Learning About Nature Through
Music and the Arts
Be Curious Be Inspired Create and Share Through Music |
Be Curious Be Inspired Create and Share Through Music |
I was glad to get outside this past week and do some of our cool new ideas! Snowsuit Percussion: We were finishing our snowsuit percussion presentations, which were amazing for a few reasons... 1. We weren't outside for several classes as it was really cold, but yet students still completely remembered how their creations worked and performed them! Creativity begets deep and rich learning that students retain! 2. One group just completely welcomed new kids into their group and showed them how their creation worked... kindness! 3. Those kids who were welcomed in the group just opened their minds right up and learned new concepts, and new rhythms etc in just a few minutes and performed with their group! Adaptability! 4. For the students who already performed their pieces, I offered a challenge: relearn your creation... BACKWARDS! Brain Neuroplasticity!! And yes, I tell them stuff like this! 21st Century Learning Skills! "“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ” - Alvin Toffler Red River Jig! Students have been reviewing the Red River Jig, which they learned inside via a brilliant video that is in the Music Online section of this website! From there, I am also teaching them a new dance for Festival du Voyageur, with music from Le Groupe Swing who have performed here before with their music that is a mix of old and new - with folkdance style mixed with more modern electronic additions. Gumboot Dancing! At least one group reviewed the Gumboot Dancing that we learned inside via video learning. Was honoured to have the chance to learn this dance style a few years back from Just Aïssi! We are all wearing boots these days, so we are ready to go! Learn inside to prepare for outside! When we learn something inside via video and my instruction, I am using this indoor time to prepare them for outside experiences! I have sooo many ideas on the go that I cannot WAIT to work with them when we are outside! Snow art, photography and music, school yard percussion, studying our environment for composition possibilities for next year, sound ecology... just so much, and when I prepare these ideas via video and my instruction inside, my hope is that they are inspired to be outside again to try all these new ideas! The picture above is from an impromptu moment that I continued for the rest of the day... we re-enacted Let It Go from Frozen! We were all playing drama games in the tents as it was extremely windy outside of them, and one of the ideas of one of the games lent itself incredibly well to acting out Let It Go... We played Energy Circle from Drama Menu, which has students building in energy as they do movements around the circle in canon. I made this connection with the arc of the development of the song: it completely starts smaller, quieter, and somewhat unsure... but then builds in energy throughout the piece. We were so excited to act this out with my speaker playing the piece, because we had the perfect setting and props for free, as the wind was howling and snow was swirling all around us!! So we slowly moved out of the tents and started swirling and running with the wind ourselves! Most. Fun. Ever! So much laughter! Saw this sign today, and I had to park and take a picture... moments like these, where the children are being creative, full of joy and laughter, with space to run and swirl with nature as their teacher are the stars for us, for me. So grateful to get a chance to see joy in the eyes of hundreds of students outside this year.
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Click HERE to go back to the first postBio - Jennifer EngbrechtI am a music specialist in the Louis Riel School Division in Manitoba, Canada. I have a strong interest in the interrelationship of all subject areas, especially infusing the arts into all learning, and as their own stand-alone subjects. NEW:
So excited to be interviewed for Green Teacher Magazine's "Talking With Green Teachers" Podcast My article in the MSSTA Journal for Fall 2021... Click on the image below:
My article in the Summer 2021 Green Teacher Magazine. Click on the image below:
Disconnect: The Outdoor Education Podcast - listen to this episode about Teaching Music Outside by clicking on the picture below:
Looking for the WSO Manitoba Mosaic lesson for Hey Terre by Kelly Bado?
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