Build a Structured Movement Repertoire

Using Spotlight on Music, or Dance Music for Children, have students learn age appropriate structured dances. Sequence the learning of these dances from simple to complex, self to pairs to groups. The movement scope and sequence at the back of each Spotlight on Music Teacher's edition should be a help. Eventually, you might look into Teaching Movement and Dance, by Phyllis Weikart, along with her Rhythmically Moving series of CDs. Or you might consider the Shenanigan's folk dance CDs. In addition, there are structured dances in Total Literacy materials, published by arts education IDEAS.

• Begin with dances that keep a steady beat in scatter formation, changing movements every eight beats or at the end of each phrase ("O'Carolan's Draught" is a good example).
• Then learn a circle dance ("Seven Jumps"), or one with pairs in scatter formation ("Rocky Mountain," or "Sorida").
• Next comes a circle of pairs ("Hurry Scurry," or "I Let Her Go Go").
• A dance in two lines requires even more focus and concentration ("Four in a Boat," or a "Quadrille"), as does a dance with four in a group ("Cross Dance," or "D'Hammerd'migdesgeschellen").
• Reading and deciphering movement directions for "Tititorea" (Maori stick passing game), "Obo Asi me Nsa" (stone passing game), or "Mango Walk" (calypso dance) is great for reading directions!

Where do you find these pieces?

Arts education IDEAS materials:

Total Literacy: Early Childhood
"Rocky Mountain"

Total Literacy: Kindergarten
"Rocky Mountain"
"Seven Jumps"
"Indo Eu"

Interactive Arts for Total Literacy, Volume I: Primary
"Magic Sound March"

DETAILS
"Rocky Mountain"
"Yankee Doodle"
"Obo asi me Nsa"

Dance Music for Children www.aeideas.com/shenanigans/#order
"O'Carolan's Draught"
"Cross Dance"
"Seven Jumps"
"Hurry Scurry (Fjaskern)"

Other Shenanigans folk dance CDs: www.aeideas.com/shenanigans/

Spotlight on Music, published by Macmillan/McGraw-Hill www.mhschool.com/products/music/index.html

Phyllis Weikart materials www.westmusic.com/pages/home.htm

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