See the Dragon Come has long been a favorite song and I finally got around to making two different sets of simple 2-beat building bricks for young students- one cartoon version, one traditional Chinese papercut version.
Click here for the link and note this will force a copy.
Enjoy!
This is a favorite dance and I love using it to introduce syncopation! There are (at least) 2 versions although I think Version 2 is probably more historically accurate. The song and dance is a play party. Here is more information about this song and more here from the University of Arkansas with a field recording from 1953. The speech at the beginning of Version 1 is something I created with my students.
Click here for the Google Slides.
I love using these to get my students into movement and dance formations -I simply hold up the sign and students quietly (or silently) move into position. We practice moving into formations at the beginning of the school year and I use these often to get students quickly to where they need to be for various activities.
UPDATED - I made them with stick figures also so you have a choice of which ones to print & use.
Here's the link to the slide set to print.
Today we have a guest blog post from the awesome Melissa Fuller Flores. Be sure to check her out on instagram!
MANY thanks to Melissa for sharing her advice and dance adaptations using Pop Music with folk dancing!
You’ve probably seen this quote: “Be the teacher you needed when you were younger.” That has been my driving force ever since a student of mine, early on in my teaching career, asked, “How come the music that we hear in music class is different from what we hear outside music class?” A pit sank in my stomach. It made me think about my own school music experience as a kid, and I realized that not only was I missing something in my classroom, but that something from my own experience growing up was the same. I know as a Filipino-American in the 90s/2000s I would have had a greater sense of belonging and connection in what we were learning if we would have danced or sung anything from the Philippines. Or even just listened to Oops I Did It Again, anything Spice Girls, something with a boy band!
The easiest way I felt that I could incorporate this relatability for my students quickly was by pairing it with folk dances that my students already knew from their own culture. Which brings us to today!
How do I know if a folk dance is an appropriate level for my students? You know your students best. For kids newer to folk dancing, I choose dances that keep the same partner throughout the dance and song. Sometimes I adapt a folk dance to where the dance is pretty much the same, but without changing a partner. (I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that a good rule of thumb for all dance choices is that ritual dances, or dances of ritual origin, are always off limits to perform or practice in our classrooms.)
How will I know when my students are ready for me to add the pop songs to the folk dance? Before adding a pop song to a folk dance I make sure that the students have had loads of past experience with the dance; even to where I don’t need to call directions! Because when you do add a pop song, there can be tricky situations that can come up. And if the students have a deeper depth of knowledge about how the dance works, they will be able to adapt and improvise better.
How do you decide what songs to use? Sometimes I take the lead of what songs my students are singing from movies or youtube, what is popular on the Hot 100, and most of all: what is Kidz Bop recording? Sometimes I start with Kidz Bop and seek out the original recording to check and hear if the original recording is good to have in your classroom. If a student suggests a song and you feel like it is questionable, ask a student who is in high school or college to have a listen and tell you if there are any hidden meanings in the lyrics.
I have my song/dance, how do I choose which song/dance would go well with it? Check if they are in the same time signature and they have similar forms*. (See the next section about form).
To check if they line up I honestly just sit down, listen to the pop song while using my fingers to dance out the moves along with the directions, and visualize how it could line up. I recommend doing this while sitting somewhere comfy and not while driving and/or in traffic…seriously learn from my mistakes y’all! Another trick is to find a YouTube video of people dancing the folk dance, put it on mute, and start the music and see how it overlays.
Form*: Not all song lyrics and sections match up perfectly with the original folk dances. Sometimes it is off by 8 or 16 beats. When this occurs, have students repeat sections of the folk dance until the next section. If it doesn't line up, check to see if these next two tricky spots apply.
Introductions: I typically wait for the first verse of the song before we start dancing. Not only for syncing purposes, but also so the students can get the tempo and feel. Also, I like for the kids to really enjoy the song before we start dancing away.
Bridges: Leading into the bridge I call, “Make it up!” During this time we either just pause and wait, or more times than not improvise dance moves and vibe with the music. Then when the next verse comes up, I call, "1, 2, ready go!". Make sure to set safe expectations before the song even starts. I’ve made the mistake of forgetting to do this, so you can imagine all of the almost accidents that came from the different breakdancing, gymnastics flipping, or karate moves that ensued… learn from my mistakes, y’all!
*Keep in mind that sometimes pop song/folk dance adaptations just don't work. If it feels wonky, find a different song or folk dance that might work better or add/adapt steps to make it work.
I love this song at this time of year as there is SO much that can be done with it- add an ostinato with pie flavors, perform the dance, talk about dance styles, create a new dance, student created B Section, and a game from the wonderful Mrsmainsmusicians on insta!
Grab the full google slides here. Please note this will force a copy.
For the game, I glued my pies to paper plates. This helps them to slide easier as most inexpensive paper plates have a wax coating on them. This also makes them round and pie shaped!
Here are a few slides from the set.
Enjoy!
Hello, friends - first, an exciting announcement! I have a new community full of music educators who are trying to simplify their planning and grow professionally. I welcome you to come join for exclusive video lessons, activities, organization ideas, children's literature lessons, workshops, and one on one mentoring opportunities. We are going to have so much fun learning and growing with each other!
Join here!!
Diwali is coming soon- November 4. Diwali (or Deepavali as it’s sometimes called) means “row of lights” in Sanskrit. During this festival, people decorate their homes with lights and oil lamps, called diyas. The lights and lamps are said to help the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, find her way into peoples’ homes, bringing prosperity in the year to come. It is also a celebration of good triumphing evil.Diwali is a religious holiday and festival originating in India. People often think of Diwali as a Hindu festival, but it is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains. The celebration lasts for five days and marks the start of the Hindu New Year. The exact dates change each year and are determined by the position of the moon but usually fall between October and November.
Check out the Nat Geo page for more interesting facts.
Last year was the first year I incorporated Diwali more fully. I began by talking with some of my families who are Indian. I had some wonderful moms come in and teach me some Dandiya (stick) dances and we created a very simple one for our young students. There is some footwork involved in Dandiya dances but we focus more on performing with the sticks. I also talked with a few of my students who are Indian privately, asking if they wanted to speak or tell us during class about how they celebrated, or if any of them were performing classical Indian dance or song (I have a first grader who takes classical Indian singing lessons!) and invited them to perform.
Then we learned Manju Durairaj's Diwali, Diwali song and sang the chorus together.
We created a simple Dandiya dance on the chorus of the song. All movements are to the beat. Facing a partner tap right sticks together, tap left sticks together, tap own sticks to the right, tap own sticks to the left. Step back with one foot and tap sticks behind back, step same foot forward and both stick face right (like windshield wipers) and tap both partners sticks making a # hashtag, then trade places while turning around in a circle. Of course this can be modified but this is what the Moms at school and I came up with.
I would highly recommend wooden sticks - aluminum ones are available from Amazon but my experience is they break far too easily. Rhythm Sticks or dowels could also be used as long as they are the longer ones (12" or so).
Here is a video of Dandiya Dancing.
And an excellent teaching video to show you the footwork and sticking. The first one is just right for beginners and children.
This is an excellent 30 minute concert made for children from Lincoln Center featuring Grammy nominated artist Falu. I like beginning at 7:47 and end at 15:00 if I am pressed for time as they talk about traditional solfege, then Indian solfege, then sing a song incorporating the solfege.
