Research projects on Fallas

During the first week of March the students of 3rd Year Secondary were working on a project about Fallas. They did research on the evolution of the Fallas male and female costumes from their origin (Valencian farmers’ clothes in the 18th and 19th centuries) until nowadays. They designed posters that showed the different types of male clothing: “torrentí” costume and “saragüell” costume; and the female clothing. They also included pictures and drawings.

The students of 4th Year Secondary took part in the elaboration of the school “llibret” of Fallas. In it, they explained the main events happening during Fallas, which are: the Building of the Fallas, the Prize Giving Ceremony, the Wake-up call, the Firework display, the Parades, the Flower Offering, the Bonfire Night and the Burning of the Fallas. To do that, they searched information on the internet and added their own ideas since most of them are falleros or have lived the Fallas experience at some point.

Both 3rd and 4th Year Secondary students were very excited about this project because it was a very interesting topic and they love Fallas. They were motivated and we could see that in the oral presentations they did to explain to the class what they had done.

Thais Gomar

English Department

MUSIC & WATER PROJECT

Have you ever tried making music with glasses filled with water? You can play your favorite songs with water glasses turned into instruments! 

How does it work? The glass with the most water will have the lowest tone while the glass with the least water will have the highest tone. Small vibrations are made when you hit the glass with a stick; this creates sound waves which travel through the water. More water means slower vibrations and a deeper tone, while less amount of water means faster vibrations and a higher tone. 

MATERIALS you will need:

• Drinking water glasses (or glass bottles) – one per student 
• Water 
• 7 or more different color paint – one for each note
• Wooden sticks such as pencils
• Music sheet of a known song - one copy per student
• Karaoke/Instrumental version of the song as accompaniment
• Video camera
• Student evaluation sheet

INSTRUCTIONS for the project:

• Practice the song (singing only) with and without accompaniment. Each student sings one note only! 
• Line up the water glasses and fill them with different amounts of water in order to get the correct pitch for each note. 
• Put a drop of paint of a different color in each glass. 
• Practice the song (playing) with and without accompaniment. Each student plays one note only! 
• Record a video of the song using the karaoke/instrumental version as accompaniment.
• Show the video to the class. Each student has to evaluate his/her own performance and the group´s overall performance using the Student Evaluation Sheet. 

This activity guarantees a fun and motivating experience for your class!

Alina Pele

Music Teacher - Primary and Secondary