1. Ask students about their favorite sports; what kind of activities are involved with each one. Make a list on the board. It might look like this:
Basketball Horseback Riding
Dribbling Canter
Passing Jump
Shooting Gallop
Running Walk
Hook Shot Prance
Jumping Side Step
2. Reviewing theme and contrast (AB, ABA). Explain rondo form and demonstrate using sport theme. For the demonstration, have the class do each theme or section for 8-16 beats.
3. Divide class into groups, each group works together to develop their own rondo.
4. Each group performs their rondo without telling other students what their “theme” was, students try to identify the theme and evaluate their use of rondo form. To give signals for changing from one section to another within the rondo, try using three different instruments (A=temple blocks, B=drum, C= triangle) playing a steady beat for a specified number of beats (8-16).
Extension: Viennese Musical Clock from the Hary Janos Suite
1. Prepare students by marching to a drum beat. Once comfortable, ask them to change directions when they hear a change in the drum sound (use bongos or small to medium tubanos, hand drums, etc.). Experiment with different styles of marching (high, low, marching in mud, rain, sun, marching through jello or chocolate, marching when tired, happy, sad, excited, frustrated, angry, etc).
2. Listen to the music and identify the marching beat, ask students to use marching arms as they sit and identify the numbers of A (marching) sections (4).
3. Outline the form or use a diagram you have created or found. Ask: How can you tell when the sections change? What instruments are used? (This is part of a bigger piece of music (composition) written for an orchestra, but this particular movement has no strings.) Does the music sound like a mechanical clock? Why or why not?
4. Divide class into groups labeled B, C, or D. Students create movement with scarves or ribbon sticks or ??? for these sections. Everyone moves on the A section with other groups performing their movement for the B, C, and D sections.
Further Extension
Listen to other musical clock pieces: Syncopated Clock by Leroy Anderson
Other mechanical instrument pieces: Add On Machine from Contrast and Continuum, Vol. I, by Eric Chappelle
This is an EXCELLENT resource and of course, comes with a great CD! I LOVE Kinderpolka- you can literally do this with kindies up to fourth/fifth grade and is such fun. GREAT for large groups.. I've done this with 300 kiddos and it's awesome!!! Another dance that is wonderful for upper grades through adults is Sasha, a lovely Russian dance. I've done it with third graders and I did it with our faculty one year. It begins in scattered formation and everyone has to find a partner which is such fun b/c dancers find a new partner each time. My students LOVE this dance and beg for it! There are MANY others in this book.
Another Step Lively I don't use as frequently but still chock full of good stuff:
I also should say that Step Lively has 2 French resources; one is a collection of French songs/dances and another is a Canadian resource. If I still lived in Maine I would definitely use these as we have large populations of French Canadians (like me; my grandparents were from Canada.. oui!).
Who in the world could do without the New England Dance Masters and the Amidons. LOVELY people, amazingly talented folk musicians, storytellers, teachers, and dance instructors!
One of my students favorite dances, Sashay the Donut, can be found in this book... SOOOOO much fun, people!!
There are other wonderful resources that I couldn't do without, also by the New England Dancing Masters:
Hope you enjoyed this post and got some new ideas for movin' and groovin' with your students! Now go "MOVE IT"!
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