest on knees – 2 beats, Pat the floor when you hear the accent *(Repeat the full sequence 3 more times, each time the tempo increases)* Pass the stretchy band to the right on the steady beat, listening carefully as the tempo changes.          *(64 beats total)* On the last 3 accented beats: Pat knees, Pat floor, Pull back and let go of the stretchy band!  --- [Carnival of the Animals Storybook](https://store.musicplay.ca/products/carnival-of-the-animals-storybook) Available in PRINT at the [Musicplay Store](https://store.musicplay.ca/) [![Carnival of the Animals - Front cover copy](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Carnival%20of%20the%20Animals%20-%20Front%20cover%20copy.jpg?width=321&height=415&name=Carnival%20of%20the%20Animals%20-%20Front%20cover%20copy.jpg)](https://store.musicplay.ca/products/carnival-of-the-animals-storybook) This beautiful storybook brings "Carnival of the Animals" to life! Combining entertaining poems, illustrations, and the captivating music of Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns, this one-of-a-kind book encourages expressive reading and helps young ones build their vocabulary. Parents can join the fun by inviting their kids to move like the animals and then discuss the music with them while working on the accompanying coloring worksheets. This storybook’s digital download pack grants you access to the storybook read by the author, musical selections from Carnival of the Animals, and coloring worksheets to help you bring each animal to life. [Musicplay Store](https://store.musicplay.ca/) --- ## *Wednesday Webinars are BACK!* ## Rhythm Dice Games, Note Name Battle Ship, and Stories and Nursery Rhymes ## with Anne McLeod ## ![Rhythm Dice Games, Note Name Battle Ship, and Stories and Nursery Rhymes Webinar with Anne McLeod](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Rhythm%20Dice%20Games%2c%20Note%20Name%20Battle%20Ship%2c%20and%20Stories%20and%20Nursery%20Rhymes%20Webinar%20with%20Anne%20McLeod.png?width=1000&height=500&name=Rhythm%20Dice%20Games%2c%20Note%20Name%20Battle%20Ship%2c%20and%20Stories%20and%20Nursery%20Rhymes%20Webinar%20with%20Anne%20McLeod.png) Wednesday, October 14th, 2026 @ 4:30-5:30 MST (60 Minutes) A recorded version will be available if you are unable to watch live.  ## About the Webinar: This webinar is a review of three wonderful resources: Rhythm Dice Games, Note Name Battle Ship, and Stories and Nursery Rhymes to Sing, Rap, and Read! Join Anne McLeod for a deep dive into these resources, ways to use them in your lessons, and more in this fantastic webinar! [Webinar Registration Link](https://workshops.musicplay.ca/courses/rhythm-dice-games-note-name-battle-ship-and-stories-and-nursery-rhymes-webinar-with-anne-mcleod/)     --- ## Musicplay Team Updates: We wanted to take the opportunity to share some updates from the team: #### Content Updates: - Notation and lyric slides and videos added to new musical [Kick It](https://musicplayonline.com/units-list/kick-it/?) - Echo sing videos added to [Solfa Practice Level s,l,t,drmfsl](https://musicplayonline.com/practice/so-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa-so-la-sltdrmfsl/?) - Echo sing videos added to [Solfa Practice Level s,l,t,drmfsltd’](https://musicplayonline.com/practice/so-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-sltdrmfsltd/?) #### Development Updates: - New Drum Machine interactive - New Staff Lesson bass resources - Support for 2 beat rhythms in Word Rhythm Composition tool - Added the ability to disable student codes - Navigation now remembers the last open state. - Notifications can now be dismissed more easily ![Stacy Werner](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/529321003_10171907439470332_5222755718152529359_n.jpg?width=150&name=529321003_10171907439470332_5222755718152529359_n.jpg) #### Stacy Werner Stacy Werner is a music specialist with 15 years of experience teaching elementary music in Alberta, Canada. She is the author of the “Super Simple Music Centers” series and the Education Director for Musicplay Online. Trained in Orff and Kodály, she’s committed to ongoing growth as an educator, guided by her mentor, Denise Gagne. ### Leave a Comment ## Related Articles [Blog Posts](https://blog.musicplay.ca/tag/blog-posts) ### [Ideas for Advanced Recorder Players](https://blog.musicplay.ca/ideas-for-advanced-recorder-players) [Denise Gagne](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/denise-gagne) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/ideas-for-advanced-recorder-players) [![](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Christmas%20Concert%20Idea%20book%20cover.png)](https://blog.musicplay.ca/planning-a-school-concert-start-here) ### [Planning a School Concert? Start Here!](https://blog.musicplay.ca/planning-a-school-concert-start-here) [Note: This newsletter is best viewed in your browser for full access to all content.](https://blog.musicplay.ca/planning-a-school-concert-start-here) ![Stacy Werner](https://blog.musicplay.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/529321003_10171907439470332_5222755718152529359_n.jpg?width=45&name=529321003_10171907439470332_5222755718152529359_n.jpg) [Stacy Werner](https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/stacy-werner) [Read More](https://blog.musicplay.ca/planning-a-school-concert-start-here) #### Our Products - [MusicplayOnline](https://musicplayonline.com) - [Musicplay Store](https://store.musicplay.ca) - [Musicplay Downloads](https://downloads.musicplay.ca) - [Musicplay Workshops](https://workshops.musicplay.ca) - [Musicplay Help](https://help.musicplay.ca) Follow us on Facebook Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Stacy Werner", "url" : "https://blog.musicplay.ca/author/stacy-werner" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-07T19:30:00.558Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-07T19:30:00.000Z", "headline" : "Explore Carnival of the Animals with MusicplayOnline", "image" : [ "https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/Carnival%20of%20the%20Animals%20-%20Front%20cover%20copy.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.musicplay.ca/explore-carnival-of-the-animals-with-musicplayonline", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.musicplay.ca/hubfs/musicplay-logo-2.png" }, "name" : "Themes & Variations Musicplay" } } ```