Donkey and Horse Talk

Theme: Exploring stringed instruments – 9 year old class

Rehearsal of the presentation of the text Conversa de Burro e Cavalo by the 3rd year class of teacher Heloísa Borges da Costa, from Escola Waldorf Rudolf Steiner. The original text, which follows below, was created by Ruth Salles at the request of the music teacher, Paulo Roberto Henes, who created the musical participation of the students. The aim is to encourage students to become interested in string instruments and music. In the filmed presentation, the teacher made small adjustments to the text. (14:22 me)

It starts with a warm-up, and while the text is read, students make animal sounds with the instrument.

Donkey and Horse Talk

It was late at night. A donkey and a horse were talking across the field.

"The dark has not yet drawn its shadow," said the donkey.

- Yes - agreed the horse - but the crickets are already stopping rubbing their legs with that funny noise that sounds like speech. (cri, cri – cri, cri). It doesn't take long for the grass roof high above to turn pink and blue again.

- It will be? – doubted the donkey – I still hear the frogs croaking along the wet earth. (quax, quax). I think they want to talk to the crickets. (cri,cri – quax).

- They are saying goodbye to the dark - concluded the horse - because the light is coming with the brightness of that big red flower that rises from the edge of the end of the ground, far in the distance.

- The big flower is peeping at this edge from far away - said the donkey - but it has already cleared the field and the woods. The rooster will soon give the signal. Listen: (hop, hop, hop, hop!)

– Oh, dumb friend, the rooster woke up the whole family: chickens and chicks. What a fuss! (peep, peep, peep - poop - peep, peep, peep - poop).

- Don't overdo it, horse. More noise makes the herd that this cowboy rides on you. (muuu, muuu, muuu)

- My cowboy is good! And you, donkey, who are you carrying on your back?

– Ah, it's my little owner, Tonico. He will provide a service for João-Pastor. And we're getting close. I can already hear João-Pastor's sheep saying hello, friend. (mééé, mééé) I'll even answer from here: (hin, hon – hin, hon!)

– You're funny, dumb (hin, hin, hin). That bray of yours almost knocks Tonico down. It even scared Zé-Chiqueirinho's pigs. Look there: (crum,crum,crum).

– What, nothing, horse! It's just that all the bugs have already seen the vermilion of the bright flower that rises and warms us up. Even Zé-Chiqueirinho's dogs started barking – said the donkey. (wow, wow, wow)

– And those of João-Pastor replied (woof, woof, woof – woof, woof). Dog barking sounds like a catching disease, doesn't it, dumb? One barks, and they all bark back.

– Whoa, whoa, what a cold… Water falls from up there, horse. And it's a heavy downpour (chuíí, chuéé, chuáá). The red flower hid behind that gray stain to keep from getting wet.

– Chi… I think that long manger full of water that runs through here is going to overflow! Goodbye, donkey! I'll take a gallop and cross the herd soon (mu, mu, mu). And you, be careful! (pocotó, pocotó, pocotó).

- Farewell, friend horse! You can let me know where the shallowest point of the water manger is to pass without getting Tonico too wet.

And the donkey followed at its gentle trot, thinking:

– What a brave horse, driving all these oxen! His cowboy is a little flustered. Ready. The water stopped falling. The red flower came out from behind the gray stain, and the other stains moved away from the blue roof of the grass. Oh! What a beauty, that colorful and very curved arc, which goes up from one far and down in the other far… I think Tonico said something… That's it… rainbow… (****)

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