“The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs

Background of The Snowman

Released in 1978, “The Snowman” book is children’s winter classic. Then in 1982, the book was produced as a short musical film. Both the film and book have been a part of my family’s Christmas and winter tradition for over 20 years, and I love sharing it with my students each January. Whether you are familiar with “The Snowman” or not, I hope you can take away something from reading this.

 

 

Story of The Snowman

“The Snowman” movie is about a boy who builds a snowman which later comes to life and takes him on a magical adventure. It was originally a book that had nothing to do with Christmas and did not include the Christmas tree or Santa scene as shown in the movie. The book has only pictures, detailing the storyline. In “The Snowman” movie, there are no words spoken. The movie includes a short introduction, with several different varieties (one given by David Bowie). Also in the movie is a gorgeous song, called “Walking in the Air,” sung by a young choir boy. The music for “Walking in the Air,” written by Howard Blake, is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. I had to buy the soundtrack because I absolutely love it!

 

Song: “Walking in the Air”

 

The Snowman in Elementary Music

I use “The Snowman” film as a nice transitional lesson after Christmas or that first week in January with my K-1st graders. Before watching, we talk about how music can tell a story without even using words, and I show them the book with only pictures.

Before I hit play, I give them some active listening/watching questions. They must count on their hand how many different kinds of animals they see, and there are quite a few: birds, pheasants, rabbits, horse, fox, cat, etc. Then I also have them count how many instruments they see and hear in the snowman party scene. Finally, as the movie is nearly over, the little boy, James, discovers his snowman friend has melted in the sun. Afterward, we discuss how a snowman couldn’t really come to life, so maybe he had a dream. But then, at last, the viewer sees James pulling out a scarf given to him by Santa on his magical journey with the snowman! It is sure to make them think. You’ll definitely have to watch it for this all to make sense!

 

 

Interesting Facts about The Snowman

Due to my family’s fascination with The Snowman video and the countless number of times I have watched and listened to it in my life, I decided to do some research on the background of the book and movie. The author, Raymond Briggs, told reporters that he did not write it about Christmas, he did not believe in happy endings, and he wrote it to introduce mortality to children. Well, let’s just say the movie takes on the lighter, happier side of the story.

 

 

Producers recently made “The Snowman” into a stage production. The final scarf scene is my favorite scene, but there are other unique, little additions by the film producers. For one, James was the name of one of the animator’s boyfriend, and now husband. The motorcycle has a license plate that is the house number of one of the directors. The animation style of The Snowman movie is quite unique, and my school’s art teacher took off with this element this year. The animation’s soft, warm look added to the beautiful, sometimes melancholic music to create a wonderful masterpiece. The Snowman book recently turned 40 years old in November 2018.

If you are interested in “The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs, click on the links below. Also, you can find a free resource that I have put together with more links and questions. Thanks for reading! If the download does not work or if you have any other questions, as always, feel free to e-mail me at bethsmusicclassroom@gmail.com.

 

 

 

Click here to download “The Snowman” free resource.

If you’re interested in other winter topics, click here to read about the Winter Olympics in the music classroom.