This week, our Smock Rock students at TLB Music are creating an art project inspired by Henry Mancini’s “Moon River”!

Student Materials:
1 dark blue piece of 8.5″ x 11” cardstock paper with template printed on it for background
(get the free bridge & water template here)
small ripped pieces of tissue paper in blue, light blue and purple
2 pieces of .5” by 4.5” black cardstock paper for bridge towers
1 piece of .25” x 11” black cardstock paper for the bridge deck
thin strips of black cardstock paper for kids to cut for their bridge’s suspension cables
1 yellow paper moon
.25” hole punched yellow paper circles for bridge lights
white paint, small paint brush
glue stick, glue, scissors

Teacher Materials: -paper cutter -scissors -circle hole punchers

Teacher Prep: -print template on blue cardstock paper -prepare tissue paper pieces
-cut and prep all bridge pieces   -hole punch moons   -hole punch bridge lights

Project Intro:
This art project is inspired by the music of Henry Mancini! Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger. Show pictures. Do kids know what composer, conductor and arranger mean? Discuss briefly. Mancini was best known for the music he wrote for television and movies! One of his most famous pieces of music is called “Moon River” which he wrote for a movie called “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, that takes place right here in NYC! Let’s create a colorful East River, then a Brooklyn Bridge with lights, a moon in the sky and stars! While we craft, let’s listen to Mancini’s music: “Moon River”, “The Pink Panther Theme”, “Dear Heart”, music from “Peter Gunn” and more!

For each student: full sheet blue paper, tissue paper pieces & glue stick (could also use decoupage glue).
Step 1 (create tissue paper river): Place your blue sheet of paper horizontally. Glue blue, light blue and purple tissue paper pieces on the bottom part of your paper up to the blue line to create your water.

Step 1- Create Tissue Tissue Paper Water

 
For each student: two .5” x 4.5” black pieces of paper for bridge towers.
Step 2 (glue bridge towers): Glue bridge towers in their places.

Step 2- Glue Towers

 
For each student: black marker or crayon.
Step 3 (trace top cable): Using a black marker or crayon, trace over the top cable line on your bridge.

Step 3- Trace the Top Cable

 
For each student: one .25” x 11” strip of black paper for bridge deck.
Step 4 (glue bridge deck): Glue your bridge deck horizontally along the black line above your water line.

Step 4- Glue Bridge Deck

 
For each student: thin black stripes of paper and scissors
Step 5 (glue cables): Glue cables that reach from the top cable to your bridge deck. You’ll need a variety of different lengths. Cut black strips of paper into the length you need for each part!

Step 5- Glue Suspension Cables

 
For each student: yellow .25” paper circles
Step 6 (create bridge lights): Glue a small yellow circle to the top of each vertical cable to create lights that light up the top of the bridge.

Step 6- Glue Lights to Top Cable

 
For each student: one yellow moon.
Step 7 (add moon): Glue a yellow moon above the bridge, up in the sky!

Step 7- Glue Moon in Sky

 
For each student: white paint and small paint brush.
Step 8 (add moon): For our final step, we’re going to paint stars in the night sky! Using just a bit of paint, make small dots in the sky.

Step 8- Paint Stars

Project Complete!