My Movement Display Board

Musicalia's Movement Board

At Musicalia...we move!
There is a dedicated movement board with charts, words, pictures and it changes weekly.

Last week's board looked like this

I have posted charts and a giant metronome made by moi, also movement charts from Nurturing Pathways, Kindermusik, and lists of words inspired by Anne Green Gilbert's "Creative Dance for All Ages".

I have 2 bags of words on my board...a bag of locomotor words and a bag of non-locomotor words just in case I need them for a game.  I also have lists of words posted.

Each week we learn a new movement concept.  I follow Anne Green Gilbert's Creative Dance for All Ages program.  Here we are learning "Body Shapes".

Last week's movement concept was "BODY SHAPES".

First we use our bodies to make each letter "B"  "O"  "D"  "Y"...etc...  I post the words for different shapes with a simple line drawing like this...

Each body shape card has a small drawing to illustrate the word.

The children copied the shapes and created their own shapes with their own bodies.  We copied one another.  We really had to practise symmetrical and asymmetrical until those words made sense.  We had fun creating and improvising partner dances using our bodies to make different shapes.

Bag of strings...give a string to each student and let them play.

We can use string as an inspiration for moving our bodies.  Throw the string in the air and copy the shape it makes when it lands on the floor.

After exploring the concept of "body parts" we're all dancing with some pretty creative moves.  And now...it's time for yoga...

Close up of charts that remind us why we need to move our bodies when we are learning music.

February Newsletter is coming soon...

If you missed the last newsletter (you can sign up here if you're not on the list yet!) you missed some ideas for creative movement work with children.   I'm sending February's letter out soon (before Valentine's Day).

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Have You Ever Found Yourself in Snowy Land?

Our new greatest hit!  This song helps us:

• use our bodies creatively
• use percussion...any ones we want
• play a 8-beat phrase and stop together
• play in ensemble and have fun
• make choices about what and where we play and have it all be okay
• feel good and smile

Have you ever found yourself in a snowy land?

(guitar chords G and D7)

Have you ever found yourself in a snowy land?

An icy town with snowflakes grand?

If  you ever find yourself in a snowy land

just pick up an instrument and join the band!

Now converse with the kids

(what will we play?  body percussion?  shakers?  trumpets?)

Using non-pitched percussion (shakers, scrapers, skins, woods, metals)

Have you ever found a shaker in a snowy land,

an icy town, with snowflakes grand?

If you ever find a shaker in a snowy land,

just pick up a shaker and join the band!

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (everybody plays...especially the shakers)

Using other instruments

Have you ever found a trumpet in a snowy land

an icy town, with snowflakes grand?

If you ever find a trumpet in a snowy land,

just pick up your trumpet and join the band.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (everybody plays...especially the trumpet)

(just a note...yesterday the sweetest 6 year old boy brought a trumpet to class and we sang this song and he tooted along with the band...oh my goodness...too sweet...and he really sounded fabulous with the drums!)

Using body percussion (snap, clap, pat, stomp, rub, clack)

Have you ever found yourself in a stomping land,

an icy town, with snowflakes grand?

If you ever find yourself in a stomping land,

just start stomping and join the band!

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (everybody plays...especially the body percussion people)

enjoy!

let me know what happens!