In 2025, at a meeting under the session on our native Bulgarian language, NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ gave its support to ‘Six Songs for Working with Children in the Primary Stage of the Bulgarian Sunday Schools, levels A1 to A2’, a project of the ‘Bulgarian Language—Language of Europe’ Association, Sts Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian School in Paris. The project provides the opportunity for children in Bulgarian schools abroad who have no access to original sources of the Bulgarian language to learn to listen to and understand the sonorous and expressive Bulgarian speech, and to acquaint themselves with literary prose or song.
In learning children’s songs, pupils frequently find the lyrics incomprehensible, and encounter difficulties in memorising them. In this regard, the music and lyrics of six songs were composed under the project: ‘The Seasons’ Song’, ‘Song of the Pythons in the Jungle’, ‘Song of the Pirates of the Lonely Island’, ‘Riddle’, ‘On the Way to the Sea’, and ‘Christmas is Coming’. The songs are intended for children between 7 and 14 years of age and correspond to the Bulgarian language learning levels A1 to A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. They enable children to be involved fully in school celebrations where they perform live, vocally and emotionally.
The lyrics was written by a teacher from the Bulgarian Sunday School in Paris, while the music was composed by a musician and pedagogue with a long experience working in the institution. The task included penning lyrics, composing melodies, arranging, producing, and recording with vocals, including distribution among some 400 Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad.
The song lyrics are in line with the educational content (lexis and grammar) defined in the Bulgarian as a Second Language Programmes approved by the Ministry of Education and Science.